Psychology Tips for Managing Coffee Addiction

Dealing with any sort of addiction can be challenging, especially when that addiction is so universally accepted by society. Coffee is just such an addiction. Coffee contains caffeine, which is considered a psychoactive drug, a stimulant that increases activity in the brain. The caffeine found in coffee is arguably one of the most used psychoactive drugs in the world. Taken in moderation, the caffeine found in coffee does have some positive effects and will increase mental alertness and energy. However, taken in larger amounts, caffeine can cause insomnia and anxiety. The worst part is that caffeine is highly addictive, in fact some research suggests caffeine addiction may be a mental disorder.

One teacher tested this theory on her psychology degree students by giving some students regular coffee or decafe and purposefully misidentifying the contents of the cup in some cases. The study results from the study found that “people given caffeine that they thought was decaf actually had higher initial withdrawal scores than those who were given decaf but told they got caffeine.” This means that even just thought of being denied caffeine is enough to make people experience withdrawal symptoms, validating the theory that coffee can impact the mind.

Mental disorder or no, withdrawing from caffeine is not an easy task. If you are going to cut down on your caffeine intake, it is important that you have the desire to change your habits because you will need to have a strong will to get through the process. Some folks have no problem managing their coffee addiction, while others need several cups of coffee just to get them through the day. If you feel like you have a strong addiction to coffee and caffeine, there are some steps you can take to change that.

Tips for Managing Coffee Addiction

The first step in managing your addiction is to make sure you get enough sleep during the night. People often use coffee as a crutch to make up for a lack of sleep or adequate rest. Using coffee as a sleep substitute is only a temporary fix. Eventually you’re going to need to get adequate sleep. Substitute that inner need for coffee with positive affirmations to start the day after a good night’s sleep. Tell yourself that you are good to go as you are, that you don’t need any sort of stimulant to get you going on your day.

Similarly, when you’re feeling tired or stressed out, try this simple exercise. Make your body tense up, start breathing deeply and extend your arms outward, then upward to clap several times. Determine if you really need coffee at this particular time to make you feel more alert.

The second step in getting over a coffee addiction is to get involved in other activities. Addictions are easier to manage if you replace one behavior with another. When you start to crave coffee, try another response like getting some fresh water or going for a quick walk to get your blood flowing. Convince yourself that you don’t need coffee to get that jolt of energy and simply break the pattern of responding to a habit.

Finally, start to cut back on coffee if you need to. Make half-decaf coffee, eventually switching over to decaf completely. From there, move on to tea. You can also dilute the strength of coffee by adding more water or milk. Your body will begin to detox so you’re going to need drink lots of water. Try some moderate exercise to increase endorphins to quell any further cravings for coffee.

During this period of breaking away from coffee addiction, you will likely experience some detox symptoms that will last anywhere from a few days to a week. Caffeine withdrawal makes you feel like you have no energy. You may also experience a persistent headache, irritability, difficulty concentrating, depression and even flu-like symptoms may occur. Take lots of vitamin C, B-complex, calcium, magnesium and niacin supplements. If you are uncertain of the dosage, check with your doctor.

Ultimately it is important to remember that the caffeine found in coffee is not bad when it’s drunk in small amounts. Having a cup in the morning, maybe another in the afternoon is perfectly acceptable. However if you to start to find yourself needing multiple cups just to get through the day, you may want to consider cutting back on your caffeine intake.

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Allison Gamble has been a curious student of psychology since high school, and is glad to bring her knowledge of the mind to the weird world of internet marketing. Raised by hopelessly addicted coffee-drinkers, she’s fond of espresso drinks, French press, and Turkish coffee.

Photo by filmvanalledag.

Category: Coffee Information