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Therapy Could Cure Your Coffee Addiction

A new study published in the Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology reports that a short round of therapy could help caffeine addicts dramatically cut their intake.
Phoebe Hurst
London, GB
Foto von wolfB1958 via Flickr

Any coffee drinker worth their slow roast Colombian beans will be familiar with the jitters that come from too many hours between espresso shots. Or the teeth-grinding frustration of interacting with any human being before their morning double Americano.

On the flip side, they'll also be privy to the delicious rush of frothy milk-covered caffeine that makes it all worth it.

But coffee addiction isn't a problem, man. You might know your barista better than some members of your family and have hyperventilated when the office Nespresso machine broke, but you can stop anytime you want. Honest.

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READ MORE: Your Parents Turned You into a Coffee Addict

Deny it all you want, but the help you need could be on horizon. A new study published in the Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology reports that a short round of therapy could help caffeine addicts dramatically cut their intake.

As part of the study, researchers at Johns Hopkins University and American University enlisted 67 men and women who had tried and failed to cut back on caffeine. On average, the group consumed around 700 milligrams of caffeine a day, compared to the daily maximum of 400 milligrams recommended by the British Food Standards Agency.

Half of the group were randomly assigned to receive one hour of therapy with a trained counsellor, including a take-home treatment booklet that outlined a decline in their caffeine intake over a five week period.

The second group also received therapy but this was only after a six week wait.

The result? It seems that a problem shared is a flat white halved. More than three quarters of the group given immediate behavioural therapy reduced their caffeine intake to 200 milligrams per day. They were able to maintain this level even one year later.

This type of cognitive behavioural therapy is already used to treat depression and anxiety but applying such methods to caffeine addiction is less common.

Ohio State University psychiatry professor Janice Kiecolt-Glaser, who reviewed the study's findings explained: "In general, the goal [of cognitive behavioural therapy] is to help change maladaptive thoughts and behaviors by learning to pay attention to them, and developing alternative strategies for handling challenges. […] It's really most effective when the patient knows they have a problem and is motivated to seek therapy in order to overcome their issue."

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This may sound like an excessive reaction to a few too many lattes but the caffeine struggle is real. In 2013, "caffeine-use disorder" was recognised by the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders as a "concern worthy of further investigation," although it was not declared an actual diagnosis.

READ MORE: This Is How We All Got Addicted to Caffeine

While the average American consumes about 200 milligrams of caffeine per day, usually through coffee, tea, chocolate, and soft drinks, many consume far more. The researchers stated that more than half of regular caffeine consumers have trouble kicking the habit, which can lead to anxiety, stress, sleep problems, and complications in pregnancy.

In their concluding statement, the researchers noted: "When consumed at low to moderate daily doses, for example 400 milligrams, caffeine is a relatively safe drug."

But for some of us, that extra shot is "capable of causing various undesirable effects and disorders across a wide range of doses, which may warrant limiting its consumption."

This may be so, but is there anything quite as undesirable as the thought of waking up on a Monday morning with only the promise of a peppermint tea to lure you out of bed?