aeq@pucc-h (Jeff Sargent) (02/24/84)
I was a little saddened to note that one of the ways suggested to help kick
tobacco was to swallow copious quantities of coffee. Caffeine is a terribly
addictive substance; but people don't think about quitting that, partially
because it is inoffensive to others (as opposed to that bletcherous, stenchy
smoke!). I probably consume, via coffee, tea, and soft drinks, the better
part of a gram (maybe over a gram) of caffeine per day. Does anyone know any
good ways to break this addiction? I once tried cold turkey. I think I could
have tolerated the mild headache long enough to break the habit. But I found
that I was unable to concentrate on my work! Might this have been partially
caused by my irregular sleep schedule, or would it be entirely due to my being
deprived of this substance?
Again, is there a way to quit caffeine and still function normally during
the withdrawal period?
--
-- Jeff Sargent
{allegra|ihnp4|decvax|harpo|seismo|teklabs|ucbvax}!pur-ee!pucc-h:aeq
...drifting along with the tumbling terminals....bobgian@psuvax.UUCP (02/25/84)
The only way I know is cold turkey. My wife spent one entire summer getting herself unaddicted from caffeine. (She chose summer because she was a student and could not afford the withdrawal effects during the regular academic year.) But since she has become unhooked, she has felt and functioned MUCH better. Moral: sure it's tough, but you've got the REST of your life with which to appreciate the results. It's worth it. N.B.: Everything I said applies just as well to tobacco or any other addiction. -- Bob Giansiracusa (Dept of Computer Science, Penn State Univ, 814-865-9507) Arpa: bobgian%PSUVAX1.BITNET@Berkeley Bitnet: bobgian@PSUVAX1.BITNET CSnet: bobgian@penn-state.CSNET UUCP: bobgian@psuvax.UUCP -or- allegra!psuvax!bobgian USnail: 333 Whitmore Lab, Penn State Univ, University Park, PA 16802
edhall@randvax.ARPA (Ed Hall) (02/29/84)
------------------------ From friends I know who have quit or cut down on caffine consumption, I can say that it is easier than quitting smoking. This is not to say that swearing off the brew is easy, but tapering off on coffee seems to work a lot better than tapering off on cigarettes. Sometimes decaffinated coffee helps. (Get the water-processed kind if you are worried that decaffinated coffee might have residues from chlorinated solvents.) This will help handle the psychological cravings. Your body is physically addicted, though, so if you go off of caffine cold-turkey or taper off too fast you'll end up feeling fatigued, nervous, and mentally dull. If you want to quit *now*, allow yourself several days when you won't be of much use to anybody. Make sure you are getting lots of rest, no matter how you plan to quit, and things will be easier. -Ed