I drink about 2 liters of Soda pop almost every day. It started when I first moved to Michigan and I'm hopelessly addicted. I have tried to quit several times. I know caffeine can make your hair dull and lifeless not to mention other things. My teeth aren't my original color, I'm trying to quit unsuccesfuly.
As far as I'm concerned caffeine is a drug like any other, herion, cociane, tobacco, alcohol.
Anybody else have this problem and know of way to quit without the cravings. Believe me they are just as bad as any other drugs.
I tried to switch from Coca cola to Green tea but that doesn't even work.
Just get a good tasting juice and drink that and that alone. Get regularity. I might suggest Strawberry Breeze by Welch's. They say put in 2 cans of water but put in 5 cans and it's perfect.
You have two options: Steadily lower your intake in regular intervals (cut it down by 75% for a few days, then cut that down by 75% a few days later, etc.) or you can just stop altogether. I was addicted to caffeine just like you were, some two years ago. I cut down little by little, and then one day, I just stopped altogether. It sucks for about ten days, but then you get over it, and life goes on. Trust me, it's best to whittle down your intake and then kill it off completely.
Take it from someone who has been there. I'm no doctor, but caffeine SUCKS in high doses, because it's so addictive to some. Just bite the bullet and QUIT. You can do it.
go camping for a week without anything to drink but water.
keep yourself busy, and enjoy nature
caffeine is very addictive, yes; but it is always possible to kick it if you're willing to go through the hard stage.
luckily I've been able to kick out a caffeine addiction many times without any problems, but that's just me and I know of people who had problems like you. But they succeeded!
good luck
-vincent
Maybe going from cola to tea was too large a change for you to sustain.
Have you tried switching from caffinated cola to non-caffinated soda? Maybe substitute it slowly. It took awhile to get hooked on the stuff, it will take awhile to get off it.
Good luck
I've never been consciously aware of being addicted to caffine. And I always drink a few cups of green tea with lemon every day.
I am addicted to one thing, which I've tried to go without but fail hopelessly, and that's meat. Chicken, Turkey, Fish, Lamb, bacon, pork, salmon, tuna, mmmmmmm. I suppose my body actually needs these, I'm still growing, being only 17, and my hair seems to be benefiting from eating plenty of meat too. One meat I hate though is beef! Uck.
As another person already has, I recommend that you drink non-caffeinated sodas at first, as well. They taste EXACTLY like the caffeinated stuff, and there's a good chance that the caffeine isn't all your addicted to. For some people, the feeling of drinking soda is addictive, as is the taste, etc. Part of breaking my soda addiction was first kicking the caffeine, then drinking more and more water to flush that crap out of my system. For a week afterward, my urine was terribly... concentrated... That's what happens when you drink enough water to flush your body clean. If you quit today, you should be feeling the effects some time in the next two weeks. You'll feel much, MUCH better.
From time to time, I still drink non-caffeinated beverages. They're not that much different, which leads me to question with you, as well as with myself, are we addicted to the caffeine, or the sugar/taste/feel of/in the soda?