[shortandcute]

I love coffee, but I tend to drink way too much, and I've noticed that it affects me physically, but more so mentally (stress/depression). Me and my big mouth, I mentioned to my sponsor that my doctor suggested I cut back on my caffeine levels and my sponsor flipped her lid!She kept carrying on about how doctors didn't understand that recovering alcoholics need something to replace the alcohol, blah blah blah. Another guy told me, "Your doctor's not your mother." Why do AA's get so wierded out by that? (I've also had another AA get after me about taking meds and going to mental health)

[unaluna]

hmm - there's gotta be a step for that. sounds like they are taking other people's inventory. maybe that's why they say at meetings to take what you need and leave the rest. you can't get caught up in other people's stuff. maybe that's why they're in AA to begin with?

You're so right, Shortandcute, to remove anything with caffeine from your diet if you know that it reacts negatively on your mind and emotions. It means you have a sensitivity to caffeine and should remove it from your diet. No caffeine--not just cuttng back.

Please go to DoctorYourself.com and go down the left-hand column until you see
an article called "Caffeine allergy" by Ruth Whalen. It's one of the best articles on
how caffeine reacts in the brain of people who are sensitive to it and why they should remove it from their diets.

If you want to know what's best to do when you need to learn to care for yourself
to make alcoholism go into remission, I would suggest that you read Dr. Kathleen DesMaisons book called "Radiant Recovery" (which is a revised and updated book based on her first work called "Potatoes, Not Prozac". )

This lady really knows what she's talking about in helping people remove alcohol from their lives. (She had high percentages of alcoholics go into remission when she worked with them on diet changes--she has a website in California, and I feel sure she would probably be glad to talk to you to help you get started.)

The advisors mean well, I'm confident, but there are things they may not know sometimes that have to do with special sensitivities people may have and these folks need to have a different form of treatment to go into remission.

You are a smart person to know already that caffeine is bothersome for you, but that's only the half of it--it can cause brain damage in people who are sensitive to it. So you may wish to learn all you can before you agree to continue to use it.

I'm sensitive to caffeine, too, and if I have so much as a glass of tea I can feel the
depressive after-effects for up to three days following ingestion of tea containing caffeine. (This will mean for you, probably, that you will need to avoid caffeine in coffee, (not even the decaffeinated ones may be used) tea, and chocolate. (And anything else containing caffeine, I should add.)

Take care and good wishes on establishing the best program for you.

[tokiwartooth]

My aunt reacts the same way. We're both recovering alcoholics and she'll go to the doctor, but then refutes everything the doctor says. I cut back on my caffeine because I noticed that it upset my stomach and made me extremely jittery if I drank more than 2 large cups a day. Have you tried chocolate? Or any other sort of sweet? I think my body craves sweets because the alcohol was full of so much sugar. I find eating sweets (whether fat free or not) curbs my desires. And it doesn't give me the jitters or a stomach ache. I wouldn't listen to those people, I would do what makes you feel comfortable. If curbing your caffeine intake is what's good for you, then go for it. I wouldn't know why other AA members get so weird about doctors. I mean The Big Book was written by a doctor.

[shortandcute]

Originally Posted by tokiwartooth

My aunt reacts the same way. We're both recovering alcoholics and she'll go to the doctor, but then refutes everything the doctor says. I cut back on my caffeine because I noticed that it upset my stomach and made me extremely jittery if I drank more than 2 large cups a day. Have you tried chocolate? Or any other sort of sweet? I think my body craves sweets because the alcohol was full of so much sugar. I find eating sweets (whether fat free or not) curbs my desires. And it doesn't give me the jitters or a stomach ache. I wouldn't listen to those people, I would do what makes you feel comfortable. If curbing your caffeine intake is what's good for you, then go for it. I wouldn't know why other AA members get so weird about doctors. I mean The Big Book was written by a doctor.

Well, actually, sweets and sugar affect me worse than the caffeine--especially if the sweets are bready, like donuts or sweet bread or cake or pie; I guess it's the combo of suger and flour.