Giving up caffeine is a game changer

[SlickyBoy]

I do notice myself drinking stronger coffee more often (even Charbucks) when nothing else is available to get the same kind of well, rush. Brain fog is probably real though - can't concentrate for squat if I have too much. I've been able to dial down the alcohol consumption pretty easily; not sure how it will go with coffee, but worth a try - especially if it improves sleep.

Iced coffee wouldn't make much difference in terms of toxins, I don't think. Stuff still has to be brewed before it is chilled, no? And some teas are nearly as strong as a mild cup of coffee. Monster and Red bull are loaded with other crap besides caffeine, be careful. We used to suck a red bull or two down in the AM before hitting the road in Iraq with loaded weapons & frags. Ah, the memories...

Dammit, when I was a kid David Bowie told us it would calm us down and make us achievers.

 

[H1N1]

It should certainly be something everyone has under control, and far too many people abuse caffeine. I have given up before - mainly from the position of a chronic tea drinker (10+ cups of tea a day), and it did give me headaches etc.

That said, in moderation, it is such a pleasure that I feel if you enjoy it, you should find room for it.

For me personally, it is a ritual pleasure - making my morning coffee after a good breakfast, early in the morning, in an Italian Moka. Pouring it into the finest, whitest bone china, and sipping 2 cups from a rim so thin it is barely even there as I read the news - to me it is heaven, and I look forward to that moment each morning as one of the little marks of a life under control and inexorably headed in the right direction.

 

[whitewashedblackguy]

It should certainly be something everyone has under control, and far too many people abuse caffeine. I have given up before - mainly from the position of a chronic tea drinker (10+ cups of tea a day), and it did give me headaches etc.

That said, in moderation, it is such a pleasure that I feel if you enjoy it, you should find room for it.

For me personally, it is a ritual pleasure - making my morning coffee after a good breakfast, early in the morning, in an Italian Moka. Pouring it into the finest, whitest bone china, and sipping 2 cups from a rim so thin it is barely even there as I read the news - to me it is heaven, and I look forward to that moment each morning as one of the little marks of a life under control and inexorably headed in the right direction.

This right here, is a man of culture.

 

[Oz.]

I’m on the fence about this topic.

I’ve been drinking coffee since I was about 5 years old. Yeah you read that right, my mom used to mix it with my milk because I didn’t like eating many things.

I’m almost 30 years old and still drink it frequently. Do I need coffee to function or wake up in the mornings? Not at all. I’ve actually quit drinking coffee multiple times for months on end without any withdrawals. The only time I had any type of withdrawal (mainly a headache) the second or third day, was when I was consuming excessive amounts.

I now drink just a cup a day, which, is more milk than coffee and I do so for the same reason I’ve always done, because I enjoy the taste. However, there are in my opinion absolutely no positive things about coffee besides keeping you slightly awake.

It’s easy to see how people become caffeine addicted, since half the time their diet/sleep is shit and they live high stress lives. I have sorted all those issues out myself.

Here is a video that I think is a good watch:

 

[Leonard D Neubache]

Well I've quit coffee for over a week now and although it hasn't been my best week, the overall improvement in my health is honestly noticeable.

To everyone who I've been unduly rude to during this transition I apologize.

To everyone who I've been duly rude to during this transition, well you apparently deserved it anyway so suck eggs.

Cheers!

 

[Handsome Creepy Eel]

I drink coffee mostly because I like the taste of coffee/milk/sugar mixture (and it's a lot better than any other milk or sugar based drink like cocoa or soda). I would drink the decaffeinated variety if it had any negative effects on my life, but since I don't think it has any, I simply drink the normal one:

I don't really feel any "wakefulness" (or God-forbid, jitteriness) from it, though. I might make a stronger dose every now and then when I'm pulling an all-nighter, but otherwise it really has zero effect on my sleep or mood. It's just a pleasant habit.

As far as negatives go, I'd say that the worst part about coffee is that it makes me consume more sugar.

 

[BalanceLife]

I have done > month of no coffee and I have not realized significant changes to my body, hence I started drinking again. Having said, I will try to quit coffee again, maybe not strictly but I will try to drink much less.

And yes tea also has caffeine, I am substituting coffee with tea, so I am also getting my share of caffeine elsewhere.

Two weeks of zero coffee so far

 

[Kid Twist]

Same brain function, energy, etc? Sleeping is definitely better, I bet you are dreaming and remembering the dreams, too.

 

[wwtl]

I drink coffee mostly because I like the taste of coffee/milk/sugar mixture (and it's a lot better than any other milk or sugar based drink like cocoa or soda).

Same for me. Also a low dose of coffee has a positive effect on my digestion system which sometimes got stuck before I started drinking coffee. Since I do it runs like clockwork.

 

[Mig Picante]

I've gone two weeks without coffee. I was ill with flu and realised that by the time I was through that, I had probably passed through withdrawal too.

I'm still a bit flat at work and find it hard to get excited and super focused. BUT am starting to feel better for it now after two weeks.
Sleeping a bit better and dreaming more. I'm going to continue until the end of 2019.

I feel a bit calmer and less stressed in my day to day high-pressure job.

 

[SammyBoy]

As a guy who will turn 40 soon I can also add that after giving up coffee my skin becomes way better. You don't notice dehydration while being a coffee addict but it's not a joke. So younger look is another nice benefit of quitting caffeine.

 

[harmonicpinch]

Whenever I abstain from caffeine, but especially coffee I get:
-amazingly restorative sleep
-my skin is more hydrated
-my teeth are whiter
-less sweat, less body odor
-less neurotic and tweaky

I love the taste of coffee and I love the ritual (making it and then "locking and loading" for work), but it's something I think is worth cutting out or making a rare treat. That has been personally much tougher than cutting out alcohol.

 

[bucky]

 

[Rush87]

I started this as of last week and have noticed my anxiety ramp up each time I've caved. I've found that I was drinking coffee out of boredom moreso than the fix, but once I stopped, my body definitely went through a withdrawal.

I've replaced it with a hot drink each morning, typically Apple Cider Vinegar with Tumeric and hot water. Far healthier, and seems to fill the void left by quitting coffee.

 

[!!!???!!!]

I'm on day 3 of no caffeine and I've noticed that I am ridiculously sleepy all the time. I mean, I am sleeping 10 or 11 hours a night and I need to take a 1 or 2 hour nap in the middle of the day as well. This makes me wonder if my 2+liters of coffee a day habit was keeping me functional in a perpetual state of sleep-deprivation. With that said, I haven't noticed any other differences.

 

[Batman_]

Every once in a while I manage to taper off and completely quit it for a few weeks, but I always come back to it. In moderation I do think its beneficial. However, like weed, it's one of those things that's really easy to build a habit with and a full blown addiction, so it seems like the moderation route doesn't work. Either need to give it up for good or forget it.

I've taken quite a few drugs but caffeine is the only one I can't seem to kick for good. Even quitting alcohol cold turkey is easy in comparison.

 

[bucky]

I'm on day two of no caffeine and it's worse than I thought it would be. I figured I wasn't too addicted to it since I mostly have it in my preworkout and I'm careful to always stay under the recommended 400mg a day, but my head is pounding pretty bad and I just generally feel like shit.

I'm undecided on trying to give it up completely. On the one hand, I hate the idea of being dependent on something like this, but on the other hand I used to consume no caffeine at all and I find my ability to concentrate is better with it, and it does help a lot to motivate me to work out.

 

[whitewashedblackguy]

I figured I wasn't too addicted to it since I mostly have it in my preworkout and I'm careful to always stay under the recommended 400mg a day, but my head is pounding pretty bad and I just generally feel like shit.

Alex Becker has a great video that convinced me to quit coffee. In there he mentions that the 400mg limit is actually the very upper threshold, and that the real upper limit should be much lower. He also mentions how we’re trained to be addicted at a young age. Interesting stuff.

 

[Bitter End]

I had been following the Leangains (Intermittent fasting) fitness guy Martin Berkhan for a while. He was a fan of the drink. I know plenty of people that are addicted, but I also believe that moderation is key. One of the studies Martin quoted especially emphasized the coffee's anti-oxidant features and the way it suppresses appetite. If one sticks to one cup a day. No more.

Especially when I was travelling the coffee spike helped me meet a lot of people and make friends using the excessive energy moments. Sometimes there are bad days and the odd withdrawal day is possible. However instead of quitting I drink coffee every other day, taking frequent days off in between. I also believe that it helps keep the positive effects of caffeine and does not let the body adapt and start needing higher doses.

 

[bucky]

I had been following the Leangains (Intermittent fasting) fitness guy Martin Berkhan for a while. He was a fan of the drink. I know plenty of people that are addicted, but I also believe that moderation is key. One of the studies Martin quoted especially emphasized the coffee's anti-oxidant features and the way it suppresses appetite. If one sticks to one cup a day. No more.

Especially when I was travelling the coffee spike helped me meet a lot of people and make friends using the excessive energy moments. Sometimes there are bad days and the odd withdrawal day is possible. However instead of quitting I drink coffee every other day, taking frequent days off in between. I also believe that it helps keep the positive effects of caffeine and does not let the body adapt and start needing higher doses.

I don't drink straight coffee, but my preworkout has coffee extract in it. The caffeine does make intermittent fasting a lot easier.

Speaking of which, I've eaten now and feel better than I did in the morning. I'm still surprised at how bad the withdrawls felt because I normally have no more the 200mg a day. I'll probably go at least a few more days with no caffeine at all and then see how I feel.