Caffeine

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.

Hello hxlcyon, I see this is your first post so welcome to PC! I hope you find your time here to be of benefit.

It sounds like your body is definitely dependent on caffeine, given the headaches and shaking. Have you thought about slowly tapering yourself down? It might be helpful to keep track of how many energy drinks you have on a daily basis, and what times you generally have them. Once you see your usual routine, you can create a plan to taper off slowly, so the side effects aren't as awful to go through.

I don't think energy drinks are a bad thing necessarily, in moderation. I personally have a 5 hour energy 3 times a week (on work days to help push through), and they are helpful. Some people rely on coffee. The trick is to find a moderate amount that won't affect your health negatively. I wish you all the best.

I also see that you suffer from depression. Have you thought of trying out an anti-depressant to help with your mood instead of relying on energy drinks to get things done? If you don't want to go the med route, you could always try therapy or healthy self-help activities like exercise and healthy eating.

Thank you.
I think the main issue is my health- the caffeine does worry me and my anxiety is already pretty bad, so the health worries are difficult. I've tried tapering off them before, but I keep coming back. They are like a crutch and it's mostly psychological, in the sense I don't feel I can do work or function without them.

I've narrowed it down from what I used to drink, I have half the amount I used to so it's progress.. The issue is I have an addictive personality; I can get addicted to things extremely easily - more reliant. And I worry that once I stop drinking as much energy drinks, I'll find something else to cope with. I've already had close calls with both prescription painkillers and alcohol and I'm only 20.

Mhm, I have anti-depressants I'm supposed to take and anxiety meds but I don't take either. I have no motivation and my other issues take over (BPD etc). My anxiety also spikes and I stress about getting addicted to anti-depressants, which isn't ever going to happen but at least dependency or reliance on them.

The therapy/mental health services where I am from are abysmal. Honestly, I've been in and out of the system since I was 13 and even after numerous trips to A&E, the MH team still refuses to do anything helpful. They prescribe me more medication and send me off.

I had to bite the bullet and stop having caffeine. A couple of days of headaches and I was okay. I used to drink a pot of regular coffee so it was pretty bad. I'm on anti-anxiety meds and a mood stabilizer. They work.

You won't get hooked on an anti-depressant, though some do have withdrawal symptoms if they're not tapered off properly. The anti-anxiety med - it depends on what is. Benzos like Klonipin and Ativan can be addictive. Neurotin and Atarax aren't.

If you're self-medicating with caffeine, you may want to explore why. Is it to cover discomfort? Or just to give you a boost?

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.

You should try taking some ginseng. It boosts your energy and affects your body a lot less than energy drinks.

Just be mindful about what you take.

I'm a caffeine addict as well. I bulk buy coffee and I used to live off energy drinks. In fact, there was a time where going to any type of job or getting out of the house was impossible for me without a full pot of coffee or an energy drink.

The only way I was able to cut back is because of money. Buying energy drinks every day adds up over time so I've trained myself to cut down ONLY because I hate being broke. I allow myself one energy drink when I have to do something important such as a test at college, a day worth of studying, a job interview, or something similar. I also offer myself one as a reward if I do something good such as getting an A on a test or doing well in a job interview for example.

Perhaps you could start a similar strategy? Consume energy drinks specifically when you have a lot going of important stuff on during the day or as a reward for accomplishing something?

I occasionally have blood in my caffeine system. No energy drinks just good old fashioned coffee brewed so strong it might eat the spoon