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Quitting Caffeine

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Re: Quitting Caffeine

#111

Post by spraak »

revelation wrote: post #45
whipoodle wrote: post #20

It has always been interesting to me that (at least in America) this particular drug dependence is something we joke lightly about ("don't talk to me before I've had my coffee"). And of course it's much less serious than other forms of dependence, but it still seems not particularly good to me. I try to refrain from having caffeine often so that it still has an effect when I drink a coffee.

Why does caffeine "dependence" concern you? It's extremely harmless and for the vast majority of the population the sole remaining effect is that of a very slight laxative. Frankly, people drinking coffee over sugary beverages is a public health win.

If you're curious about an in depth answer to why it is concerning, check out Andrew Weil's Marriage of the Sun and the Moon.

Re: Quitting Caffeine

#112

Post by uptownfunk »

I've been off Caffeine for a good two years now and have no plans of going back.

Life runs too fast for me on caffeine, yes I can blow through work faster, but when I was on caffeine it would feel like days, weeks, months would go by in the blink of an eye.

I wasn't enjoying the moment.. and then I stopped drinking caffeine.

Life became more present for me, not slower in the bad sense, but that I was able to relish every moment more, more aware... more conscious of what was going on around me. My fuse also got really short when I was consuming caffeine, I'd get into a lot of fights and arguments, since I've stopped, it's really helped.

I still get all my work done and have time to spare, I'm working, going to school and have an infant at home. So life after caffeine is definitely possible.

Re: Quitting Caffeine

#113

Post by SolaceQuantum »

dom96 wrote: post #60

I personally never drink coffee. I do however drink tea and other drinks with caffeine in them (mostly Coca Cola). But I do wonder how much of a perceptible difference drinking coffee makes. I'm also curious whether you get a tolerance, so that heavy drinkers need to drink more to recover the same amount of energy. Can anyone give their experience?

I drink a ton of tea and don't notice an energy boost but I do get a throbbing headache if I don't have some sort of caffeine in the day or so. This only started when I began to drink coffee socially. I'm going to be cutting that out and I hope that will fix things.

Re: Quitting Caffeine

#114

Post by theatraine »

nnd wrote: post #75
rubber_duck wrote: post #64

>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.

Modafinil is relatively side effects free? Are there any studies of long-term modafinil use effects?

With long-term use Stevens–Johnson syndrome is a risk.

Re: Quitting Caffeine

#115

Post by RonanTheGrey »

legohead wrote: post #109
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 drink Pepsi, and have tried to quit many times. One major thing I notice when I'm "on it" is that I get super drowsy a couple hours after lunch every day. When I'm off Pepsi/caffeine, I don't get this afternoon drowsiness. However, It's really hard to stay up after 10pm when I am off Pepsi/caffeine, which is when I work on my personal projects..

Is this Diet/Light or is this normal Pepsi?

What you're describing is sugar dependence, not caffiene. Cut out all processed sugar and after 2 weeks you'll wonder what drug you are on (then cut out "healthy" carbs like bread and pasta and you'll wonder how you ever wanted to eat them).

Re: Quitting Caffeine

#116

Post by peteretep »

jrs95 wrote: post #46

I've been wanting to do this, but I think I'll probably have to take 2 weeks of PTO to do that, unfortunately. At least it's a relatively benign addiction, I suppose.

The few times I've quit, I switched to decaf and caffeine pills, and then slowly reduced the amount of caffeine from pills. No side-effects from this approach. Cold turkey almost killed me.

Re: Quitting Caffeine

#117

Post by tapanjk »

This article reminds me of what I have been wanting to do for a while, but have not succeeded yet in spite of having tried this a few times. The goal is to prevent large fluctuations in energy and mood. My plan is to:

- Quit caffeine

- Quit sugar (in all forms e.g. refined sugar, honey, fructose syrup etc.)

- Consume alcohol only occasionally

- Consume white flour only occasionally

- Meditate

> I don’t think the ketones are necessary, but it helps me with running while fasted.

Our body generates ketones when carbohydrate intake is reduced enough, and it feels great. Perhaps the author's tinnitus may benefit from reduction in carb intake [1]. It is a common misconception to attribute certain benefits to presence of ketones while the actual benefit comes from the absence of sugar metabolism.

[1] https://www.tinnitusformula.com/library/sugar-metabolism-aff...

Re: Quitting Caffeine

#118

Post by jongold »

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)

soda + bitters is super tasty. if you're in a fancy cocktail bar (which I'm not that often these days, because drunk people are annoying when you're sober), most good bartenders will be happy to concoct "something tasty" and non-alcoholic, too.

Re: Quitting Caffeine

#119

Post by RonanTheGrey »

TACIXAT wrote: post #78

I'm celiac and my symptoms* can best be described as hyper sensitivity to addictive foods. I suspect this is more common than has been studied [1] as my main symptom was daily sinus headaches. The first thing I cut out was gluten. Gluten has been shown to act like an opiate in people with autism. [2] I believe I was going through a short time-scale withdrawal when consuming it regularly. That was the best I ever felt…

So much this. What you are describing very closely parallels my own journey with food. The only thing I haven't cut out is caffeine, but I have cut out most sources of gluten (I can't help the odd dish of orange chicken), MSG, sugar, and most interestingly also, sodium nitrite. That one was easy because a smart doctor identified it as a sensitivity when I was a child so I have always avoided sources of it. When I make the mistake of trying anything that contains it my body swiftly and appropriately punishes me.

The final, most recent and by far most difficult was sugar. My experience cutting it out was the same as yours.

Re: Quitting Caffeine

#120

Post by skrebbel »

Quitting caffeine is hard, but I found a workaround: get the flu.

If you're like me, when you're sick in bed, the last thing you'll want is coffee. By the end of your flu, you'll also have gotten off caffeine and you'll have ascribed the withdrawal symptoms to the flu. Done! Now go buy some decaf :-)

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