Cutting the Caffeine Addiction

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I'm addicted to coffee. I've tried to quit many times but get horrendous headaches. What can I do?

Sam Graci · alive Expert Joined: 31 Aug 2005 Posts: 5

While the obvious way to avoid the "high" followed by the crash-and-burn syndrome of excessive caffeine is to cut out caffeine completely, total withdrawal can leave you shaky, exhausted, headachy and irritable. I have used these powerful 10 steps, even with physicians, to reduce caffeine dependency.

Step 1: Gradually substitute one cup of coffee per week with a cup of water-processed decaffeinated coffee. You may choose to use one-half cup coffee and fill the other half with hot water. The rule of thumb is to reduce or replace caffeine sources slowly, one cup per week.

Step 2: Make your body fluids' pH more alkaline by eating vegetables, berries, fruit, salads, sea vegetables, sprouts, herbs and herbal teas. Have a "green drink" daily before breakfast to reset your body's alkaline pH so you will not crave the caffeine high.

Step 3: Drink six to 12 glasses of clean water daily.

Step 4: Do not skip breakfast. Have three meals a day with protein at each meal. Do not eat after 8:00 p.m. Avoid sugar, fried foods and trans-fatty acids in commercial bakery items.

Step 5: Revitalize your adrenal glands with herbs such as licorice root, Jiagulan, Siberian ginseng, astragalus, burdock and suma. In formula form, use four capsules daily, two at 7:00 a.m. and two at 3:00 p.m.

Step 6: At 4:00 p.m. and one hour before sleep, take a sublingual (under the tongue) 50-mg capsule of tryfonia, the herbal source of 5-HTP. 5-HTP is the precursor to serotonin, the hormone that enhances good moods.

Step 7: Strengthen and detoxify your liver with herbs such as turmeric, artichoke leaves, dandelion root and milk thistle extracts. In formula form, use three capsules one hour before sleep.

Step 8: Stress less with 7.5 to 9 hours of sleep a night. Cleanse with a massage, reiki session or a sauna once a week. Join a church, meditation or prayer group. Meditation and prayer are a sure power shift to more emotional and mental control over your life.

Step 9: Try using the Bach Flower essence Morning Glory or a homeopathic Rescue Remedy four times a day. Pick up yoga, tai chi or an exercise habit to replace caffeine jolts with natural energy bursts.

Step 10: Dr. Bernard Green, author of Getting Over Getting High (William Morrow, 1984) suggests:
•one 50 mg capsule of B-complex vitamins after each meal
•one 400 IU capsule of natural, mixed vitamin E
•300 mg of elemental magnesium and 200 mg of calcium before sleep
•one soft gel of evening primrose oil daily and one tablespoon of flax seed oil; use olive oil on salads
•three capsules (one at each meal) of fish oils to supply the fatty acid DHA for greater motivation, creativity and enthusiasm.

Anniejames · Guest

I too am a coffee addict, and I realized that although it is not "technically" a drug, I still do not want something in my life that dictates my behavior. I have been meditating on myinnerworld.com. I definitely recommend it. Good luck.