Like I said before, bathroom breaks aren't an option.
I work as a pharmacist. My job is in a retail pharmacy inside a large shopping centre. I stand all day, no chair. Our policy is for five minute or less turnover for script in to script out. Business is good, and this means a constant flow of scripts to process and check. I have a few technicians who work under me doing the procedural side of dispensing while I deal with therapeutics and drug counseling. When they have a break I fill their position dispensing too. If we clear the queue of scripts and there's no customers needing service, a rare event, I can leave the store for a bathroom break. Otherwise, if I leave no scripts can be finalized and handed out. A round trip to the bathroom takes a minimum of six minutes travel time alone.
I get paid well to do my job and I'm happy with the sacrifices I make in terms of personal comforts. Hydration is addressed when at home through the exclusion of fluids other than water. I don't drink soft drinks or juices, cordials or milk based drinks. I might occasionally enjoy a glass of wine after work, but that's it aside from water.
Because my job involves checking both simple and complex issues (simple things like correct payment processing codes, complex such as drug interactions or over the counter diagnoses), I have to perform at a high degree of alertness and perform all tasks with 100% accuracy every time. Mistakes could be trivial, such as an overcharged customer, to serious, such as a miscalculated pediatric medication dose.
I've done basic research into the overall adverse effects of regular caffeine intake and found little in the way of scientific evidence of harm.
Caffeine for Cognition from the Cochrane Collaboration, while only a protocol, lists several studies on the subject relevant to this topic. In summary, there's no evidence for significant harm from caffeine derived from coffee. Energy drinks, however, would no doubt contain the standard risks associated with regular soft drink consumption.
Man, am I the only one who thinks about the movie Idiocracy when seeing a thread about caffeine addiction? I think the movie is right, people will forget that water is actually something drinkable as energy drinks will replace water 
Coffee doesn't make you more alert. It just eases the effects of caffeine withdrawal. So, that kick you get from drinking coffee, it's a part of your addiction. You get a caffeine withdrawal and when you wake up you feel like you must get a morning coffee. Think about this next time you want to get a coffee.
Also, NEVER drink anything else than water if you get REALLY thirsty.
Actually, according to studies performed on shift workers, caffeine improves alertness and reduces error rates and injuries.
Caffeine for preventing injuries and errors in shift workers - Cochrane Review
Caffeine Helps Prevent Nighttime Accidents on the Job - NY Times article reporting on above
Have you considered antiacids? Also avoid fatty food and booze (esp. At night) and try to sleep at a 45° angle
(That is, to try to address the reflux. Caffeine is a factor, but there are others, maybe you can address those instead
Regular ranitidine stopped the reflux caused by my previous coffee binge, but I don't subscribe to treating a lifestyle disease with medication when the cure is to alter your lifestyle to remove the cause.
Seems nobody has had a similar experience to mine here, but thanks for the comments all. I might try a washout period a few months from now when I go on vacation when my wife has our second child. We'll see what happens after I return to work once my two weeks are up.
Author
Topic: Caffeine Addiction (Read 2174 times)