Quote:
Originally Posted by hxlcyon
I know this might either get hate for not being a 'proper addiction' or whatever, but I'm stressed out and I need advice.
I'm somewhat addicted to caffeine - energy drinks specifically. It got to a point a few months ago where I could easily drink 3 cans of Red Bull in one sitting multiple times a day if I didn't monitor myself. I have spent the last week on the verge of crying, the worst headaches and shaking constantly because I haven't had anything and I broke today and I'm about to go out and buy some now.
I don't know how to describe it; my mood is dead. Quite literally. I suffer from depression already, and a multitude of other issues, and Red Bull specifically is my crutch to do almost anything - assignments, social events, even just playing a video game with a friend, I feel like I need it to keep my mood up and have some energy.
The advice I'm looking for is firstly, is this an addiction? And two what do I do about it? Should I care? - right now I'm finding it really hard to care or be bothered by it, even with health risks, but I feel that if I know I should care, I might at least have that in my mind when I'm buying/drinking energy drinks.
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To me this is a legit addiction. I have somewhat the same issue. However it's not the caffeine per se that I'm addicted to. I crave coffee and used to drink red bull but I don't drink red bull anymore.
What I found out was that I was depressed or not motivated when I didn't have caffeine. I was basically not functioning. The caffeine helped me better my mood and made me more active. When I started to feel low again I would consume my caffeine again to bring me up.
The issue here is getting to root of your depression and why it is that you feel the need to consume caffeine. So therapy would be a go to. Perhaps getting on some mood stabilizers might help out as well. I've always been afraid of trying mood stabilizers. I've never gone that route. i would give it a try if I were you before things escalate or you pick up Other addictions in order to function.