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Quitting Caffeine

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Re: Quitting Caffeine

#61

Post by exhilaration »

jessriedel wrote: post #44
pdog wrote: post #30

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> One of the more interesting comments in the article is in regards to the social stigma of only consuming water during meals - people who have quit alcohol for various reasons have faced the same stigma when going out with friends. That stigma is entirely self-perception. No one cares or even notices what anyone else drinking.

This is definitely false. I've had multiple women tell me the dominant thing they noticed on a first date was that I didn't order a drink. Likewise, many people can attest that the social encouragement to get everyone drinking in group situations is very explicit. Shared consumption of intoxicating substances is closely monitored by everyone in the group, and is not same thing as the true fact that no one cares wheth…

I overheard one of my male co-workers telling a female co-worker that he doesn't drink. Her reaction was a literal "eww".

That's when I learned that - much like smokers - drinkers were a tribe.

Re: Quitting Caffeine

#62

Post by donpdonp »

derekp7 wrote: post #15
SOLAR_FIELDS wrote: post #3

One of the more interesting comments in the article is in regards to the social stigma of only consuming water during meals - people who have quit alcohol for various reasons have faced the same stigma when going out with friends. I've found that ordering something that has little to no calories or substance goes a long way to alleviate these fears (like tonic or sparkling water). Because something like this still co…

I order water with my meals, because I want to taste the food. About the only food that is good with a soda (or beer) is pizza.

same here, mostly because its a easy way to cut out a significant source of sugar.

Re: Quitting Caffeine

#63

Post by jrs95 »

function_seven wrote: post #48
revelation wrote: post #38

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Exchanging caffeine for amphetamines that develop real physical dependence doesn't feel like a good course of action.

Why is "amphetamines" italicized? Also, it appears parent has an unusual level of caffeine intake, and did much better when they were taking amphetamines .

Just Say No

Re: Quitting Caffeine

#64

Post by rubber_duck »

>There have been many demanding days in the last couple of years where I felt that if I would just give in and allow myself a cup of coffee, I would get more done.

Caffeine doesn't do anything for me anymore except stop dependence side effects - been thinking about ditching it and using modafinil on days like these - seems relatively side effect free and easy to get pharma grade stuff.

Re: Quitting Caffeine

#65

Post by akira2501 »

mtkd wrote: post #50
emilecantin wrote: post #13

I drink coffee because I enjoy it, not to give me a "boost" in the morning. I limit myself to 1 large mug per day, with the (very) occasional afternoon cup. I don't notice any difference between my energy levels before / after my morning coffee, nor on days I skip it. I get a headache in the early afternoon when I skip it, though, so I'm definitely addicted. I wonder if the author's energy level issues were due to hi…

I stopped drinking it for a year just to see what difference it made - it felt like more even energy over the day, but mornings lost something - so I have two strong cups very early now and no caffeine after 9am - except maybe tea Some of the energy thing is related to dehydration I suspect - if I drink more water over the day it has same effect as stopping coffee

> Some of the energy thing is related to dehydration I suspect - if I drink more water over the day it has same effect as stopping coffee

For me, that was the majority of it. I've settled on a 1:1 ratio. Drink a cup of coffee, then a full cup of water before I have another coffee.

Re: Quitting Caffeine

#66

Post by mmmpop »

stepvhen wrote: post #55
koolba wrote: post #23

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Pro tip: Club soda with a lime looks just like a vodka soda. Works great when you're trying to keep a clear head at a party full of heavy drinkers too. Just make sure to take slow sips so that people don't catch you with an empty glass.

Club soda with anything, syrups, bitters, citrus, is the secret for a happier sober life. not to mention is usually free in bars. (bitters are technically alcoholic, so that is a personal choice)

Will seriously give this a shot! Thanks for the tip.

Re: Quitting Caffeine

#67

Post by ravenstine »

tekromancr wrote: post #16

I have a lot of problems trying to quit caffeine. Ever since I was a young child, they gave me really powerful amphetamines to get me to focus. Then when I turned 18 it became much more difficult to obtain. In the US, Ritalin/dexadrine/adderall are all class II controlled substances with similar restrictions to cocaine or fentynal, so in order to get it I would need to have a doctor's appointment every month, which w…

For similar reasons to your use of caffeine, I decided to intermittently take Sudafed for when I needed extra focus or energy. Not the off-the-shelf kind with phelylephrine(which is a total placebo), but the kind with pseudoephedrine that you have to ask the pharmacist for. I find it works very well for short periods of time, and it has effects that are closer to that of prescription amphetamines. I'm probably on a list of "possible meth cooks" at this point because of how often I buy it, but it's worth it to not have to justify myself to a doctor all the time.

Re: Quitting Caffeine

#68

Post by jemfinch »

guiomie wrote: post #36

I've been off coffee for 1 month now. I've drank one or 2 decaff cortado or americanos because I like the taste of coffee, but I feel like decaf doesn't taste as good. I was a good week with intense headaches, it was scary. I used to drink 1 or 2 a day, nothing more. As for the link, it doesn't work ... hackernews DoS induced?

> I feel like decaf doesn't taste as good

Decaf doesn't taste as good, at least in the US. The American public won't tolerate a higher cost for decaf than ordinary coffee, so roasters pay for the decaffeination process by purchasing lower quality beans.

Re: Quitting Caffeine

#69

Post by kerkeslager »

pdog wrote: post #30
SOLAR_FIELDS wrote: post #3

One of the more interesting comments in the article is in regards to the social stigma of only consuming water during meals - people who have quit alcohol for various reasons have faced the same stigma when going out with friends. I've found that ordering something that has little to no calories or substance goes a long way to alleviate these fears (like tonic or sparkling water). Because something like this still co…

> One of the more interesting comments in the article is in regards to the social stigma of only consuming water during meals - people who have quit alcohol for various reasons have faced the same stigma when going out with friends. That stigma is entirely self-perception. No one cares or even notices what anyone else drinking.

This isn't true. People frequently notice that I'm not drinking and comment on it.

Re: Quitting Caffeine

#70

Post by nkkollaw »

bduerst wrote: post #47
nkkollaw wrote: post #26

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Jesus, that's like 10 espressos! I'm at >= 5. Pretty bad. I also feels like caffeine doesn't have much effect anymore. Any way to make quitting easier?

I quit for a while by switching to black tea. Lots and lots of the stuff, and working down from there.

Isn't that caffeine, too (actually we have a name for caffeine found in tea vs. coffee called "teina" vs. "caffeina" in Italian, but not in English I believe)?

Sounds like quitting drinking by switching from wine to lots and lots of beer...

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