For many, coffee is as essential a morning ritual as showering or brushing teeth. Boosting yourself with a cup of aromatic coffee has become not only a habit of the modern person but also a kind of obligation. It’s no wonder that in terms of sales volume worldwide, coffee ranks second only to gasoline.
Why do our hands reach out for coffee? It’s all because coffee contains caffeine, and caffeine has a mild psychostimulant effect. Several scientific studies confirm that coffee addiction is similar to drug addiction. How dangerous is all this, and what to do about it, AdmiGram.com will tell you.
Are you addicted to coffee, and is it scary?
A little theory: what is caffeine and why is it dangerous
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Caffeine is a natural substance found most in coffee and chocolate. Caffeine definitely causes addiction, dependency, and withdrawal symptoms. The caffeine withdrawal syndrome for most people manifests as fatigue and drowsiness.
Few people are able to admit that they have any kind of addiction at all. But if you constantly crave coffee, and not getting your dose makes you irritable, then it’s time to think. To understand how dependent you are on coffee, read these questions and answer them honestly.
Short test for coffee addiction
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- Do you think about coffee very often? Do you fondly remember your morning cup throughout the day?
- Can you skip breakfast, not make your bed, but immediately go and make yourself a cup of coffee? In some cases, can you even allow yourself to be late somewhere, just to finish your coffee?
- Have you already had your third cup, but you go back to the coffee machine as soon as you smell the familiar aroma?
- Can’t you go a day without coffee and still remember the day when you couldn’t drink your favorite drink?
- Do you drink coffee on the go? Even if you just need to get from point A to point B, do you buy coffee in a cup?
- For you, it’s a real disaster to drink instant coffee, and you feel sorry for those people who drink this stuff?
- To relax at work, do you say, “let’s go, have some coffee”? Like that?
- Can you have a nervous breakdown when your coffee isn’t prepared the way it should be?
- You just don’t understand those people who say they sleep poorly at night because of an evening cup of coffee? Do you drink it at any time of the day?
- Do you have your own special set of favorite tools, dishes, and even poses in which you consume your little source of happiness?
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If you found that you answered “Yes” to almost all of the questions, it’s addiction. But it’s not scary. If you want to get rid of your coffee addiction, then try first to understand how coffee affects you and your life. Or just follow these tips.
- Keep track to determine how much caffeine you consume per day. Don’t forget to account for medications containing caffeine. Experiment with the amount of caffeine consumed and write down your feelings and physical reactions.
- Replace the ritual of drinking coffee with herbal teas, fruit teas, hot compotes, or hot water with lemon.
- Limit yourself to no more than two cups of coffee or caffeine-containing beverages per day.
- Try using other activities that would activate your body instead of caffeine: running, walking, swimming, cycling, dancing.
- Eat regularly to maintain energy levels.
- If your coffee consumption is related to smoking, quit smoking. This will break the chain of events and make it easier to give up coffee.
image on top: Jean-Louis Paulin / Unsplash
