Can Coffee Help with Alcohol Withdrawal
The relationship between coffee and alcohol is a complex one. For those wondering if coffee is effective in dealing with alcohol withdrawal symptoms, the answer, as you will see, is not straightforward and brings up an array of nuanced factors to consider. It’s important to understand that the active ingredient in coffee is caffeine, which is a drug. It’s a stimulant. That makes it a bona fide mood-altering substance that is subject to misuse.
When coffee was first introduced in Europe hundreds of years ago, it was initially banned and treated like a dangerous controlled substance. Yes, coffee eventually won out and was accepted by society at large as a substance that was okay to use every day. It became a “normal part of life.” Folks in medieval times who overused caffeine were no longer viewed as behaving in any way abnormal. Yet, there can be no question that coffee is a drug that has a specific psychoactive effect on the brain, perception, mood and behavior.
So is it a good idea to use one mood-altering drug to aid in the withdrawal of a different kind of mood-altering drug, such as alcohol? To understand the bigger picture, it’s helpful to take a quick trip through history and learn about humankind’s centuries-long relationship with caffeine and how this powerful drug became mainstreamed into our lives.
A Short History of Coffee
Although the precise time and location of when coffee was discovered is unknown, most scholars pinpoint its origin in a region of Ethiopia called Kefa or Kaffa. History derives the word “coffee” from “Kaffa.”
The story goes that a shepherd in the year 850 A.D. one day found that his herd of goats was acting strangely after they had consumed a certain type of wild berry growing on some evergreen bushes. The shepherd decided to try the berries himself and discovered that it gave him a “stimulated sense of exhilaration.”
These berries were eventually cultivated by farmers in southern Arabia, mostly Yemen, and soon became a valued commodity. People who drank a brew made from these berries with caffeine found that they could work all day without getting tired. Sufi monks used coffee to stay awake so that they could pray and meditate all night.
The use of coffee spread through Arab and Eurasian countries and eventually found its way to Europe. The great Swedish biologist and taxonomist Carl Linnaeus cataloged a specific type of coffee bean and named the plant Coffea Arabica. But when this plant was first introduced into Europe, it was not used as a popular beverage; it was considered a powerful medicine. It was prepared by crushing Coffea Arabica berries and mixing them with animal fat. Coffee started to be used as a beverage in about 1100 A.D.
Coffee was initially consumed in secret clubs similar to what a speakeasy was in the United States during the Prohibition Era. A speakeasy was an illegal club that served alcohol when alcohol sales and consumption were against the law. Interestingly, the illegal coffee houses of early Europe were most frequented by intellectuals and artists. They loved coffee because it stimulated their creativity for writing, painting and other forms of art. It also helped put everyone in the mood for lively conversations.
While “dealing in coffee” could get the providers thrown in jail or fined, coffee was eventually sanctioned by greater society. It helped that wealthy elites, including the royal families of Europe, embraced coffee as a valuable daily stimulant. Eventually, the use of this mood-altering substance called caffeine became normalized within society, and everyone, including common peasants and the working class, began to drink coffee every day.
One last important point: Coffee was soon made even more potent and more mood-altering by adding sugar. Sweetening with sugar was a natural idea to counter the bitter taste of black coffee. Keep in mind that refined sugar can also be considered a mood-altering drug. We are familiar with a “sugar high.” Sugar can stimulate the mood at first and then cause a low or depressive mood after it metabolizes in the body.
AA Meetings and Coffee
Alcoholics Anonymous (AA) meetings comprise the majority of alcohol use disorder self-help-type groups around the world. Most of them feature a pot of brewed coffee for attendees to drink before, during or after meetings.
It’s interesting to note that many AA meetings also feature cookies, bars and treats brought by members for the group to enjoy after or during a meeting. So, here again, we see that centuries-old combination of two mood-altering substances, caffeine and sugar. While people strive to eliminate one major drug from their lives, they nevertheless continue to make significant use of a combination of other mood-altering substances. It can’t be said that this is a good thing. At the same time, it may not be a “dealbreaker” for those in recovery.
Coffee’s Effect on Withdrawal?
Now let’s talk about that critical five-to-seven-day period when a person quits drinking cold turkey and may be in a formal treatment setting where they are undergoing alcohol detox. Detox can induce a range of harsh withdrawal symptoms, from headaches, anxiety, nausea and nightmares to full-blown delirium tremens.
Will drinking coffee ease any of these symptoms? The short answer is no. The longer answer is that there are pros and cons to drinking coffee while a person tries to quit drinking.
Pros
- After detox and as a person continues to withdraw from alcohol, some of the most reported conditions that continue are depression, insomnia, fatigue and poor concentration. As a stimulant, caffeine can be proficient at countering all of these problems if it is used in moderation.
- Coffee is a substitute for “having a drink in the hand.” A cup of coffee can be a psychological replacement for a beer or other alcoholic beverage. It “keeps the hand busy” in social settings.
- Speaking of socializing, going out for a cup of coffee or tea is an excellent substitute for going out for a beer or drink.
- Coffee may protect against certain diseases that alcohol can promote or make worse, including cancer of the mouth, throat and liver. One other risk factor is stroke. Alcohol consumption can make the chances of the latter much worse, while coffee may reduce the chance of stroke.
Cons
- Caffeinated coffee is a significant irritant to the nervous system. In addition to making people more irritable, caffeine can increase feelings of anxiety. People who have recently stopped drinking often report their social anxiety has gone “through the roof.” If this is the case, coffee will only make it worse.
- Coffee can contribute to arrhythmia of the heart. Alcohol can also cause the same condition. Alcohol also contributes to high blood pressure and cardiomyopathy as does caffeine. This is an important argument for not drinking coffee during withdrawal and ongoing recovery.
- Caffeinated coffee makes it harder to sleep. At the same time, disrupted sleep cycles are a major feature of alcohol withdrawal. This means limiting or avoiding coffee altogether is a better way to go in early recovery from alcohol.
The Bottom Line
When comparing the pros and cons of using caffeine during alcohol withdrawal and ongoing recovery, the cons probably outweigh the pros. The pro argument for the use of caffeine and coffee after one stops drinking comes with the stipulation that it be used in moderation.
Furthermore, no two people are built the same. No doubt, many of those recovering from alcohol use disorder will find regular or even heavy use of coffee to be a lifeline as they attempt to rid their lives of alcohol. For others, however, it could contribute to insomnia, anxiety, irritability, and social anxiety.
Beyond Coffee
Today, beverage makers have tapped into the mood-altering power of caffeine to create drinks that go well beyond a strong cup of coffee. The most prominent of these are “energy drinks,” such as Red Bull and many others. These beverages are essentially a huge load of caffeine mixed with a lot of sugar. There are those two mood-altering drugs paired up again that can produce a stimulating effect that is much greater than coffee with sugar added.
The consensus is that energy drinks are not healthy, especially when used continuously and over a long term. They can be addictive as they are more powerful than coffee and gravitate further toward the definition of “an addictive drug.” It’s best to avoid them.
The Road to Recovery
As we have demonstrated, our society has complex relationships with an array of addictive substances that vary widely in terms of their effects and how they are viewed in terms of social norms.
Coffee has been a routine part of modern life for roughly 1,000 years. Alcohol, however, is far more ancient. Human beings have been brewing beer and wine for thousands of years. Archeologists found traces of fermented alcohol within a gruel-like substance in Raqefet Cave near Haifa, Israel. It was determined to be an extraordinary 13,000 years old.
Because caffeine and alcohol have become so engrained within the fabric of human culture over countless generations, it is difficult for us to see their effects on society and our behavior with objective clarity. What we can conclude is that coffee is likely not a great help for alcohol withdrawal symptoms in most situations. However, it is important to remember that there are exceptions. The goal is to create an environment for the person experiencing withdrawal to overcome the effects of alcohol use disorder with the least amount of discomfort.
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If you are struggling with alcohol use disorder, we are here to help. Visit alcoholawareness.org for more information on the services we offer.