Quitting Coffee: The Guide (Part 4)

Quitting coffee (the original article) is the most popular attraction to my visitors. The guide is an attempt to show you how quitting caffeine is possible and how to make it a life-long habit.


Quitting Coffee: The Future

If you have enlisted some of the tips and tricks of the Day 1, Week 1, and Month 1 articles, then you may be smooth sailing. You also may not be. The same ideas don't always work for the same people (or we'd all be boring clones or something). Just because you've tried out these tactics and failed to stop drinking coffee does not mean that you are a lost cause. There are plenty of other alternative methods that I didn't list (because I didn't try them myself).

You must understand that caffeine is a drug and that dependency on said drug is an addiction. That means that many of the alternative practices used to cure addictions can be added to your regimen. The practices of accupressure (using certain pressure points) and accupuncture (using certain pressure points with needles) have been used to help with the cessation of smoking and they may be useful here. While there aren't caffeine-stopping patches and gum (at least not that I know of) you can always use the tried and true method of cutting down your caffeine usage little by little. There are many audio programs and DVDs that are used to try to program the addiction out of you. Some are more legitimate than others and I'll let you use your best judgment. The paraliminals of Paul Scheele and Learning Strategies seem like a pretty cool option.

If the earlier methods or these alternative methods have had some effect, keep in mind how addiction works. Just because the caffeine is out of your system does not mean that your brain does not remember how the drug makes it feel. This is why addicts of drugs and alcohol often relapse. Their brains crave the substance and this is no different for caffeine. What does this mean? This means that even slipping a little bit, might make you feel like you're starting back at square one. A cup of coffee one day after being off the stuff for months, might re-trigger the headaches and the cravings the next day. I'm not trying to be dramatic and say that coffee is as bad as speed (though they act similarly in the body), but I am saying that if you try coffee again just one more time you may be re-hooked.

This sounds a little bit doom and gloom. No coffee forever? There are several great benefits to keep in mind. If you can find your path to quitting coffee, whether it be through my methods or these alternative methods, you will have the opportunity to experience them. Remember how addiction works and that a relapse may cause you to restart the habit. If you do, just break it again going back through the articles in order. If you need a little bit more motivation to continue on, read on to Part 5, where I talk about some of the benefits of getting the smack out of your system :).


Up Next: Quitting Coffee: The Guide (Part 5)
(Coming Soon)