Just because you're addicted doesn't mean you have a problem. I like caffeine as a drug and plan on using it every day the rest of my life.
Maybe I am getting a hit from the coffee, and maybe I am addicted, but this article is saying how dreadful the withdrawal effects are. I'm saying I don't seem to get withdrawal effects at all.
Last year I gave up coffee for six months. Giving up for arbitrary periods isn't a problem in the sense that I didn't seem to have any physical symptoms, I just miss having a coffee.
I also don't seem to get any real "buzz" from it - no shakes, no headaches, no trouble sleeping.
Maybe I am weird.
I've gone months without caffeinated drinks before and I've never noticed withdrawal effects. Although this may be because I don't notice any effects of caffeine when I do drink it. Unless I'm drinking an energy drink like Rockstar, I never get the 'pick me up' effect people claim from a coffee.
I wonder if, just like some people are caffeine sensitive, if some people are simply caffeine insensitive and don't notice the effects one way or another.
It's not just a behavioral thing. The brain physically adapts to maintain equilibrium in the recurring presence of caffeine. I don't think there are permanent changes, but the adjustment cycle lasts days. The half-life of caffeine is 6-8 hours (on average), meaning, at that point, half of it has been metabolized.
Anecdotally, a reasonably small amount daily is stable. Something like two cups of coffee (one in the morning, one after lunch) is fine for most people. Different drinks have different amounts of caffeine, of course. (Also, tea seems less likely to make me jittery than coffee.)
Just because you have the ability to temporarily abstain for a few days/weeks does not mean you don't have a problem.
But kudos to you for not taking a huge energy hit when you take a break. I, like you am somewhat unaffected by low doses of caffeine (8-10 cups a day is not a low dose however)
Also, if you simply like coffee, why not decaf?