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Quitting Caffeine

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Re: Quitting Caffeine

#271

Post by uptownfunk »

AliAdams wrote: post #188
uptownfunk wrote: post #112

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 e…

Out of interest, did you only stop drinking caffeine or was it potentially part of a larger set of changes (mindset/dietary/behavioural/etc) made at a similar time?

Nothing changed for me but the caffeine. I did go through about a weeklong withdrawal where I could barely get out of my bed though.. it was tough I did feel I was half dead for a good week, but after that your body adjusts, and dare I say I'm more productive and focused now than when I was on caffeine.

Re: Quitting Caffeine

#272

Post by bitexploder »

6d6b73 wrote: post #257
StanislavPetrov wrote: post #209

What the author didn't mention, and I haven't seen mentioned in these comments, are the extremely beneficial health effects of coffee (not caffeine, decaf has shown the same benefits). Most significantly, studies have shown that coffee reduces overall mortality rates significantly, with the reduced chance of dying from any cause increasing with coffee consumption (up to a point). >Compared with nonconsumers, particip…

Coffee industry is huge, so it's not hard to imagine that at least some of the research is fake. Also, I'm not aware of any research that explains WHY coffee has the supposed health benefits.

I like it and it doesn't seem to cause cancer, so it has those two things going for it.

Re: Quitting Caffeine

#273

Post by [deleted] »

acchow wrote: post #215
PacketPaul wrote: post #191

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Two days is not enough. Try being off it for a week. I bet you will feel terible on day 4.

I drink 3 cups of coffee every day. Often when traveling I'll have occasional periods of 3-5 days without any coffee whatsoever. Don't feel any different.

[deleted]

Re: Quitting Caffeine

#274

Post by virtualwhys »

swah wrote: post #237
virtualwhys wrote: post #228

Quit coffee 6 months ago after 20 years on the daily (generally 2 very strong home made double or triple espressos). It's not so much that eliminating caffeine is a life changing experience, but rather, you're unchained from the necessity to, above all else, get your caffeine fix. Some people can take it or leave it, go without for days at a stretch, which was not at all the case for me -- the only time I ever went w…

How old are you? I love my coffee but I have those problems too. On my short experiment quitting coffee (30 days IIRC), nothing really changed, so I restarted using it (which always feels great).

> How old are you?

45

> On my short experiment quitting coffee (30 days IIRC), nothing really changed

What has changed for me is that I no longer feel shackled to a pernicious habit. The caffeine addicted mind is very persuasive: "it's healthy, don't stop", "it's normal, everyone drinks coffee", "but the withdrawl symptoms", "I won't be as productive", etc.

Re: Quitting Caffeine

#275

Post by mlnhd »

jcburke wrote: post #160
dvfjsdhgfv wrote: post #31

Earlier quoted context omitted.

That's my thought, too. When I order water, it's almost like a declaration of a lifestyle - I choose to be fit, to stay healthy, and not to drink any of the substances that are an obstacle on my way. I guess it's a question of company. If most of your friends order water, you feel a bit guilty ordering something less healthy.

I think that might be why it bothers people who some people do drink when you order water: they see it as you somehow saying that you're better than them by declaring your health lifestyle

No one can make them feel inferior without their consent. They are just projecting their own insecurities.

Re: Quitting Caffeine

#276

Post by uptownfunk »

nowherecat wrote: post #139
uptownfunk wrote: post #112

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 e…

Hm..reading this makes me wonder ... I noticed that life is running extremely fast lately and I am having a hard time being "in the moment" ... and I drink a lot of coffee. I really enjoy everything about coffee from roasting to brewing though, so it would probably be quite hard giving it up. Anyway, thanks for sharing this, I will take a long look at that.

I still drink decaf occasionally, but only around half a cup.. at most once a week. So you can have some of the ceremony of it if you want. You can also switch to an herbal tea. I do enjoy the smell of it and I miss brewing it in the morning, but the toll on my lifestyle just wasn't worth it for me.

Re: Quitting Caffeine

#277

Post by wpietri »

uptownfunk wrote: post #112

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 e…

Yeah, for me caffeine is now a "special occasion" thing, and my life is much better for it. If I'm very low on sleep, or running a long race, I might have small amount, but never more than two days in a row, and I'll go weeks without it. Everybody's different, but I'm unlikely to go back.

Re: Quitting Caffeine

#278

Post by lkozma »

anonu wrote: post #254

I love coffee but have often thought of quitting as well. I found that skipping coffee every other day does two things. First, it keeps the ever increasing coffee/caffeine requirement in check. Second, your enjoyment of that cup goes up so much more. My life mantra is "everything in moderation". This method fits in a bit better with just quitting cold turkey.

"everything in moderation", including moderation.

Re: Quitting Caffeine

#279

Post by Nursie »

cjg wrote: post #206
nowherecat wrote: post #139

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Hm..reading this makes me wonder ... I noticed that life is running extremely fast lately and I am having a hard time being "in the moment" ... and I drink a lot of coffee. I really enjoy everything about coffee from roasting to brewing though, so it would probably be quite hard giving it up. Anyway, thanks for sharing this, I will take a long look at that.

Making a drink doesn't sound like it would be something inherently enjoyable. Perhaps you believe it is because of the boost you get when you drink it. Would making it for others be enjoyable in the same way? When you next make a cup, try to tease out exactly what it is that you enjoy about making it. What is it about that experience that makes it enjoyable?

Brewing is a fun hobby, takes a long time for any result, but one can get geeky in the details.
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