Having an addiction can feel a lot like insanity at times. In fact it often seems like there are two distinct people operating inside your head.

On one hand there’s the you who knows the caffeine is having a bad effect on your health. You’re sick of being a nervous wreck, tired of the splitting headaches, and ready to get rid of that burning feeling in your gut from too many cups of acidic coffee.

You may even become so frustrated with your inability to quit that you end up in tears. Why the hell can’t you just stop drinking the @#$%^! coffee?

Then there’s the other side of you: This persona often asks “What’s the big deal?”

When in this mode you wonder why you wanted to quit in the first place. You talk yourself into just having one cup and not making a big deal of it.

Naturally one cup turns into 8 and you’re back to being an emotional wreck about the whole deal. It’s incredible when you stop to think about it.

How on earth can something have this kind of hold on you? I mean, we’re not talking about cocaine or heroine here… this is ust caffein for goodness sake!

The truth is, an addiction is serious business no matter what chemical you’re dealing with. In fact we can become addicted to the natural chemicals our bodies release during certain emotional responses!

It’s not easy to stay focused knowing that after you’ve gone without your fix for a while, that other you will emerge and try to talk you into pouring yourself another cup or having an energy drink.

One little trick that can help you here is to write yourself a note, or several notes. When you’re sick to death of your addiction write it down and be as dramatic as you want. Then put this note in your wallet or stick it on your fridge or workdesk, and look at it when you start to think from the wrong center.

This works really well for most people.

Another course of action is to get support from others. Involve your friends and family and put together a support group.

If you can get people who care about you to hold you accountable for your desire to quit, you’ll be less likely to break from your game plan. Give your support group permission to call you out on a backslide and embarrass you if needed.

Beign aware of the “other you” is a great start. It means you’re being real about your desire to change.

For a complete guide on how to quit caffeine check out my downloadable special report. I used this system myself to ditch the habit and it can help you as well.

Research indicates 9 in 10 people in the U.S. use some form of caffeine on a regular basis. And according to numerous independent studies, over half of the people who use caffeine regularly are dependant.

The American Psychiatric Association clearly defines the withdrawal symptoms individuals may suffer when they stop using caffeine after prolonged consumption. These symptoms indicate physical and psychological addiction to caffeine.

Caffeine has also been linked to heart disease, high blood pressure, panic attacks, stomach and GI issues, and a number of other very real health issues. Aside from the major risks, anyone with a coffee habit will tell you about the irritability, fatigue, insomnia, and high levels of nervous tension caused by regular caffeine consumption.

The fact is, caffeine is a very powerful, highly addictive substance. And it’s readily available to people of all ages in a very wide range of forms.

Coffee, energy drinks, a variety of black teas, and even diet supplements are consumed in large quantities by the majority of the population in the U.S. and other nations. In many ways it is both surprising and disturbing that an addictive substance has grown to such rampant levels of use and even acceptance in our society.

Caffeine is not associated with health risk in the minds of the average consumer. Most people truly believe several cups of coffee every single day is a harmless habit.

And this fact makes the problem all the more serious! Because people fail to grasp the very real danger of using caffeine very liberally, there is no real incentive to decrease intake or stop altogether.

Caffeine floods the bloodstream with adrenaline and stress hormones. Additionally it increase heart rate significantly while at the same time constricting blood vessels.

These facts alone make caffeine a substantial health risk. Add to this the confirmed findings about the addictive nature of caffeine and we have a severe issue on our hands.

It’s interesting that caffeine is the most commonly consumed beverage in a nation where heart disease is the most common terminal illness. It is highly unlikely these statistics are mere chance.

It seems clear that modern culture is knowingly condoning mass consumption of a chemical that has been proven to instigate or worsen heart problems, nervous disorders, digestive issues, and high blood pressure. Caffeine addiction, while not a problem that typically results in fatal overdose, is as lethal in the long-term as many other chemical dependencies and it’s crucial that Americans (and citizens of other nations with high usage of caffeine) wake up to this clear and present danger!

When faced with this suggestion, the average coffee drinker will scoff. However, if caffeine is not an addictive substance why do most users report severe headaches, irritability, and even depression after only 12 to 24 hours of abstinence?

Extreme discomfort as the result of not consuming a particular substance is a clear sign of addiction. We should all shudder to think that we are virtually pushing products loaded with caffeine on young children and teens on a daily basis!

Caffeine addiction is serious business and until it is viewed in the proper perspective millions more people will suffer needlessly. Like all addictions, there is help and there are proven methods in place to help individuals overcome.

But the first step is accepting the fact that a problem exists.

Quit caffeine more easily by changing your addictive routine. This article will show you how.

We get really used to having our coffee at a certain time, even in a certain place, every morning. Or we develop a steady habit of always having our tea or energy drink right after lunch.

Whatever your specific habit is, you’re no doubt very comfortable with it. You’re not just hooked on the chemical caffeine; you’re totally dialed into everything about your current routine.

Addiction counselors and people who have successfully broken long-term chemical habits will tell you that mixing things up is one of the best tactics you can employ when you decide to quit caffeine. In fact people in 12 step programs say if you’re used to putting your left shoe on first each morning, switch to stepping into your right shoe first from now on.

Have you sat at your kitchen table morning after morning for the last ten years with a cup of coffee? From here on in eat breakfast on your couch, or standing at the sink.

Does your routine involve stopping by a drive-in coffee shop on the way to work every day? Find a juice bar on the other side of the street and start picking up a smoothie instead, or better yet buy a blender and start making your own fruit treats at home.

Do you and your co-workers ordinarily sit in the break room and drink a pot of coffee every day at 11 a.m. sharp? From now on you should take your break outside or in the building’s lobby at 10:45.

The above scenarios are examples of how to shake things up when it comes to your usual caffeine consumption times. But don’t stop there. To quit caffeine with minimal effort you should find ways to completely rearrange your daily program.

Change the order of your morning ritual. If you normally brush your teeth first and shower second, reverse this. If you’ve been laying your clothes out on a chair in your bedroom each night before bed, start hanging them in your bathroom instead. Anything you can do to take yourself off autopilot will help.

Our bodies become programmed with a routine after a while. Most likely you could walk through your morning schedule with your eyes closed. This type of conditioning is useful and has its place, but when you’re ready to quit caffeine your prior programming will work against you.

You might even toss something completely new into your usual procession. If you don’t ordinarily exercise in the morning now is a great time to start.
A few minutes of light stretching or a walk around the block is sufficient. Exercise will improve your bodies’ ability to cope with the stress of change and it will give you a natural lift to help replace the synthetic rush you get from caffeine.

Don’t just change your mornings. Take your whole day into a new direction.

You probably have routines and rituals built up throughout the day and right up until you go to bed. Mix things up as much as possible in all areas of your life to avoid falling into a rut and to decrease the likelihood of being able to just reach out and grab a caffeine fix because it was convenient.

You’ll be surprised by just how effective this strategy can be. When you change your routine, you alter the flow of your whole life, and this makes it much easier to initiate and sustain change.