I haven't read the book the above article is covering but it seems Dodes argues psychotherapy is a better alternative as 'addiction' is usually just a manifestation of self-destructive/self medication behavior ultimately due to untreated psychological issues. In this OP's case this is looks like it was depression - though it's unclear if she is seeking treatment outside of AA.
In the hardest periods of my life I managed to guzzle 6 liters of coca-cola every day, plus eating lots of chocolate, and drinking lots of coffee and tea, of course this also ruined my overall health.
I recently managed to "get clean", but I also stopped working, then I gave up, decided to buy 1 liter of red-bull style energy drink (not redbull itself because I can't afford it), drink it all in one go...
then I could work, and I felt MUCH better... but I am also drinking lots of coca-cola and eating lots of chocolate again.
I am seeing a psychiatrist, and seemly I have ADHD, and caffeine (and other stimulants) are a common way to self-medicate, and many ADHD sufferers, specially those not on legal meds, end having some strong vices (not only stopping at caffeine... cocaine, meth, and other strongly stimulant drugs abuse is also common).
I started taking Ritalin (Adderall is illegal here) this week, for now only half a pill per day, because my psychiatrist is inexperienced and probably wants to be safe, let's see if with it (and an increased dosage later) I will be able to stop abusing caffeine, my kidneys (that had stones) and my liver (that is covered in fat to the point of failing to work properly) will thank me. (I am also going to a psychologist...)
Unsolicited advice: I recommend taking days off your stimulant meds where feasible (e.g. weekends), as tolerance can build quickly and you can end up feeling like you need both your prescribed medication and whatever you were using to self-medicate prior to being diagnosed in order to feel "right" and able to focus. That, and my experience has been that, when I'm taking my meds regularly, I feel as dumb/unable to focus when they wear off as I feel calmed down/finally able to concentrate when they're in effect.
I hope you get past this. it's especially difficult because a lot of people don't realize caffene is a drug. Like watching a couple who drink three bottles of wine a day talk down on someone for drinking a liter of spirits as an alcoholic.
They're one and the same.
I might have misunderstood what you were trying to say. If I did, I apologise in advance:
Because I get a day-long headache whenever I don't drink a caffeinated beverage for a day or so, I know that I'm a caffeine addict.
Speaking about volumes of ingestible substances with somewhat-known properties to provide a general idea of how much of a thing one is ingesting doesn't mean that one is an addict; it means that one is interested in attempting to convey information somewhat precisely. If you don't specify things in known quantities, you're left with vague and imprecise descriptors like "some", "not much", and "a lot".
The only exercises I do that actually help my health is weight lifting with low reps (with high reps I also start to lose muscle).
I am struggling to barely work, I keep getting repeteadly fired even when my performance is good (because my behaviour is too strange in the office), I lost a girlfriend due to ADHD (I have to constantly fidget or move, this girlfriend tought I was anxious and didn't wanted to pay attention to her when I was fidgeting when she was talking to me).
Also caffeine don't induce ADHD (the medical condition).
Wilson hoped LSD would help those addicted to alcohol. He realized that A.A. simply did not work for every motivated alcoholic. According to Wilson, “It is a generally acknowledged fact in spiritual development that ego reduction makes the influx of God’s grace possible. If, therefore, under LSD we can have a temporary reduction, so that we can better see what we are and where we are going–well, that might be of some help.”
http://mywordlikefire.com/2012/10/28/lsd-researcher-and-a-a-... http://www.theguardian.com/science/2012/aug/23/lsd-help-alco... http://www.maps.org/research-archive/w3pb/2005/2005_Dyck_228... http://www.bbc.com/news/health-17297714