4 ms·

Why quit cold turkey and invite suffering, when all you have to do is reduce your intake over time?

by wissler 13y ago

gcb0 13y ago
I may not be the best example because i try to quit every now and then... But i feel rthat quitting in steps does absolutely nothing. I would keep reducing and not noting any change in body behavior. Until i go past some threshold (2 espressos) them i get the same as fully quitting
regularfry 13y ago
Because it's quicker. You trade the mental effort of remembering to dose down over a longer period against physical discomfort for a day or so. Personally I don't find cold turkey too bad. The second day after I stop I'll have a headachey, nauseous afternoon (which is almost entirely handled with paracetamol as long as I stay hydrated), but after that it's more a matter of habit.
- vidarh 13y ago
  If your withdrawal is over after a day or two, your withdrawals are mild. You're lucky... Caffeine withdrawal can get really nasty. Think a full week of evening shakes so strong you can have a hard time ingesting anything, fevers, headaches that paracetamol won't make go away, diarrhea.
consonants 13y ago
As an opiate addict in recovery, and having experienced caffeine withdrawal: taper, taper, taper. There is no excuse not to. Going cold turkey is an ego-motivated action, in my opinion. It's the 'If I can endure this acute suffering and beat it, then I'm stronger for it' attitude, and gives a false sense of inflated accomplishment. The reality is that you put yourself through needless torment so you could feel better about yourself, while a rational person whose goal is to actually beat the addiction realizes that their chance of returning to the substance increases substantially with how bad the withdrawal symptoms are. If you want to quit, do everything you can so that you don't go back to ingesting the substance in question. That means reducing the chances you'll relapse because withdrawal fucking sucks and the only thing that will fix it is either waiting or using again. Guess which one your brain will try to convince you to do (hint: its the one with the least amount of immediate suffering)?
- mcv 13y ago
  With cafeine, going cold turkey is more likely to be accidental. You don't realize how addicted you are, go somewhere where you don't have access to cafeine (a weekend of sailing, for example), and on the second day the withdrawal hits you. Next time: bring a few cans of cola to drink during the first day, and you're okay.
  - cdjk 13y ago
    That is why I always travel with caffeine pills. Yes, I feel like an addict, but it beats the alternative of withdrawal.
minor_nitwit 13y ago
For me at least, I'm at one cup, but still get withdrawal symptoms if I don't have it. Is there any way to meter this down? Maybe just dump out half the cup?
- jacques_chester 13y ago
  Progressively replace regular with decaf.

Why quit cold turkey and invite suffering, when all you have to do is reduce your intake over time?

by wissler 13y ago

Why quit cold turkey and invite suffering, when all you have to do is reduce your intake over time?

gcb0 13y ago

I may not be the best example because i try to quit every now and then... But i feel rthat quitting in steps does absolutely nothing. I would keep reducing and not noting any change in body behavior. Until i go past some threshold (2 espressos) them i get the same as fully quitting

regularfry 13y ago

Because it's quicker. You trade the mental effort of remembering to dose down over a longer period against physical discomfort for a day or so. Personally I don't find cold turkey too bad. The second day after I stop I'll have a headachey, nauseous afternoon (which is almost entirely handled with paracetamol as long as I stay hydrated), but after that it's more a matter of habit.

vidarh 13y ago
If your withdrawal is over after a day or two, your withdrawals are mild. You're lucky... Caffeine withdrawal can get really nasty. Think a full week of evening shakes so strong you can have a hard time ingesting anything, fevers, headaches that paracetamol won't make go away, diarrhea.

consonants 13y ago

As an opiate addict in recovery, and having experienced caffeine withdrawal: taper, taper, taper. There is no excuse not to. Going cold turkey is an ego-motivated action, in my opinion. It's the 'If I can endure this acute suffering and beat it, then I'm stronger for it' attitude, and gives a false sense of inflated accomplishment. The reality is that you put yourself through needless torment so you could feel better about yourself, while a rational person whose goal is to actually beat the addiction realizes that their chance of returning to the substance increases substantially with how bad the withdrawal symptoms are. If you want to quit, do everything you can so that you don't go back to ingesting the substance in question. That means reducing the chances you'll relapse because withdrawal fucking sucks and the only thing that will fix it is either waiting or using again. Guess which one your brain will try to convince you to do (hint: its the one with the least amount of immediate suffering)?

mcv 13y ago
With cafeine, going cold turkey is more likely to be accidental. You don't realize how addicted you are, go somewhere where you don't have access to cafeine (a weekend of sailing, for example), and on the second day the withdrawal hits you. Next time: bring a few cans of cola to drink during the first day, and you're okay.
- cdjk 13y ago
  That is why I always travel with caffeine pills. Yes, I feel like an addict, but it beats the alternative of withdrawal.

minor_nitwit 13y ago

For me at least, I'm at one cup, but still get withdrawal symptoms if I don't have it. Is there any way to meter this down? Maybe just dump out half the cup?

jacques_chester 13y ago
Progressively replace regular with decaf.