Are you a coffee/caffeine addict? - ThinnerTimes

chilmoe · 04-03-2007, 09:27 PM

Overcome caffeine addiction and get your natural energy back
How can you tell if you are suffering from caffeine addiction? Read our signs and symptoms checklist to see if you a coffee addict.

Do you:

consume more than two cups of coffee, tea, cola or chocolate a day? (these all contain caffeine)
feel fatigued on and off during the day?
experience extreme emotional mood swings during the day?
suffer from frequent headaches?
suffer from acidity or heartburn?
suffer from a burning sensation, fatigue and heaviness in the eyes?
suffer from premenstrual syndrome? (for women)
have difficulty falling sleep?
wake up in the morning feeling dead tired?
get irritated easily?
suffer from irregular or rapid heartbeats?
often feel dizzy?
have high blood pressure problems apart from anxiety problems?
have problems concentrating without your regular cup of coffee?
find your hands trembling?
feel dehydrated?
If you answered 'yes' to even some of the above you may have been abusing caffeine - or perhaps I should say 'it has been abusing you' !

Don't get me wrong - many of us use caffeine to little ill effect. Coffee is great in the same way as sunbathing - in moderation!

Caffeine is the most widely used drug in the world and it's no coincidence that its use has increased alongside longer working hours. For most healthy adults 200-300 milligrams a day (about two cups of coffee) is fine .

But too much caffeine (three cups of strong coffee or more) can lead to insomnia, anxiety osteoporosis, diabetes, ulcers, PMS, stroke, heart disease and may be linked to certain types of cancer.

Other common symptoms are migraines and exhaustion, as caffeine dehydrates and overstimulates your adrenal glands. This leads to an inevitable 'energy crash' - which you may have wrongly interpreted as a cue for another cup! Caffeine abusers say they often feel 'exhausted but edgy' at the same time. Caffeine can simultaneously prevent you getting rest - compounding the effect.

Overcoming Caffeine Addiction will help wean you off the caffeine habit slowly and steadily. If you have had a chronic problem with caffeine addiction, the help of a dietician will also be invaluable.

As with any drug, you may experience withdrawal symptoms as you cut down, so it is important to cut back gradually. If in doubt consult a doctor or nutritionist.

Overcome Caffeine Addiction will enable you to do all the things you used to feel couldn't be done without coffee - such as taking a break or getting down to work. When your unconscious mind gets the message that your body really doesn't need - or want - another cup of coffee, then you'll find it easy to cut down or even to stop entirely.

Overcome caffeine addiction will focus on freeing you from the viscious cycle of excess caffeine and give you the sense that you can take or leave it.