Kicking Caffeine

[RobFromTX]

After 15 years of faithful service to the coffee bean industry im thinking of giving the stuff up. It use to be a positive habit that brightened my day and it really helped with ptsd. Now it does little more than make me feel anxious or tired. But its been in my life so long that i feel like it will be a habit that's hard to break so I just wanted some different perspectives. Who here has actually quit caffeine? Was it a positive transition for you? Did you attack your coworker with a chainsaw the first week? Please feel me in on the ups and downs of parting ways with this powerful elixir

 

[xet]

I switched to Ethiopian beans and it brought coffee back to life for me.

I was drinking two pots a day and quit cold turkey and had extreme and serious withdrawals. 24 hour aching leg cramps for about 6 days like I had the flu but worse, zero sleep, it was pure agony.

Ethiopian coffee, particularly light roast, is a brilliant sativa like high with no jitters or anxiety.

I buy the green beans and roast them my own, I just ordered some yesterday even! https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00OPBEYD4

 

[goingrey]

Closest I've come to success is periods where I have only drank tea.

The short attempts without caffeine at all has been like... well like you're all old and tired all of a sudden.

Here's an interesting video about caffeine

 

[xet]

Closest I've come to success is periods where I have only drank tea.

The short attempts without caffeine at all has been like... well like you're all old and tired all of a sudden.

Here's an interesting video about caffeine

x2 on the tea but after a week or two I am fiending for coffee again because the tea is too weak.

The Ethiopian coffee serves me well because I only need 1-2 cups per day because it is x2 the caffeine and I guess because it is grown on the equator it provides a very clear high.

 

[dugzy]

I've quit several times for various reasons, being Irish I am/was mainly a tea drinker. Many cups a day, brewed strong.

First thing is not to stop it all at once, taper it down over a few weeks. It can still hurt with headaches, cramps as xet mentions and alot of weird neurological symptoms. I would have a cut off at different times of the day, at first allowing caffeine until 3p.m only, then 1p.m, then 11a.m etc until I was down to 1 cup a day with my breakfast.

The trick is finding something you like to drink to replace it, mint and other herb teas in my case. It was odd at first but you get used to it and end up enjoying it.

I was quite irritable during my tapering, it was hard to get focused and concentrate but it does pass fairly quick.

Nowadays it's 2x cups of tea in the morning and coffee at 11.30 a.m.

I agree with xet that Ethiopian is very good and Guatemalan too. Swiss water decaffeinated beans of whatever type are pretty good as an alternative. Best of luck with however you go.

 

[RobFromTX]

i switched to Ethiopian beans and it brought coffee back to life for me.

I was drinking two pots a day and quit cold turkey and had extreme and serious withdrawals. 24 hour aching leg cramps for about 6 days like I had the flu but worse, zero sleep, it was pure agony.

Ethiopian coffee, particularly light roast, is a brilliant sativa like high with no jitters or anxiety.

I buy the green beans and roast them my own, I just ordered some yesterday even! https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00OPBEYD4

Yeah those withdrawal symptoms sound crazy

Closest I've come to success is periods where I have only drank tea.

The short attempts without caffeine at all has been like... well like you're all old and tired all of a sudden.

Here's an interesting video about caffeine

Watching that episode a few weeks ago is what got me started thinking about it. Sleeping like a teen again sounds good to me

 

[RobFromTX]

I've quit several times for various reasons, being Irish I am/was mainly a tea drinker. Many cups a day, brewed strong.

First thing is not to stop it all at once, taper it down over a few weeks. It can still hurt with headaches, cramps as xet mentions and alot of weird neurological symptoms. I would have a cut off at different times of the day, at first allowing caffeine until 3p.m only, then 1p.m, then 11a.m etc until I was down to 1 cup a day with my breakfast.

The trick is finding something you like to drink to replace it, mint and other herb teas in my case. It was odd at first but you get used to it and end up enjoying it.

I was quite irritable during my tapering, it was hard to get focused and concentrate but it does pass fairly quick.

Nowadays it's 2x cups of tea in the morning and coffee at 11.30 a.m.

I agree with xet that Ethiopian is very good and Guatemalan too. Swiss water decaffeinated beans of whatever type are pretty good as an alternative. Best of luck with however you go.

I tried all the different teas. I just cant stand the smell or taste. Just wasn't my cup of tea. I know they say to cut back slowly but I only drink a couple of cups in the morning as it is

 

[xet]

I heard microdosing shrooms in the a.m. combined with lion's mane is pretty good.

As for tea I sweeten mine with honey. Earl Gray tea is really strong I like it and the smell alone wakes me up.

Coffee is coffee and nothing replaces coffee

 

[Cuddles]

After 15 years of faithful service to the coffee bean industry im thinking of giving the stuff up. It use to be a positive habit that brightened my day and it really helped with ptsd. Now it does little more than make me feel anxious or tired. But its been in my life so long that i feel like it will be a habit that's hard to break so I just wanted some different perspectives. Who here has actually quit caffeine? Was it a positive transition for you? Did you attack your coworker with a chainsaw the first week? Please feel me in on the ups and downs of parting ways with this powerful elixir

I stopped for at least 2 years. I never used to drink it at all but then, over the years got used to it. Had I not ended up in a household were others drank coffee I may have never started, lol.
But anyway, I ended up drinking too much everyday and then decided to give it up all together. I made me jittery and stuff and raised my blood pressure and so on.
So, I switched to tea. I may have missed it for a day or two but that was it.
I much better alternative is to have a healthier drink such as a nice fresh juice - be it apple or orange or whatever, or even just a homemade lemonade. These give you a much better and healthier kick start to the day imo. The energy which fruit gives you goes straight into your brain .
I did start coffee again about 2 years or so ago but I keep it down to 2 cups in th morning and sometimes another in the afternoon after my lunch (I eat late).
I stopped coffee again for a while earlier this year but noticed my blood pressure became too low, so started again.
Been considering stopping again though. It´s just my BP which worries me.

But to answer your question about becoming irritable and stuff: my answer is no. I didn´t get into a fight or do any road-rage, lol
Drinking coffee is just a habit - it´s psychological in most cases. It´s nice,we like it , so we enjoy a cuppa and then it becomes a routine we just end up sticking to.
We don´t really need it. What we do need however is good fuel but as already mentioned this is best coming from consuming fruit in the morning (and until about 1-2 pm lunch time). (makes your mouth taste and feel fresher too! )

I really enjoyed my coffee -free periods.

 

[Gypsy Nirvana]

From around 5am till 9.30am only - is coffee time for me - usually I will not eat a breakfast - and only eat after exercise around 2pm - so just coffee in the morning - which jump-starts me - and sends me off on a fast walk - to swim/gym - with a spring in my step - drinking strong coffee all day (and night) - is not a good idea - and coffee only works for me if I sip the fragrant java for a small part of the day - or it messes with my sleep pattern - and leaves me feeling burned out due to sleep deprivation - must be due to the caffeine in it -
- so maybe an idea for the threadstarter - is to try de-caf coffee - if it's the caffeine that is bothering you -

 

[RobFromTX]

From around 5am till 9.30am only - is coffee time for me - usually I will not eat a breakfast - and only eat after exercise around 2pm - so just coffee in the morning - which jump-starts me - and sends me off on a fast walk - to swim/gym - with a spring in my step - drinking strong coffee all day (and night) - is not a good idea - and coffee only works for me if I sip the fragrant java for a small part of the day - or it messes with my sleep pattern - and leaves me feeling burned out due to sleep deprivation - must be due to the caffeine in it -
- so maybe an idea for the threadstarter - is to try de-caf coffee - if it's the caffeine that is bothering you -

Id say i drink 12 ounces a morning. Never after noon. No real sleep issues but i do wonder how much better sleep could be without it. Ive read there's some real advantages

 

[Switcher56]

My wife decafinated me some years ago, circa 2010/12 when I had quit smoking and picked up vaping. Nicotine just like caffeine are both stimulants. I was trying to lower my nicotine consumption (more important to me anyway), while she was lowering my caffeine consumption, which made my vaping (nicotine withdrawals worse, as nicotine sort of acts like a valium.

At the time I thought to myself, what a thoughtful wife I have. She used to prepare my cup for when I got up. I busted her about 6/7 months in because, although I didn't notice it at first, the grains of the decaf were smaller than the grains of my reg. coffee. Busted! I explained what was going on wrt vaping and no wonder I was up and down like a yoyo, especially during the moon phases.

I have about 6 cups a day, which I need to cut in half. Really hard to do considering my circumstances.

 

[RobFromTX]

My wife decafinated me some years ago, circa 2010/12 when I had quit smoking and picked up vaping. Nicotine just like caffeine are both stimulants. I was trying to lower my nicotine consumption (more important to me anyway), while she was lowering my caffeine consumption, which made my vaping (nicotine withdrawals worse, as nicotine sort of acts like a valium.

At the time I thought to myself, what a thoughtful wife I have. She used to prepare my cup for when I got up. I busted her about 6/7 months in because, although I didn't notice it at first, the grains of the decaf were smaller than the grains of my reg. coffee. Busted! I explained what was going on wrt vaping and no wonder I was up and down like a yoyo, especially during the moon phases.

I have about 6 cups a day, which I need to cut in half. Really hard to do considering my circumstances.

I quit the ciggs 10 years ago myself! Thinking back now i quit tobacco for pretty much the same reasons. That and I don't necessarily miss those seasonal respiratory infections

 

[Cuddles]

I quit the ciggs 10 years ago myself! Thinking back now i quit tobacco for pretty much the same reasons. That and I don't necessarily miss those seasonal respiratory infections

Been trying to quit smoking for a while now using a certain method. Hasn´t worked BUT I stopped buying fags and switched to small roll ups with filters and I definitely smoke less. I also save a lot of money. Would save even more if I manage to quit completely of course.
giving up coffee was so much easier...

 

[RobFromTX]

Been trying to quit smoking for a while now using a certain method. Hasn´t worked BUT I stopped buying fags and switched to small roll ups with filters and I definitely smoke less. I also save a lot of money. Would save even more if I manage to quit completely of course.
giving up coffee was so much easier...

I did the rolling thing for a while when i was younger. Tops tobacco. cheapest stuff out there. I believe they dilute it with shredded cardboard

 

[Chi13]

Just the thread title was enough to cause me a bit of panic.

I have about 4-7 strong black coffees a day and I could not imagine life without it. I listened to Michael Pollan interviewed about coffee though; very interesting. Still, not about to give it up.

 

[Douglas.Curtis]

I've been using caffeine extracted from green tea leaves, about 50% caffeine by volume, for almost 10 years. Great stuff, but now regulated by the fda.

I created GreenFocus, a zero jitters, zero crash supplement from it 8 months ago and it's awesome. Just put it up for sale on etsy this week. I take one or two a day and get so much more done than when drinking coffee.

Coffee is, even when it has low acid levels, an unhealthy brew. Soooo tasty, but a nasty bitch to work with. Over time it really does impact your health and overall productivity.

Damn I loooove coffee with non-work activities.

 

[Cuddles]

I did the rolling thing for a while when i was younger. Tops tobacco. cheapest stuff out there. I believe they dilute it with shredded cardboard

which brand did you use?

 

[Cuddles]

I've been using caffeine extracted from green tea leaves, about 50% caffeine by volume, for almost 10 years. Great stuff, but now regulated by the fda.

I created GreenFocus, a zero jitters, zero crash supplement from it 8 months ago and it's awesome. Just put it up for sale on etsy this week. I take one or two a day and get so much more done than when drinking coffee.

Coffee is, even when it has low acid levels, an unhealthy brew. Soooo tasty, but a nasty bitch to work with. Over time it really does impact your health and overall productivity.

Damn I loooove coffee with non-work activities.

yeah, coffee is acidic, which is one of the reasons why I always also have a pint or so of alkaline ionized water along with it in the morning

 

[@peace]

I quit a little over two years ago, one of the best decisions I ever made. I feel much more level than when I drank caffeine. I also drank coffee for 15 years before I quit. Black coffee, 1 - 4 a day. My sleep is better, I don't grind my teeth, and I don't need heartburn medication anymore. I tried tea also, couldn't get into it. I had no withdrawal other than feeling a bit more tired in the mornings for about a month.