Addicted Brits now offered therapy for COFFEE dependency

Therapy lowered caffeine dependency by 75 per cent

BRITISH coffee addicts are being offered psychological help to tackle their misuse of the world’s most popular psychoactive drug.

 

A short round of ‘talk-therapy’ may be all you need to cut back on your coffee intake, a study suggests.

Caffeine-use disorder, though not officially recognised as an official mental health diagnosis, is defined by the research as an inability to cut down on caffeine, despite a desire to do so.

 

Unlike many other forms of cognitive behavioural therapy, you don’t have to attend endless sessions - just a single one-hour of Reduction Strategy Therapy was enough to lower coffee intake of participants by a whopping 75 per cent.

The therapy involved helping patients to understand, recognise and change the irrational thoughts which lead them to reaching for their coffee cups.

 

Just one therapy session made a difference

The participants, on average, were drinking 700mg per day. 70 per cent of them were keen to cut down on that figure, rather than give up caffeine altogether.

"What we're talking about here are people who have not only a physical dependence on caffeine, but also negative physical and psychological repercussions if they try to cut back or quit, and therefore an inability to do so," said Professor Laura Juliano, the study’s author.

Professor Juliano also explained that, although caffeine tolerance varies from person to person, people should limit their caffeine consumption to about 400mg each day - roughly 2-3 8oz coffees.

 



According to the study author, caffeine is the most addictive drug in the world



Juliano added that caffeine is the most popular psychoactive drug in the world.

The study was published online recently in the Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology.

 

Talking therapy could help coffee addiction