When a change happens slowly and gradually, we tend not to realize that a change is happening. For example, When you slowly gain weight, you will only realize it after your body loses its good shape, or when you start following an unhealthy diet, you will only realize it after you get some disease or a health problem.

Drinking coffee may not be a fatal habit, but it tends to affect your health slowly, and that’s you never notice that you are harming yourself. After years of coffee addiction, you might find yourself facing major health problems just because of this simple habit.

Of course, you will never be able to give up coffee addiction or any bad habit unless you want to. Some smokers come and tell me; we are happy that we smoke. I usually reply, telling them then no one on earth can help you give up this bad habit unless you decide to break it.

How to give up coffee addiction and any habit?

Just like the case with any other habit will power is not enough to break coffee addiction. If you want to break a habit, you must understand that willpower is only useful when directed to the correct channels.

People usually misuse their willpower by directing it in the wrong direction, ending up feeling defeated or helpless.

A popular example of willpower misuse is going on an extreme diet to lose weight. While this might work for a short period of time, in the end, the result will be horrible feelings and returning to your bad eating habits.

If you want to give up coffee addiction or any other bad habit, then you must redirect your willpower to the correct channels that can really help you give up that habit.

Coffee addiction and sleeping habits?

One of the main reasons people fail to give up bad habits such as coffee addiction is dealing with the symptoms instead of targeting the root cause.

Some people start a diet but fail to lose weight just because the root cause is emotional eating. Some other people fail to stop smoking because they are not aware that the root cause behind their smoking habit is unable to deal with stress.

Some people drink caffeinated drinks just because they don’t sleep well. Those people find themselves waking up feeling tired, as if they didn’t sleep at all. If your problem is insomnia, then the solution to giving up coffee is to learn how to fix your sleeping problem and not using willpower to stop drinking coffee.

You have to find the root causes for your insomnia and deal with them to find yourself not in need of coffee in the morning. People usually try to deal with the wrong cause and so never succeed in breaking the bad habit. To break any bad habit, you must find the real root cause behind it then deal with it.

How to give up coffee?

Some People drink coffee because their bodies need caffeine. To successfully eliminate caffeine addiction, you can shift from coffee to herbal tea as a transition period before you completely give it up.

Herbal Tea contains caffeine too but with less concentration. Over time your body will get used to this reduced amount of caffeine, and so you will come one step closer to giving up coffee addiction.

The next thing you should do to give up coffee addiction reduces the amount of herbal tea you drink every day. If you got used to six cups per day, then make them four. Keep drinking the four cups/day until your body gets used to them, then reduce the number of cups again.

Keep doing this until you find yourself drinking one cup a day, and then you could use your willpower to give it up, for if you have used your willpower earlier, it wouldn’t have worked.

Coffee addiction and Withdrawal symptoms

Withdrawal symptoms are the symptoms that appear when a certain chemical starts to withdraw from your body. Caffeine withdrawal symptoms are irritation, feeling sleepy, and lack of energy.

If you followed the plan I just mentioned, you would not face major problems giving up coffee as the withdrawal symptoms will be less intense. This is also another point where you should use your willpower. Resisting these withdrawal symptoms is one of the correct channels for using your willpower.

Coffee addiction and Losing energy

Some people drink coffee or tea to feel energetic and alert. If this was your case, you should find alternative methods that can make you feel energetic to get over this dependency on caffeine.

Sunlight strongly affects your hormonal levels and your biological clock. If you wake up late or if you don’t get enough sunlight, then make sure you get exposed to sunlight as soon as you wake up. This will make you feel energetic naturally, and you won’t find yourself in need of caffeine.

Dehydration is one factor that can make you feel tired and sleepy; you can start your day by drinking a big glass of water. In addition to being a very healthy habit, drinking water will help you lose weight, feel energetic and give up other harmful drinks.

Exercising is one of the things that can give you an energy boost; if you can exercise for thirty minutes every morning, you will find yourself feeling energetic most of the time in addition to staying in shape.

Final words about giving up coffee

To summarize all of this in few points, understand the real reasons behind your coffee addiction, deal with these root causes and direct your willpower to the correct channels instead of just wasting it elsewhere.