I can relate. When I was in university, I was easily drinking 13 large coffees a day. I decided to cut back, not because of the caffeine, but because of the amount of cream and sugar I was putting in the coffee. I gradually reduced by one coffee a day, over a period of about 2-3 months. I did get headaches, but OTC pain meds helped with that.

Now I stick to 4 cups a day which is still a lot, but it doesn't interfere with my sleep so I figure it's no big deal. But I still get a headache if I don't have a coffee fix first thing when I wake up.

I agree it's not as bad as other drugs, but too much caffeine is bad for you. My addiction Dr. tells people who want to cut down on coffee, to combine regular coffee with decaff 1/2 and 1/2, gradually increasing the proportion of decaff. until that's what they're drinking.

Good luck with cutting back, if that's what you decide to do.

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