Hi guys, I’m using all the OA tools today in my quest for truth. I am praying hard that I do not relapse again, and it has been suggested to me by an OA member that I might look at how coffee does or does not affect my abstinence. I’m a caffeine addict – can hardly formulate a sentence without my morning brew. Drink 2 – 3 strong coffees daily. Some years ago, when following a low GI ‘diet’ – on my own – I gave up coffee for a year and a half. Withdrawal was awful, but only lasted 3 or 4 days. I did reap lots of benefits during that time, was more focused and calm, and my sleep was better.
Oh but I missed the ‘buzz’. That is the truth. I kind of came to a place where I picked it back up again because I loved the whole smell and taste and ritual of coffee.
I decided at the time, that while coffee was a drug of sorts, it was ok to have one ‘vice’.
Part of me feels like that today – I don’t drink alcohol, or smoke, or eat my trigger foods, I am more than willing to stay abstinent, so surely I can have my coffee.
But something keeps niggling me. Maybe my OA friend is right. And I do know that coffee raises blood sugar, so could possible endanger my abstinence. Yet I don’t want to be too draconian or extreme.
I was thinking of maybe going off it on a day-to-day basis. My life is a bit nutsy this week, so rather than go cold turkey, I may weaken my brew considerably every day, cut back to NOTHING by the weekend, and avoid the horrors of withdrawal.
I have struggled with this question myself. I LOVE coffee. I still use a little percolator like my Grandma used to use. It makes me smile each morning, when I listen to it perk and smell the delicious coffee smell. I have limited myself to one mug a day, but that one mug is made with lot's of love. I buy local roasted beans, and grind them myself. I know they say a percolator isn't the best way to make coffee, but it makes me smile each morning...and that's worth it. Don't totally take away coffee if it makes you happy. Maybe you can comprimise and really savor one cup a day. It's my morning ritual and I wouldn't give it up for anything.
I had to quit because it caused fibrocystic breasts in me. But I see zero wrong with drinking coffee. Unfortunately some people will pick other people's programs to death. OK, if you drink the coffee with your protein/meal, I doubt your insulin will leap much. Sometimes people try to cut out too much and it actually makes abstinence harder for them (like me).
Enjoy your abstinence today. Thanks for the email.
Hi Searsha,
the longer I am in OA the more slogans I pick up and when I read your post I thought of this slogan..."Keep the main thing the main thing". Right now you are working a very simple but not easy recovery program. Try not to get distracted by other things. Us compulsives are well... compulsive. So journal about it for a bit and see if you are still worried.
By the way I love my coffee too.
Bumps
I cut diet-Coke and diet pepsi out of my diet when I became abstinent - although they are not part of my abstinence. The reason was the sodium level and the bloating problem they caused in me and the potential cravings they gave me for sweet things and the fact that I drank so much I never got enough water for my body to function they way it should.
I don't personally think that there is anything inherently wrong with drinking that stuff or coffee or whatever. If it isn't causing you a problem then maybe it is not something that needs to change right this second. If it is something that you feel is kind of out of control then maybe cut it back a little... however I agree with Bumps, concerntrate on the main stuff and if the coffee isn't affecting it, don't worry too much.
...of course...I drink like 12 diet sodas a day, so perhaps I'm not the one to comment. (I am however making half of them caffeine free these days, much to my friends' rejoicing.)
Thank you MissingAmerica, LeAnne, Bumps, Malinki and Marny! I truly appreciate all your comments on the coffee question. I kept praying, kept the mind open, and came across an article about a guy who described much better than I could why he felt the need to let go – and I got a lot of identification. He found that while coffee seemed to give him lots of energy, it really just made him a bit hyper, and he’d spend hours on trivial tasks obsessively while unable to focus on what tasks were truly meaningful for him. I was not able to set that down on paper when I posted about this the other day.
The article hit home with me, that and the reminder from my daughter how my Doctor had advised me to cut down some years ago.
I’m in withdrawal now, day 3, and I have never experienced anything so difficult. I have a blinding headache, nausea, brain fog, the works! But I’ve really taken time out on this one. I’ve put all my books aside, just did my basic work shifts, and spent as much time in bed as I can. It’s like a bad bad flu. It’s only now that the symptoms have subsided the teenchiest bit, that I can actually see that this might be a good thing for my abstinence, health, concentration, and might enhance meditation too. That all feels like a long way away. Apparently, it can be 10 days to 2 weeks before well-being sets in.
I feel OA is looking after me – today, food is simple and good. I spent the whole day at my 1st Intergroup meeting, and was so privileged to meet members from all over Ireland. Even though I was not firing on all cylinders, it was very special to give a little service and learn how OA works. We had a meeting to wind up and that was great.
That's a tough one, Searsha. I'm glad you did your soul searching and figured out the right answer for you. I'm sure the withdrawal will get better and better. Its like going off any drug, you know?
I am a coffee lover. I don't drink a whole lot of it--just one mug every morning. But, I really depend on it. I feel out of sorts when I don't have it. I don't think of it as a problem for myself because although its something I enjoy, I don't feel like I abuse it or use it for emotional purposes. Its more of a ritual for me and just something special I do for myself to start my day.
Hi there Searsha,
I can totally relate. I have thinking the same things about coffee (well, actually caffeine) lately. Although coffee and caffeine is not BAD bad for you, maybe it's a trigger food? Recently I cut out all caffeine and sugar (*gasp*) but after the horrible first few days I was surprised how much it cut down on my cravings for other things. It was really surprising to me since I always figured that salty greasy crunchy were my main food addicitons. I guess one addiction feeds into the others? Anyways hang tough!
coffee pot. or not?
Coffee...Yes!
. Thanks for the email.
