Self Help

Since nicotine is a central nervous system stimulant, you may be wondering if you could substitute caffeine for nicotine. Don’t do it. If you customarily drink several cups of coffee, tea, or other beverages containing caffeine, be very careful not to increase your consumption!

Nicotine suppresses the effect of caffeine, cutting some of its stimulating properties in half or even a little more. Thus, when you quit smoking, the impact of caffeine increases. If you drink more than a couple of cups of coffee, tea, or other caffeinated beverages every day, and continue to do so after you quit smoking, you may actually find yourself getting jittery so that you’ll have to cut back.

If, however, as a smoker you have not been drinking beverages containing caffeine, you might consult with your doctor about using prescription or over-the-counter caffeine tablets. As a person who has not previously used caffeine, there is some possibility that it can have a stimulating effect on your metabolic rate. But it’s not advisable for a person to develop a caffeine habit to replace the nicotine habit. Caffeine can also cause some undesirable side effects, such as nervousness, diarrhea, dizziness, fast heartbeat, and trouble sleeping.