I quit caffeine
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Caffeine plays with everyone differently, but it's a technique that's worked for me. I'll probably never get a full setup at home as long as I live in a city.
I did used to drink the coffee at work and ended up drinking a lot of it. Crappy coffee, better drink it fast cause I just need the caffeine. Or my cup is not warm anymore so better chug the rest of it, or add more hot coffee to the mug. Rinse and repeat.
When I was a student I drank coffee fairly randomly. Any time of day really, whenever I felt like it, but it was never too much. Then I started at a workplace that had a bean-to-cup espresso machine. It got a bit out of control. Coffee was not only nice but also an excuse to spark up a conversation. I was drinking something like 6-8 cups a day.
Interestingly, I don't recall having any kind of withdrawal on the weekends when I would drink much less.
At some point several years ago I decided 6-8 cups is too much, and I also read about the bad effects caffeine has on sleep. So I decided to have two cups per day: one in the morning and one at lunch time. It has become so normal now that the thought of drinking coffee at any other time seems absurd.
But the only reason I have any setup at home at all is because I occasionally wake up next to people that believe they need coffee in the morning. I dont really know how to operate the machine.
Adaptations.
Posting this while waiting for my coffee :)
While it wasn't really much of a caffeine thing for me, I did simply like the taste and the fact that it's warm, but once you see it for the watery slurry from a marginal blend of "we found some beans on a boat" factory that it is, your taste in coffee gets upgraded and as a result you end up drinking less because the good stuff is not always within reach.
Most people I meet at high quality espresso places have had a similar journey, generally from the crappy supermarket pre-ground stuff, to paper coffee pads to metal coffee pods to actual coffee at which point even the memory of an amazing Costa Rica natural at 93°C from a week ago is better than whatever an automatic machine can give you.
For me, the caffeine doesn't do the whole 'boost' thing, doesn't impede sleep either. Coffee does make me dry out faster and that's something other people tend to forget, mistaking a headache for coffee-related instead of dehydration. But I can often taste the difference in decaf processed coffee and I general it does a disservice to the bean.
On top of everything else, you don't really need a lot of coffee, and if large volumes of warm liquid is a joy in itself, we have things like infusions (ginger, mint, fruits, but also Rooibos) that doesn't really "do" anything but definitely make for a tasty hydrating drink.
Right now I just manually grind my coffee at home (weighing it of course and making sure the grind size is correct - coffee snobbery makes it more work to get a cup you like), and pour a V60 or make an aeropress.
Whenever I do want an espresso I'll go outside and visit my favourite espresso bar that can pull shots I'll never be able to make myself (unless I become a full-time barista I suppose).
De gustibus non disputandum est. I am one of those who tasted "real coffee". I read books about "real coffee", I bought equipment, I tried this and that, I went to coffee shops with stellar reviews (I live in NYC). I just apparently don't like what aficionados rave about. Instead, I used to love the ordinary Peet's coffee that I could buy in my office building. They don't sell it anymore, and I switched jobs anyway. Now I'm fine with Starbucks. I simply drink the coffee for the caffeine and not the taste. I guess 90% of the people do the same.
I don't think those words mean the same thing to us. There is no "official" real coffee or what someone else can decide is the best coffee for you. That'd be like someone deciding for you that apple juice is the only real juice. It's about finding something that interests you and has properties you value.
> I simply drink the coffee for the caffeine and not the taste.
So you don't have much of a stake or (refined) opinion but you felt it necessary to tell everyone how much you don't care?
And your comment highlights everything that can be irritating about coffee enthusiasts. Every paragraph is quote-worthy. Almost climactic.
I don't know what has triggered such an elite-like culture in coffee but it never ceases to amaze/amuse.
Compare it to BBQ culture. In simpler times, one would have a cheap metal grill and throw some raw meat on it. By the time it almost turns black, you'd eat it.
Now people have a design baking skirt, a machine that can grill 50 things at once, temperature management, a slow cook schedule lasting days, hipster recipes for the sauce, and this doesn't even begin to describe what is now a "science".
Back to coffee, the standard stuff is fine. Most machines at work now grind beans at the spot and mixes it under high pressure. It's much better compared to the work coffee from decades ago where you could see the bottom of the cup.
The only meaningful difference with high-end coffee is that those have a softer, smoother taste. Less bitter. That's it. Yet you'd only notice if you pay attention, drink your coffee strong, with no milk, and very little or no sugar.
To mess with me, my g/f regularly switches beans in our machine at home, and won't tell me that she did. Unknowingly, I was exposed to many types of beans. I did not notice any change whatsoever.
Why not? Because I don't pay attention to coffee when I drink it. I don't analyze it, I just drink it.
One time she did directly ask: how's the coffee? I asked why...did you change it? Yes. As I had already drank it and didn't notice a difference, I made up a reply: does seem to taste a little bit better.
"Well, they're the cheap ones".
Ok then. Feeling like an idiot, I then started to pay attention and actually analyze the taste, which is something a normal person doesn't do. I can now tell the beans apart consistently, without prior knowledge. But only by actively focusing on it.
The only detectable change is softness. The problem is, now you're aware of it, and internally associate it as superior. And this is how new coffee snobs are born.
respectfully disagree, and i'm not even a coffee snob -- just a life long addict who doesn't analyze, just drinks.
Wine tastes like shit to me, but i'd never be so sure that my interpretation of it was correct that i'd try to explain why wine snobs exist. I understand there all wines have nuances that I may miss as someone who is inexperienced with wine and without a preference towards it.
Coffee , more so than most other plant products, has a wide variety of tastes. How could it not? It's a plant grown in varied areas with varied problems, varied soils, and then roasted or treated in varied manners.
We disagree, I understand I won't convince here, but I can confess my own experience : coffee is a spectrum of flavors , and not everyone has the tongue (or time) to notice -- but to dismiss it as 'pure boredom' is something I absolutely disagree with.
You don't need a 12kUSD espresso rig to notice that there are more than two taste profiles in the world of coffee.
Relax, I was intentionally simplifying. I am fine with people deeply exploring every nuance of every coffee, the only real challenge and pushback I have is that much of it is learned.
People think coffee at work (or any other "regular" coffee) is bad because somebody else said it. Not because they discovered this on their own. Likewise, discovering "better" coffee is not having superior taste buds, this too is largely acquired knowledge and taste.
I'd take this even further to say that the entire categories of coffee, wine, and beer are learned. If you'd take anybody from an uncontacted tribe and let them drink any of it, they'll think you're trying to poison them. It's not natural to our taste buds, and instinctively rejected. You actively need to be told and learned that all this stuff is actually very good, you just don't understand it yet.
If it's learned, it's malleable.
Say you taste something with a very generic taste that you can't really describe other than 'brown with a bit of a toasty taste', then if taste something else that makes you have a much more descriptive or complicated taste and you also like that new taste, you now have something to compare against.
This has nothing to do with coffee per se or 'better vs worse', just with what you taste and if you want to explore it.
The same goes for details within a taste. A raw potato tastes different from a cooked potato, and the texture of that same cooked potato but mashed makes you experience it differently as well. If you fry that same potato, now it's different again. It doesn't really change the potato itself into something else (like changing it into a carrot or something silly like that), but it does change what you experience when eating it.
There is so much variety between types of coffees, and even preparation methods (we mainly use french press and aeropress, but the grind size, brew time, water temperature, and of course the amount of grind, all make enough of a difference that the same beans can give different flavours)
And yes of course I like the flavour of coffee, but mainly drink it for the ritual and the increased alertness in the mornings. There's something so satisfying about a good cup though; again, I don't get science-y about it and measure things accurately, just throw the water in the kettle, and mix it with a few scoops of coffee in the french press sometime after it boils.
But sometimes a cup is just perfection, tones of chocolate, smoke, warmth, boldness. And sometimes the cup is just meh. Then when I'm at a hotel, it's almost painful trying to choke down whatever passes for coffee in their lobbies.
No thanks. Not 20 years ago and not now.
> the standard stuff is fine.
For some people maybe. There is no universal truth. Most people 'make due' and don't really form an opinion about anything. (yet engage in discussion anyway)
> I don't pay attention to coffee when I drink it.
So you have no stake in this. Why did you bother to write about it anyway?
It was a light stab at coffee snobs.
I'd compare wine snobbery to the coffee snobbery that is about beans that have to be eaten by a cat and pooped out to be "good". I think those are illegal in most countries anyway, but that's about the same level of nonsense as a 20+ year old bottle of alcohol.
That is a profoundly unfair comparison, but ok.
Coffee, wine and whisky lovers adore the rarest and most refined, and insist the everyday stuff is vile. But lovers of crime novels, science fiction and anime adore the widest range, and insist that the most obscure trash contains treasure. I've never met a wine lover who would rave about obscure objectively-bad wines, or a sci-fi fan who will only read the most perfect works. I don't know quite what the difference is - consumability? Physical flavour?
I'm all for letting people enjoy what they enjoy. Personally I wouldn't want my palate to become so refined it became a hassle.
They're plastic, actually, but the other ones you mention are worse.
> we have things like infusions (ginger, mint, fruits, but also Rooibos) that doesn't really "do" anything but definitely make for a tasty hydrating drink.
Rooibos, for certain, 'does' a lot. It lowers your blood pressure. You can use it as a downer though it might be unnecessary if you don't use caffeine otherwise.
It's not about the cigarettes, it's about the smoke break, which gets you away from your desk, outdoors, and socializing with strangers.
caffeine aint that bad... why do you kneed to do that?
When I was on caffeine I was on a lot of it. Probably around 400-600mg a day combining my pre workout with my daily coffees. It is one of my favorite drugs and I loved taking it. This was the last 15 years of my life.
I became quite irritable over the past couple years with the inability for my mind to sit still which spiraled me into manic depression. I slowly weened myself off for a few months and finally quit altogether 8 weeks ago.
I've noticed I am much calmer, my mind is quieter, and my bipolar 2 is no where to be seen. Life definitely seems "duller" which sucks. But the lack of excitement everywhere feels much healthier.
Working out is definitely harder, as is being productive at work, but I'm slowly figuring out ways to combat that. If you haven't taken a break I highly recommend it. Even to just reduce you tolerance so you can feel just how powerful a drug this stuff is.
My trade off was no caffeine on the weekends. It lowered my tolerance a lot since I had over 48 hours off it.
I don't have any mental health issues, so I can't speak to that trade off. But in the past, when I've had some anxiety, caffeine makes it worse.
Before quitting I was drinking around 5 or 6 cups of coffee a day with around 2 teaspoons each. Any decrease in caffeine intake would give me a migraine, which lowered my desire to drink coffee, leading to migraines of 3 days in duration. A detox. And I was always on the edge, felt super restless without actually being able to eliminate this feeling.
Removing refined sugar from my diet is now priority #1, including chocolate and whatever contains it to enhance taste. Afterwards I may try fully quitting drinking coffee again, which shouldn't be that hard. It's just that it's a nice thing to be doing, like playing with a cigarette between the fingers and smoking it. You loose something if you remove this from the life, and what you gain isn't always that obvious. Well, the benefits of quitting smoking are easy to recognize, but it's harder with coffee.
I would suggest to anyone curious to try. And if you quit coffee make it two weeks or so to really see the difference.
I'm kind of thinking of stopping, only because it bothers me if I go on a trip or something and have to get caffeine to avoid headaches. Also, part of me wonders how caffeine is influencing me overall, if it's doing things I'm not aware of.
To be honest, the reason why I'm reluctant to try it is because I tea and coffee occupy this place that I can't quite find a replacement for, which is something interesting, low-calorie, and not a depressant. By "interesting" I might mean "artisanal" or "varietal", but I'm not even sure I mean anything that specific: I just mean, there's interesting variety, differences in products to try. Coffee and/or tea also are pretty low calorie if taken black (like I do), and unlike things like wine or beer, which are also artisanal in nature, don't act as depressants per se.
If there was something like coffee or tea, with lots of variety and skill involved, that kept me from consuming calories from other sources, and didn't have any kind of psychopharmacological effects, I could go to that. But I am not aware of anything like that.
Maybe I just need to rethink my perspective on it and what I could do to address those issues in other ways, but there are a lot of benefits to caffeinated beverages aside from the caffeine.
tl;dr: try japanese green coffee.
Also, I was originally hoping I could go back to 1 or 2 cups per week, on an "as needed" basis (i.e. when I needed a productivity boost) without developing a tolerance. The first cup of coffee after a few months off was absolutely magical. But I found that even at 1-2 per week, my tolerance would quickly shoot up. Like you, I used to drink a ton of coffee so I suspect I would need to take a full year or more off with no cheating to really reset the system.
A final note, I found that decaf and chocolate both have enough caffeine in them to "muddy" the waters so to speak. To get to a good "baseline" I had to cut both of those out as well.
A pot per day can be a lot, or a little depending on the bean and the roast, so I can't comment on that.
If so, awesome! If not, I tried a similar thing but only really noticed the difference once I quit all types.
I only had minor withdrawal headaches for a day or so and after that it was fine.
> feeling much better
Does not compute :P
> felt no different
Felt no physical difference, just missed the coffee
> feeling much better
I'm happier now that I'm back on coffee
Anyway, a week just annoyed the f outta me. I'd give it two or three weeks at least. It takes that long to cut the cravings I didn't even realize I was having.
I guess I didn't stick because I didn't really "feel" different, and had a moment of weakness. I agree it takes a couple weeks to really get used to it but the cravings do eventually (mostly) go away.
I stopped using it and now just use a Yeti tumbler. It keeps my coffee hot for at least 2-3 hours which is long enough for me, without any of the downsides of the heated cup.
I've tried everything to get rid of the smell but have not been successful.
I also brew half-caf and mix it with half water before heating it. I know I sound like a crazy person.
Edit: Nevermind, its the cooling surface of the top of the coffee directly exposed to air. I'm just over here thinking about spherical chickens in a vacuum...
Anything more that 4 cups a day is probably unhealthy. Remember that 1 “cup” of coffee is actually 6 oz, so a normal coffee mug or latte is twice that. One coffee (2 “cups” or a latte) in the morning and one around 2pm works fine for me, but everyone’s body is different.
Everyone's body is indeed different. I switched to decaffeinated tea and coffee exactly a week ago. There wasn't any noticeable difference, maybe my sleep feels a bit different, but that is about it.
I already suspected that I am more attracted to the flavor of tea and coffee than to their actual caffeine content, because I could drink six cups of coffee one day, zero the next day, and feel no withdrawal.
Wait, 8 oz is a cup of anything else - why is a cup of coffee only 6?
Regular coffee drinker (1-2 cups), having pre-workout before the gym.
Starting having an absurd amount of anxiety and what I can best describe as a panic attack or flu-like symptom making my heart race & feelings of palpitations.
Go to the ER, they find nothing wrong. Doctors say "cut your stimulates and lower your stresses".
Seemed to be a combination of work stress & the stimulates. Ever since going cold turkey, I've been better than ever. I continue to get headaches but they are manageable with plenty of water.
Insomnia is brutal, and I did everything I could to get over it including eliminating caffeine/coffee completely for around 6-7 months.
I didn't experience any issues stopping. After the sleeping and anxiety were under control I figured I'd stick with it - I'd heard others say they experienced a few positive benefits by cutting caffeine completely. I didn't notice anything.
When I decided to grab a cup again the productivity boost was pretty amazing. I settled on 1/2 caff up to 11am, then decaf only. I drink a lot less coffee now, and if there's even a hint of an issue sleeping I'll skip it for a day or two.
For my situation, I think it was a combination of many things. Stress, anxiety, caffeine, intense workouts, allergy season, diet, hydration, long COVID, seasonal flu, genetics, etc. Nothing really changed for me personally either, but the world around me did. Maybe it's my body & mind's way of saying "dude slow down". So I listened.
Drinking a Coke is enough to make me bounce off the walls. I've often wondered what would happen to me if I tried coffee or an energy drink, but based on how strong the effects of sugar and small caffeine doses are on me, I'm far too scared to experiment. I do think coffee smells amazing, though--walking into a Starbucks is always delightful, even if I only ever buy hot chocolate there.
The only way to ingest pure caffeine is to take a pill.
It's easy to get caffeine, and somewhat difficult to avoid it. Caffeine is so common that it's easy to justify using it. ("Everyone else does, so it can't be that bad. Right?")
My wife is still a user, and I often make coffee for her in the morning. It still smells delicious to me, but I haven't (and wont) go back to it. She is like a zombie before she has her morning coffee, and she often has trouble getting to sleep at night. I am awake and alert in the morning, and sleep soundly.
I personally used to drink a lot of coffee and rarely experienced any withdrawal effects. I also know (from comparing myself with other people) that I am a very fast caffeine metabolizer.
Different people have different metabolism of caffeine and different reactions. It's very well documented. I'm one of those who have it easier to nap after strong coffee than before it. But I do love my espresso.
If you are looking for a reason to start a new better life with some different drug read about caffeine influence on adenosine. For some people coffee can influence their sleep pretty bad and that's no good.
Moderate amounts of coffee correlate positively with better health.
Also watch for slight dehydration and if you like it white - the fact that many people have at least a tiny lactose intolerance. In Italy almost nobody drinks coffee with milk after noon.
And really, statistically, it's one of the easiest popular drugs to quit. Maybe a few headaches here and there and you're done. It's mostly about the ritual and lifestyle.
What I don't agree is the easy to quit part. I get headaches and don't stay awake. Even worse is the depression that follows. I know I feel better without (quit two times) but quitting is really tough.
Now very occasionally (perhaps once every couple of months) I drink another cup after lunch (but never after 4PM, or I won't be able to sleep properly that night).
The problem is that I _really_ like the flavor. I've tried decaf as well and while it's not bad, I do prefer grinding my beans just before brewing my cup.
I also hate that whenever I have quit cold-turkey I've gotten those nasty migraines. It's impressive how can a drink that we don't really think about much (Starbucks everywhere) can cause such strong effect on people.
I guess I'll need to look harder. Thanks for the suggestion
Sounds like you approach caffeine like an addict. Coffee is actually good for you though:
https://www.hsph.harvard.edu/news/hsph-in-the-news/coffee-be...
There's so much data to dispute that that it isn't even funny. Countless articles have been written.
What's usually under debate is to what extent consumption can be beneficial or detrimental.
Caffeine is only very obviously a poison when it comes to arachnids.
I've switched to decaf coffee, because I still like coffee and the morning ritual. But I limit myself to 2 cups, and I have herbal tea later in the day if I still want something to sip on.
The same goes for (added) sugar - it's amazing how you feel when you stop eating candy/ice cream/sweetened drinks/etc. And it's surprising how bad you feel when do you have sugar after you've been off a while - same as the author's experience with caffeine.
My favourite is Colombian beans decaffeinated with the "Sugar Cane Process". In my opinion this method produces the best tasting coffee that preserves the qualities of the origin beans and it might be more environmentally friendly compared to methods that require double shipping the beans to a 3rd country for decaffeination.
But when I had stopped, I remember the taste had changed - just simply sautéed vegetables tasted much better, and in those days sugar tasted ugly. The good old days. And after hating chocolates all my life, I think it was our EPM who got addicted me to chocolates by always keeping a supply at her desk, right next to my desk. Now on my 99th attempt to give up sugar for the past 5 days, and this time determined to go much much longer.
I find espresso also much more agreeable. While I feel jittery after several cups of drip I find I would need to drink a lot more (unrealistic amounts) espresso coffee for the same effect. It also helps that its not a type of coffee where one has a big pot of it sitting around and one can get constant refills.
Interestingly I don't get withdrawal symptoms (I often don't drink coffee when travelling as I rather not drink coffee than drink bad coffee). So I might not be too strongly affected by caffeine.
for me in the past that would be a warning sign to cut back on the number of cups a day. I've settled on two espresso's a day
I have a bean to cup machine and to cut back I would miss one cup or make it weaker
The following couple of weeks after quitting was hell. Migraines, shakes, generally feeling awful. I doubted my decision, but powered through, and am thankful I did.
Waking up is easier, going to sleep is easier, and personally I wasn't a fan of the adrenaline rush feeling I would get after drinking coffee. Your mileage may vary, but if you're getting older and feeling jittery then definitely give it a try.
I did have a mild headache for about 2 weeks when I did quit, but honestly, the fact that that happened was just more evidence I was doing the right thing. Still, I have yet to convince another human being to give it a try. I guess most people are just too addicted.
Even if it's "just" caffeine, it's never easy. Methylxantines are a tool, and like every other chemical it's best enjoyed in moderation.
That said, it's likely also tolerance-inducing (https://www.health.harvard.edu/blog/stopping-the-vicious-cyc...), so don't overdo it.
Cannabis can be used for instant relief, but it opens your veins, causing headaches or worsening your migraine.
Caffeine for extended headache relief. Sometimes you need an Advil and/or Aspirin depending on the pain. IANAD.
Aspirin Acetaminophen and Caffeine or AAC is very effective.
Is this what normal people feel like when I tell them that I got addicted to a video game?
Seeing this post makes me want to try to quit again and see how it goes. It is pretty rough being ADHD with such a sensitivity to stimulants.
What is even more weird is that in college and a few years after I would drink 200mg of caffeine every single day (2x Guru [1]) and felt fine. I am not sure if to what extent this is explained by being younger and being accustomed to being anxious at the time but it is definitely both.
[1] https://www.guruenergy.com/en-us/products/guru-organic-energ...
Turns out that this new job offered free coffee, so I was drinking one cup of coffee before commuting, another one when I arrived, and maybe one or two more later, but before lunch. The only reason I was sleepy was coffee: I was making my body dependent on caffeine to function normally in the morning, and I wasn't giving it coffee in the evening.
Luckily I caught it early and could quit without problems, but it was interesting to see how quickly your body builds a tolerance and makes you dependent on a drug. I back up the advice of the OP and I'd suggest to everyone who drinks coffee regularly to check themselves, because they might be addicted even without having those noticeable symptoms the OP talked about.
I decided to stop for two reasons: I sleep pretty crappy, and I was doing a bunch of other diet changes so I figured why not one more...
Everyone is different, but in my case switching to decaf was pretty easy. I had headaches a couple days, otherwise I honestly couldn't tell the difference. I didn't find mornings more of a struggle. But I also didn't find I slept better (confirmed by the fitbit sleep stats).
I read a few days ago that decaf coffee still has theobromine, which can also help focus.
Unlike the author, I like my coffee with cream most times, and the decaf I've switched to tastes just fine. I even found some instant decaf which I took on a camping trip shortly after stopping caffeine, which tastes pretty good. Mount Hagen, for reference.
I've lately been trying that sleep optimization thing posted here over the holidays the last couple weeks and feel like that's been helping. My fitbit is reporting pretty high sleep score for the last week, today was the first <80 in a week, and it was 79 so pretty close...
Wow, I can relate. Had some tests done because I was having so many palpitations I couldn't sleep. Multiple per hour. They became far worse whenever I shifted positions (standing -> laying down, vice versa). I've always had some infrequent palpitations, but those scared me. Tests, as usual, didn't catch anything. Only reason my doctor even saw something is that I managed to capture some with the Apple watch.
This was even during a break so it wasn't even work-related stress.
I was drinking a whole lot of caffeine (couple of big mugs) plus maybe 1L of Earl Gray tea.
I cut caffeine - palpitations got _worse_ (initially). Then they subsided. It's been one year. I even went back to some coffee again. There seems to be a threshold.
I was having 20,000 a day. I was consuming a shit ton of caffeine (like 600 mg a day), and I quit cold turkey once I noticed the insane PVCs. The PVCs did reduce in the following months, but I still ended up having an ablation to get rid of them.
Maybe if I would have waited longer they would have gone away completely, I don't know.
Uncanny. I still miss coffee, and the ‘life feeling duller’ thing is real. On the other hand, quieter mind, better sleep.
I would love to try the Rasa coffee alternative that the author is talking about, but I can't seem to find a reseller within the EU.
Maybe it's available for you there?
It would work if Rasa were available from, say, amazon.de, amazon.nl, etc., but, alas, it isn't — I already checked before I wrote my original comment.
Thansk for the suggestion, though. Perhaps it will be useful for other international customers.
I am not a coffee drinker, but I liked to stay up late, and I had to go to class, so I decided to try these out, since at that age you feel like you are invulnerable.
These symptoms seem pretty consistent with some that I felt in extreme cases. I stopped taking them after a few attempts.
The positives of Caffeine were great though. I felt "on" like never before. Sharp, quick-witted, alert. I appreciate why some find it difficult to quit. Is there anything else that has a similar effect minus the downsides?
I've read articles about people drinking too much, too little, being addicted, or having withdrawal symptoms, but I never really experienced any of that during my coffee-life so far. I also don't often meet people that do, but sometimes when I do meet someone that has a really intense relationship with caffeine it does tell me that there must be something to it.
You'd think that if this is such a potent 'drug', it would affect everyone at last at some base level, and others even more. But in my variations of 1 to 8 cups each day, sometimes none for days, sometimes only espresso, sometimes only filter coffee it's never really done anything 'different'. Granted, the larger quantities of coffee were the crappy kind which probably never really got a good extraction anyway, but even 2 or 3 proper cups of filter coffee would have a caffeine content that should create the same symptoms or dependency I would think. But it doesn't (for me). I'm not really more less sleepy depending on the coffee quantity. I can sleep minutes after drinking coffee (if tired), yet not drinking coffee doesn't make it 'hard' to stay awake.
I used and abused coffee for most of my twenties without ever realizing it had such an impact. Nowadays I just drink small cups of tea.
Also would like to point out: https://www.audible.com/pd/Caffeine-Audiobook/B083MVZ91Y is a pretty fun read. Not super scientific but interesting nonetheless.
Maybe it does have an effect but being too busy to notice masked it?
I've had shorter pauses as well, broke a few bones in a sporting accident and didn't really feel like getting or making coffee, was very into ginger infusions, sometimes tamed with a bit of honey or lemon.
On one hand this makes me very curious to just not drink coffee for a few weeks and see if it does anything, on the other hand I pretty much stopped drinking sugary drinks years ago so that just leaves water and tea for me, and tea would have to be paused as well because I have a variety of teas where some have caffeine as well. Maybe if there was a good decaf around I'd just drink that as an experiment, but I haven't found one that doesn't taste weird yet.
That said, I'm not drinking all that much coffee (1 or 2 filters or 2 espressos or maybe one of each is about average), and sometimes I just forget to make some if I'm busy doing stuff.
Today just had my first cup again, tasted great and no noticeable change then either. I wasn't sure if maybe I'd taken the wrong beans and I had wanted to try a new Ethiopian bean for a different taste and no change then either (well, except maybe that after two cups over 6 hours I didn't really feel like another one).
Maybe I just got lucky (genetically) or it takes a bit more time to feel significant effects.
I do find that later in the evening if I'm started to feel tired coffee makes it a little easier to shrug off the sensation. Otherwise it doesn't have a grand effect. I tend to drink it because I like the ritual (and I'm already brewing for my wife).
I take 48 hours off of caffeine each week, and limit my daily dose on the days I make use of it. Perhaps one day I'll quit entirely. I can definitely feel it when I overdo caffeine in a single day. (Usually in the form of tea - I'm not much of a coffee drinker.)
Good luck and godspeed. If anyone else is worried about their general level of anxiety and/or caffeine intake I'm happy to answer questions.
I did that for around 20 years (with occasional breaks), then progressively petered out to 2-3 cups a day and, last year, I finally removed the last Espresso (the breakfast one) from my diet.
I switched to one cup of black tea in the morning (I'm partial to Earl Grey) and one or two mugs of barley 'coffee' a day (in Winter time, typically zero in Summer) and lots of water. I will occasionally have non-black tea during the Winter time as well - mostly mint and ginger.
Now drinking a can of diet Coke (which I typically do in two doses, whenever I feel like I'm struggling through the day) gives me a good enough buzz, and I _know_ coffee will work if I need to stay up late (which I usually don't anymore).
But, in general, ditching coffee improved my well-being a _lot_. I sleep better, I don't have (the same kind of) headaches, and I don't push myself beyond what my body can take and spend 2-3 days recovering from a particularly intense day.
I do miss the flavor and enjoy a hot beverage (hence the barley), but I don't miss the stress it induced, or the crutch it was.
A few things I found helpful in my transition off it: - Panax Ginseng tea - Macca root - Regular weight lifting exercises - Regular good night of sleep
Thanks for sharing!
One thing that's really helped me is to always have decaf as easily accessible as regular. It helps me separate the caffeine dosage from all of the other things I love about coffee.
I've considered ditching the coffee entirely; it's mostly the routine I enjoy, and I could probably replace it with an herbal tea. My system on an actual energy drink is just as jittery and anxious as the author describes. But for now, keeping my intake low seems okay.
The biggest surprise for me was really switching to plain water as my beverage of choice. Growing up on sugary beverages I craved them something fierce; now I actually crave water, and enjoy the taste. The only downside is that at restaurants, the servers will swing by and refill an ordered soda (or tea) endlessly, and they get this funny look if I try to explain that "no really, just one is enough."
Was twitchy, sweated a lot, got sick easier, slept worse, and got worse results at the gym. It works great for a day, and then you crash hard, it's also addictive. Spikes blood pressure. Another poster reminded me about the headaches, which I normally NEVER have. I am under the impression that its worse than drugs (dont do drugs, so can't tell). Affects are very, very strong.
Solution is to lift lighter and sleep MORE than 8 hours. I still don't believe all the successful people (eg Schwarzenegger) who claim to sleep less than 8, especially athletes. I still drink a bunch of caffeinated black tea, but it's not even close to coffee/energy drinks.
No point to this other than "Don't drink energy drinks, they are probably worse than coke".
Last note - the military studied caffeine pills since they control ideally for dose. Maybe something to consider not to stain teeth and standardize if you HAVE to have your coffee.
Takes two weeks of miserable migraines.
You can lapse at any time later just indulging in one craving.
It just takes one bad morning to break it.
When I've stopped in the past, I usually take one diet soda I don't especially enjoy (like a Diet Pepsi) and drink a quarter of a can a day in the morning.
As you might surprise I've never attempted to quit caffeine permanently, just to reduce my consumption or to stop for a few months. It is indeed an easy habit to start back on.
But, like you, I've never tried to totally quit. I "test" myself by usually abstaining from caffeine on the weekends. If I get even a slight headache, then it's time to cut back.
This rings very true. I tried coffee one time after quitting and the withdrawal migraines came back the next day like I was back in the thick of it.
I haven't had caffeine since then.
Everything else I can do on and off, some things it's been years, caffeine I've only quit once. Lapsed and haven't been able to again.
That's not saying much about caffeine though, being slightly less addictive than heroin is not a high bar.
Compared to any other stimulants though, caffeine is the most addictive, with the worst withdraw, in my experience.
If you consider caffeine very addictive, use techniques developed for fight addiction to addictive drugs like benzos.
I kept giggling for a few minutes so much that I got back here to thank you for that.
Don’t know how to interpret this: defensiveness by addicts, “Big Coffee” trying to do damage control, etc.. I know what I would think if this was about quitting a fentanyl addiction…
The 3-4 times a month I drink coffee (and I do drink the good stuff without obsessing), I make it at home almost as a psychological diagnostic. If it makes me sleepy, then I know things are just fine body-mind wise. If it charges me up, then I’m under more stress than I’d like (as a baseline). OK if I’ve got some early morning physical work to do, not OK otherwise.
L-theanine takes the edge off caffeine. You could also just try L-theanine on its own.
This person needs to experiment with other nootropics besides caffeine. I've tried various stacks over the years like Alpha Brain, Mindlab Pro and a few others. They've been instrumental in getting shit done on a tight schedule, and I don't get that jittery 'wired' feeling you get taking plain caffeine supps on their own, just a mild flowy state (thanks to the L-theanine).
7 years on it still tempts me, but not like seeing somebody enjoy a cigarette does. I work rotations and have 15 hour days frequently, I don't go for a coffee when tired and just deal with it. Stressful and engaging work is enough to keep me perky.
Good luck to anyone who tries quitting. Try timing it at a time when you can afford to be less productive/sharp if you can. If not, just deal with it.
If you feel permanently anxious in the morning to the point that it's perceived as normal it might not be the caffeine that's the issue, and a few cups of decaf have so little caffeine it should not give you any physical symptoms. (a few cups of decaf contain about as much caffeine as a few pieces of chocolate). Might be worth checking out if there's some other reason for it.
So what kind of coffee are we talking about here ? Because I never ever felt any kind of addiction and I’m genuinely wondering how that is possible to be addicted
But I did feel the need to quite _caffeine_.
I found a wonderful shop which sells a nice range of decaffeinated coffee beans (any other brand I tried tasted like crap), and now I just do a half-half grind in the morning, and stick to a full decaf grind any other time I want to have a nice coffee break.
As for coffee shops, I go, but it's a treat rather than a daily need. Therefore I think the extra caffeine from that is ok.
you can buy panadol (headache tablets) with caffeine added now... protein bars with guarana (caffeine) etc etc.
about 20 years back I had what the doctors called a vasovagal fit. I was working long hours, drinking a LOT of caffeine loaded drinks (soda and coffee etc) and eating poorly.
It took weeks to recover and ever since then I've been watching my dependency on it. every now and again i go full cold turkey and cut any intake for a month or two then slowly get back into it.
I only drink Tea now as well, which helps. its a slower more cumbersome process to make it.
I've been completely dysfunctional for weeks, and first week I basically slept through, i.e sleep for 15 hours, wake up for an hour or so and head back to sleep.
I couldn't get off sugar completely (or get it to healthy numbers), because my brain just wouldn't function without a hit, but I reduced my intake considerably since then (5x).
I stopped ordering Coke in crates for one :shrug:, still hopeful to find solution to this while my insulin levels are normal and it's not too late.
Instead I binge on sugar free caffeinated fizzy drinks. I consume a lot less caffeine. I tried many times to quit but I just can't. Writing this I admit that I do have a problem, that I shamefully should do something about - but I am weak, and powerless - might be linked to my slight depression because of my current job situation. But then again, there is always an excuse.
Anyway, when I was about... 20 years old, I think, I decided to quite Caffeine. I went "cold-turkey", and it was actually really hard not buying my fix of Cola at the supermarket! I stuck with it though, and switched to (somewhat watered-down) cherry juice. The taste was strong enough to distract me from thinking about Cola :-)
French press seems to be somewhere in between, the extraction is different than pour over. Philz's extraction time is even shorter than a regular pour over. They use a lot more beans than Blue Bottle but the water flows through the grounds much quicker.
If you can't go cold turkey, try avoiding espresso and French press and the jittery feeling might subside.
I got into caffeine about six months ago and after the first week I got a headache when I woke up so I quit it because that's not okay.
I recently restarted with a drink of coffee about thrice a week (irregularly) and have found that I get no withdrawal when I stop on this cycle.
After getting over the hump, I noticed I would fall asleep much, much more easily. It was great. However recently I've started doing 18:6 intermittent fasting, from 9:30-14:30. I've noticed it keeps me up a lot longer. Weird side effect I did not envision.
Anyway, would be keen to replace my mild with decaf at some point. I'm not a big fan of tea. Or starting the day with a water.
Probably the worst time went like this: in addition to the headaches, my entire body was overcome by a muscular weakness, and this lasted almost two weeks.
About three days into it, I went for a simple little four mile run. I was in good running shape at the time. Because of how I was starting to feel, I took it easy. Yet, the next day, every muscle hurt in my body. Arms, legs, abdominals, back. It was as if a completely unfit, untrained, unaccustomed body had been made to race the distance.
The soreness took days to dissipate.
I find that making a french press or V60 encourages me to make a lot more coffee just because I can, so I've since switched to the aeropress. People often state they wish it made more coffee, but it's been a nice way for me to limit caffeine consumption without feeling like I'm really restricting myself.
At least I’ve been able to reduce my overall consumption of caffeine a bit, but I haven’t been able to cut it out completely.
At age 17, I had a trip to the ER thinking I was dying -- worst headache of my life up to that point. It subsided during my stay and several tests later, any major problems were ruled out. I was not a regular caffeine drinker at that time, and caffeine has never caused Migraine headaches[0] for me. Over a few years of early mornings/jobs, I started drinking coffee regularly to be sharp/awake and experienced many of the same problems as the author. The biggest problem, though, was that I had become tolerant to the most effective medication (for me) to eliminate my headaches.
I would not advise quitting cold turkey. It sucks. The headaches are intense, but not Migraine[0]. After doing that for a few days, I took a different approach -- to replace my coffee consumption with decaffeinated coffee. At the time (I'm not sure if this is still true), decaffeinated did not mean caffeine free. It had just enough to ween me off of caffeine, while keeping my routine the same for a month. The dull headaches were manageable with a single Ibuprofen when they were the worst, but often required nothing at all. At the end of a month, the beans sat unused.
I treated caffeine as a medication from that point forward. I kept a container of beans in the freezer and would brew up a cup of coffee any time Migraine reared its ugly head. It took about a cup and my symptoms would be reduced -- sometimes remaining there until the headache passed. I've since found a prescription which prevents Migraine entirely, for me and have resumed coffee drinking, but limit it to a single cup a day and not daily -- just when I'm feeling "dull", mentally. But I have to be careful -- the jitters are very strong after the second cup and end up turning that sharpness into anxiety at times.
[0] I think people misstate a "bad headache" as a Migraine headache. I get different kinds of headaches, Migraine is very distinct to me, including auras and other symptoms that otherwise awful headaches do not. They also barely respond to common OTC medications, so I don't bother with them when I know it's a migraine.
You may have a problem other than a caffeine addiction. Cutting out caffeine may be the easiest/cheapest way to address it, but it is not normal or healthy for a few mg of caffeine to give you jitters or affect your heartbeat.
I'd talk to a cardiologist to make sure you're not just hiding the symptoms of a life-threatening problem.
I love coffee and I'd love to go back to drinking it, but I don't think I can. If you get frequent headaches/migraines, try cutting back on caffeine. You might be surprised.
I use a $4 single-cup coffee brewer (from a local Chinese vendor) and "Cafe du Monde" coffee (orange can) which has chicory. Add the brew to a few teaspoons of "La Lechera" sweetened condensed milk under a cup of ice.
Recently started experimenting with nootropics as a replacement for coffee. Started L-theanine + caffeine capsules. Surprisingly, feel attentive throughout the day and better sleep at night too. Workout is better as well. Don’t know how long these effects will last. But for now, I have quit coffee for good.
I’ve just reduced intake at this point though.
This phrase... I'm struggling to interpret it in a way that doesn't mean exactly the opposite of what you were trying to say.
It's a good one to use in a joke.
I quit for a period of several months many times though. Got past the withdrawal and was generally fine without it. It’s easy to let it creep back in and hard to avoid it all the time.
Now I just drink half-caffeine coffee in the morning and cut out soft drinks.
Now when I drink one, the day passes and one starts trembling again.
If you are able to sleep well consistently (less than 10% bad sleeps) then zero coffee is fine. You just don't need it. But not everyone is so fortunate.
Now I just drink a cup of black tea a day. I feel a lot "nicer", but definitely less productive, as expected.
I'm trying to just keep my coffee drinking to Sundays when I work on my projects, and am less likely to get irritated with someone because they don't talk super fast :P
The I was forced to switch. I can honestly say I do not notice the difference. Decaf tastes just as good.
It makes me wonder: do people in the older generations have the same symptoms but just don't say anything?... Kind of concerning.
Edit: This thread inspired me to get on hot water asap again. Thanks everyone :) Just poured myself some.
Drink half your intake for a few days. Then halve that amount again. Soon enough you'll have weaned yourself off caffeine without the disruption.
I personally don't put sugar into coffee or tea and have quit cold-turkey a few times without any issues, so I wonder if the headache and stuff might be somewhat related to sugar withdrawal, not just caffeine. Ideas?
Aka "Tea Cosy".
The world's GDP would collapse if caffeine went away.
L-Theamine is the calming agent in tea. Helps with anxiety and jitters. Magnesium help with that too.
Would not take straight caffeine again.
I get all kinds of symptoms.
Coffee is the hardest drug to get clean from.
Have never looked back and recommend you to do the same.
Thanks!
I chose to quit caffeine entirely and not try to suppress what my body was telling me.
How do coffee drinkers keep track of how much caffeine they drink?
Now fix Janurari into Januari (Sorry my OCD kicked in, cannot unsee)
How many corporations literally provide coffee to their workers. Even to the point of paying you to drink it on a break? This drug is clearly beneficial to these corps. The increase in focus and productivity is obvious. This boost to cognitive function is what created the age of enlightenment.