A Simple Method to Beat Coffee Addiction
August 12th 2007 08:45
Coffee is the favorite hot drink in the United States (as tea is in Great Britain), and more than two billion pounds (1 billion kilograms) of coffee are consumed in the country every year. Those who drink coffee dote on its aroma and flavor. But taste and aroma alone do not account for the popularity of coffee. It gives a lift which so habituates its users that they cannot perform their usual activities without a cup or two. It becomes a crutch on which they depend for a starter in the morning, for a pick-me-up at the coffee break, for pep on social occasions, and for a stimulant to stay awake. A cup of coffee contains about 100 milligrams (1.5 grains) of caffeine.
There are people who seem to be hopelessly hooked on coffee, but would like to beat their addiction to it just the same. A former habitual user has some suggestions that helped her kick her coffee-drinking habit:
"The factor which makes it difficult for most people to quit the use of coffee is that they receive a lift from its use. What they need is to find a harmless, better way to provide a comparable lift. To begin with, spend at least half an hour early each morning in active physical exercise, followed by a contrast shower. This stimulates respiratory and circulatory systems, and improves the functions of the body's organs, including the brain. As you learn to take the amount of exercise that suits your individual needs and to vary the severity of the contrast shower so that it comes within your ability to react favorably to the cold water which follows the hot, you will experience a wholesome lift that will last throughout the morning. The form of exercise should be of your own choosing. It can consist of vigorous walking, of setting-up exercises, of work in the garden, of bicycling, or of horseback riding. You should be careful not to exceed your limits of endurance during the exercise period, but the exercise should be vigorous enough so that you perspire during this time. The contrast shower which follows the exercise immediately should provide hot water at the beginning - working up to a temperature just as high as you can tolerate. After three or four minutes of this, turn off all the hot water and use only cold. Until you become accustomed to this procedure, you should not spend long in the cold shower. As your tolerance for the cold improves, you may be able to stay in the cold shower as long as one minute. As you step out of the cold shower, you should feel a glow of warmth in the skin of your entire body. If you fail to feel this, it is because you have stayed in the cold water too long. Following the cold water, you should dry the skin quickly and vigorously with a heavy towel and this should intensify the reaction in your skin."
She continues, thus: "The lift you receive from this procedure depends upon the body's normal response to exercise and temperature contrast. There is no unfavorable letdown as there is from coffee stimulation. It is true that in the early afternoon, a person may feel the need of a nap even though he exercised and showered in the morning. But he does not feel depressed as does the person who craves another cup of coffee."
Lastly, know that if you're hooked on caffeine and want to cut down, you have to do so gradually. Stopping cold turkey can trigger a monster headache that lasts for days. In some people, caffeine withdrawal can also cause depression, sluggishness, anxiety, and even nausea and vomiting. Symptoms typically begin within 24 hours of your last caffeine "fix" and can last for up to a week or more.
There are people who seem to be hopelessly hooked on coffee, but would like to beat their addiction to it just the same. A former habitual user has some suggestions that helped her kick her coffee-drinking habit:
"The factor which makes it difficult for most people to quit the use of coffee is that they receive a lift from its use. What they need is to find a harmless, better way to provide a comparable lift. To begin with, spend at least half an hour early each morning in active physical exercise, followed by a contrast shower. This stimulates respiratory and circulatory systems, and improves the functions of the body's organs, including the brain. As you learn to take the amount of exercise that suits your individual needs and to vary the severity of the contrast shower so that it comes within your ability to react favorably to the cold water which follows the hot, you will experience a wholesome lift that will last throughout the morning. The form of exercise should be of your own choosing. It can consist of vigorous walking, of setting-up exercises, of work in the garden, of bicycling, or of horseback riding. You should be careful not to exceed your limits of endurance during the exercise period, but the exercise should be vigorous enough so that you perspire during this time. The contrast shower which follows the exercise immediately should provide hot water at the beginning - working up to a temperature just as high as you can tolerate. After three or four minutes of this, turn off all the hot water and use only cold. Until you become accustomed to this procedure, you should not spend long in the cold shower. As your tolerance for the cold improves, you may be able to stay in the cold shower as long as one minute. As you step out of the cold shower, you should feel a glow of warmth in the skin of your entire body. If you fail to feel this, it is because you have stayed in the cold water too long. Following the cold water, you should dry the skin quickly and vigorously with a heavy towel and this should intensify the reaction in your skin."
She continues, thus: "The lift you receive from this procedure depends upon the body's normal response to exercise and temperature contrast. There is no unfavorable letdown as there is from coffee stimulation. It is true that in the early afternoon, a person may feel the need of a nap even though he exercised and showered in the morning. But he does not feel depressed as does the person who craves another cup of coffee."
Lastly, know that if you're hooked on caffeine and want to cut down, you have to do so gradually. Stopping cold turkey can trigger a monster headache that lasts for days. In some people, caffeine withdrawal can also cause depression, sluggishness, anxiety, and even nausea and vomiting. Symptoms typically begin within 24 hours of your last caffeine "fix" and can last for up to a week or more.
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