I was a Caffiene addict. You, like me, may have heard that this does not exist, but it is, however, a real substance addiction, with a real DSM V(or Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders fifth edition) classification. According to Verywellmind, substance addiction is characterized by 11 symptoms:
  • "Taking the substance in larger amounts or for longer than you're meant to.
  • Wanting to cut down or stop using the substance but not managing to.
  • Spending a lot of time getting, using, or recovering from use of the substance.
  • Cravings and urges to use the substance.
  • Not managing to do what you should at work, home, or school because of substance use.
  • Continuing to use, even when it causes problems in relationships.
  • Giving up important social, occupational, or recreational activities because of substance use.
  • Using substances again and again, even when it puts you in danger.
  • Continuing to use, even when you know you have a physical or psychological problem that could have been caused or made worse by the substance.
  • Needing more of the substance to get the effect you want (tolerance).
  • Development of withdrawal symptoms, which can be relieved by taking more of the substance."


If you know me, then you know I have a very addictive personality. For most of my teenage life, I've called myself a creature of habit—I always put my phone in the top pocket of my backpack, I always wear very similar looking shoes, and I always eat a smattering of cheese puffs before bed (because carbs put you to sleep). Unfortunately, in my life, habit and addiction are two sides of the same coin. Though I’m only seventeen, me being addicted to caffeine is not to be brushed off as childish nonsense, I was a coffee drinker for 5 years. Every single day I would drink some caffeinated goodness, I didn’t even realise it was getting out of hand.

I fit the criteria for many of the addiction symptoms above: I would drink enough coffee to the point that my hands shake and my heart feel like it was trying to escape my chest (symptom one); I would try to spend days without it—like if I was running late for school—but I couldn’t do without it (symptom two); consequently, I was frequently late to class because I needed my coffee (symptom five); I built up a tolerance to the caffeine, so i started drinking double my original intake (symptom ten); and I felt withdrawal symptoms when I didn’t get my coffee (symptom eleven).

When I could feel my heartbeat in my eyes, felt my hands shaking, and was late to classes—because Kathlyn does not do late—I knew it was time for a change. I decided, for a CAS project, I would ween myself off of caffeine. This, of course, was easier said than done.

Realizing that I had a problem was actually the easy part here. The hard part was changing my habits. As mentioned in a previous blog post, I did not have electricity for the first few months of being home after my spending a year abroad due to hurricane Irma. This meant that I could not make coffee at home. As someone who lives 30-45 minutes away from school, stopping in the mornings to buy coffee would make me late. So, I came up with a different solution. It might not work for everyone, but it worked for me. Everyday before school I would take two Excedrin. Excedrin, for those of you who don’t know, is Acetaminophen (the generic name for Tylenol) with caffeine. Each of the pills has 65 milligrams of caffeine.

At the beginning of my journey my caffeine intake was 145 mg of caffeine, from my morning latte. To cut down on my intake I started cutting the pills in half with a knife until I simply did not need them anymore. The adjustment was brutal, but overall worth-it.

My life since quitting caffeine has been wonderful. In my second blog post I spoke about changing my sleeping habits. The change in my sleep habits was actually due to the fact that I no longer had enough caffeine in my system to support my dangerous study habits. I also learned that I need to eat more fat to suppress my hunger in the mornings. Strangely, my morning lattes were an integral part of my breakfast and without them I realised that I needed to replace the fat in my lattes with something else. I ended up settling on cheese.

My journey with caffeine was long and a roller-coaster, to say the least, but I am glad that I had the experience. Quitting that bad habit was one of the most difficult things I have ever done. In doing so, I highlighted health issues that I needed to address—like my erratic sleep schedule—and I proved to myself that I can truly do anything.

If you are considering making a similar change in your life, I urge you to do it. It’s difficult and and it makes your life better! Welcome the challenge!