I have been clean for five yrs from Meth.?

Congrates on making it five years!! It is common to replace one addiction to another. And yes too much caffiene over time can be bad for you health. Just drink it in moderation, and try to slip in atleast 3 glasses of water in a day so it can go through your system and clean it out. I hope you stay clean for another 30 yrs.!!!!!!

Congratulations! Addictions are very tough, some people never conquer them. Please remember you're always going to be an addict, it's up to you to choose weather or not to feed into the addiction. Yeah too much caffeine is bad for your health, but it is alot safer and more acceptable than meth. And unfortunately it seems to be that way, It's like in order to quit one addiction we tend to focus on something else, and it's not always an addiction as it could be a bad habit. If you're worried about the caffeine intake cut down to diet soda's and work your way off the caf. or drink decaf. coffee. Or drink only half as much as you normally would of the regular and then drink water to help flush your system. I'm no expert but that's what I would try. I wish you the best of luck on your sobriety and your future. God bless.

Extremely common. Coffee is a staple item at most AA meetings.

Yes, too much caffine can affect your health, but not nearly as much as Meth will, so you've traded up. Good for you!

For the good news about coffee and caffine check out the first link below.

For the bad news, check out the second link.

Then, decide for yourself what risks you are willing to live with.

Be Well!

I think it is common to replace the old addiction with something new. Instead of meth you are drinking pepsi and coffee. Not that big of a deal since you kicked meth. I wouldn't worry about a little coffee and soda.

Congrats, ... meth is a terrible thing. A recent study showed that even 7 cups of coffee a day has no real health risk, even long term. Stay away from the pepsi, It is like liquid meth....it rots your teeth!

From what you were on to Caffine I say its not to bad but it can be a problem. Congrats on the 5yrs of being clean!!!

I agree that to much coffee is bad for your health. We need you around so that we can look down.

i am a recovering alcoholic.if i had kept drinking i'd be dead now.personally i'm not going worry about how much coffee i drink.every day i have is one more than i would have had.

if you have questions about caffine, check out this website

http://coffeefaq.com/site/node/25

as for the addiction question, I can't help you with that

CAFFEINE

What is caffeine ?

Caffeine is a central stimulant, i.e. it stimulates the brain. Caffeine is present in coffee, tea and cola drinks etc.

Is caffeine safe ?

Drinking tea and coffee is a common social activity as well as being many peoples main fluid intake during a day. Moderate amounts of caffeine, i.e. 250-500mg per day, are thought to be harmless, unlike alcohol and nicotine, which have definite serious adverse effects. Indeed, it has been considered that most of the country would not operate properly without caffeine! Higher amounts of caffeine can, however, have noticeable unwanted effects.

What is caffeinism ?

"Caffeinism" is the term used for people who are dependent upon caffeine i.e. suffer side effects from having too much caffeine, take larger amounts and need to keep drinking caffeine to function properly (including a "craving" feeling for caffeine). "Caffeinism" is thought to occur if you have an intake of above 600mg to 750mg of caffeine per day. Drinking more than 1000mg per day is well into the toxic range. The US Olympic Committee considers caffeine a stimulant and has an upper limit for caffeine levels in the blood, above which an athlete "fails a drugs test".

People may drink large quantities of tea, coffee and cola drinks to relieve thirst or dry mouth caused by side effects of drugs, such as some antidepressants and antipsychotics. Since headaches can occur when caffeine is stopped, drinking caffeine stops these headaches occurring.

What are the symptoms of caffeinism ?

The symptoms of caffeinism can include feelings of anxiety and nervousness, sleep disruption (especially difficult getting off to sleep), restlessness, irritability, diuresis (passing lots of water/urine), stomach complaints, tremulousness, palpitations and arrythmias (changed heart rate, especially faster beating). 150mg of caffeine at bedtime has been shown to have a marked effect on how long it takes to get to sleep, reduce total sleep time, the quality of sleep and REM (dreaming) periods. Caffeinism can make some illnesses such as anxiety more resistant to drug treatment. People who suffer from panic attacks may be more sensitive to the stimulant effects of caffeine.

Suddenly stopping taking caffeine can produce problems. Withdrawal from even moderate amounts of caffeine can produce headaches (52%), anxiety (10%), rebound drowsiness, fatigue and lethargy, with many other effects reported.

"Caffeinism" is considered a drug addiction and caffeine withdrawal syndrome is a documented psychiatric condition.

How do I know how much caffeine I have in a day ?

You can work out your daily intake of caffeine using this table:

Source of caffeine Caffeine content

per 100ml per container

Brewed coffee 55-85mg 140-210mg/mug

Instant coffee 35-45mg 85-110mg/mug

Brewed tea 25-55mg 85-110

Cocoa 3mg 7mg/mug

Coca-Cola 11mg 36mg/can

Pepsi-Cola 7mg 22mg/can

Dr. Pepper 11mg 36mg/can

Milk chocolate around 22mg/100g

Aqua Ban 100mg/tablet

*a mug is taken as being 250ml.

What do I do if my daily caffeine intake is too high ?

If you are taking more than about 600-750mg a day of caffeine, you would probably feel better if you took less caffeine. However, since caffeinism can be considered a drug "addiction", stopping caffeine suddenly is not a good idea as withdrawal effects (see previous page) are likely. The best plan for someone who may be drinking too much caffeine is to gradually reduce this to a safer level, preferably over several weeks.

You can reduce your intake in many ways e.g.:

Use decaffeinated (or at least instant) coffee and/or tea sometimes

Avoid brewed coffee or strong tea

Mix decaffeinated coffee powder with ordinary coffee powder to make a lower-caffeine drink

Either drink smaller volumes of coffee or tea or make the drinks weaker

Drink caffeine drinks less often

Do not drink too many cola drinks e.g. Coca-Cola, Pepsi etc

One useful plan is to start with one or two decaffeinated drinks per day. Then increase this gradually e.g. alternating decaffeinated drinks with ordinary caffeine-containing drinks. Avoid taking caffeine drinks within a couple of hours of going to bed.