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Quitting Caffeine

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Re: Quitting Caffeine

#211

Post by JohnBooty »

nkkollaw wrote: post #26
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…

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?

Biggest tip: make sure you're not addicted to sugar as well. If you are taking your caffeine as part of a sugary concoction, taper down the sugar part and get onto plain coffee/tea.

Then taper down the coffee. Have 3/4 of a cup when you would have had a whole cup. Then 1/2 cup. Etc.

YMMV but I find I can do it fairly easily over the course of a week usually. With the amount you're drinking, maybe a month would be easier. Go as slow as you want... it's not a "macho" contest, there's 0 reason to make it hurt. Go as slowly as you want... no need to impact your mood or anything.

Re: Quitting Caffeine

#212

Post by gizzlon »

kahnpro wrote: post #202
gedrap wrote: post #170

I am a coffee drinker but I don't really get boost or anything. Nor do I feel tired or anything else that could be called withdrawal during the weekends, when I don't drink it. For me, making a cup of coffee is just a... ritual of sorts. Weighting the beans, pouring over water, all these things. And I really enjoy the taste, trying different beans. I don't want to sound pretentious, it's just a hobby for me. Maybe th…

Seriously, try 1-2 weeks without coffee... you'll feel it.

I did that, and after a couple of days the withdrawal disappeared and I felt exactly as before. No better and no worse. Started drinking coffee again since it's good, cheap and healthy-ish (at least more so than what I would replace it with). YMMV

Re: Quitting Caffeine

#213

Post by Myrmornis »

seanp2k2 wrote: post #150
mmmpop wrote: post #66

Earlier quoted context omitted.

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

Ginger beer (as in fancy ginger ale) + lime juice + bitters, well-iced, is quite tasty. It's a Moscow mule without the vodka. You can mess with adding tonic water if you miss the vodka taste. A splash of Luxardo syrup, cherry juice, blueberry purée, of any number of other little flourishes (lychee is notably great, tumeric is interesting) can make it extra special. I drink occasionally but I also enjoy these NA conco…

Bitters (e.g. Angostura) is typically alcoholic though isn't it?

Re: Quitting Caffeine

#214

Post by DiThi »

projektir wrote: post #122

> A caveat to all of these points: I also now consume very little sugar and alcohol and I meditate regularly. Things like this generally make me wary. Not so much because of them causing side effects that are harder to disentangle, but their adoption indicating that the author is fairly stabilized, which is a giant side effect in itself.

I feel all the benefits the author mentions, not by giving up coffee, but giving up carbs during morning and afternoon, and having some light exercise every day.

Re: Quitting Caffeine

#215

Post by acchow »

PacketPaul wrote: post #191
gedrap wrote: post #170

I am a coffee drinker but I don't really get boost or anything. Nor do I feel tired or anything else that could be called withdrawal during the weekends, when I don't drink it. For me, making a cup of coffee is just a... ritual of sorts. Weighting the beans, pouring over water, all these things. And I really enjoy the taste, trying different beans. I don't want to sound pretentious, it's just a hobby for me. Maybe th…

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.

Re: Quitting Caffeine

#216

Post by DiThi »

throwaway0071 wrote: post #210
projektir wrote: post #122

> A caveat to all of these points: I also now consume very little sugar and alcohol and I meditate regularly. Things like this generally make me wary. Not so much because of them causing side effects that are harder to disentangle, but their adoption indicating that the author is fairly stabilized, which is a giant side effect in itself.

I have a fairly unhealthy lifestyle. When I started getting panic attacks, trembling, palpitations, skin rashes, walking up 5x during the night, feeling exhausted all day, etc, I stopped taking caffeine... And did not change a single other thing. It took me over a month to few "normal" again. First week: headaches, back pain, vomiting, nausea, cramps, etc. Second week: feeling like shit. Had no energy for anything. T…

Did those expressos and sodas have sugar?

Re: Quitting Caffeine

#217

Post by gizzlon »

throwaway0071 wrote: post #210
projektir wrote: post #122

> A caveat to all of these points: I also now consume very little sugar and alcohol and I meditate regularly. Things like this generally make me wary. Not so much because of them causing side effects that are harder to disentangle, but their adoption indicating that the author is fairly stabilized, which is a giant side effect in itself.

I have a fairly unhealthy lifestyle. When I started getting panic attacks, trembling, palpitations, skin rashes, walking up 5x during the night, feeling exhausted all day, etc, I stopped taking caffeine... And did not change a single other thing. It took me over a month to few "normal" again. First week: headaches, back pain, vomiting, nausea, cramps, etc. Second week: feeling like shit. Had no energy for anything. T…

> "His research suggested that withdrawals began within 12–24 hours after stopping caffeine intake and could last as long as nine days"

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Caffeine_dependence

Re: Quitting Caffeine

#218

Post by DiThi »

Freak_NL wrote: post #162
tapanjk wrote: post #117

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 keto…

That's quite a list you want to undertake. Most of these seem perfectly attainable, but you might want to cut yourself some slack on the sugar bit. Way too much sugar is added to processed foods of course, and cutting back on that is beneficial for anyone, but sugar can be part of a healthy diet too; it naturally occurs in fruit (would you omit almost all fruits from your diet?) and frankly, our body simply uses it l…

> it naturally occurs in fruit

With fiber. The human body has evolved to receive fructose with fiber. When you give it fructose without fiber, it doesn't satiate and it's metabolized in a similar way to alcohol (except for the cognitive effects).

Re: Quitting Caffeine

#219

Post by roel_v »

crehn wrote: post #159

As for me, I enjoy drinking coffee and I enjoy drinking alcohol. They're small pleasures of life that contribute to my overall happiness.

"As for me, I enjoy drinking coffee and I enjoy drinking alcohol. They're small pleasures of life that contribute to my overall happiness."

Yeah - it's like the old saying "it's easy to live to 100 years old, just give up all the things that make you want to live until 100'.

Re: Quitting Caffeine

#220

Post by scallycat »

chiefalchemist wrote: post #74
akira2501 wrote: post #65

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> 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.

When I wake up I pour 12oz of water into the electric kettle. I use a French press. And I chug 12 oz+ of water. Lack of hydrating is probably my worst bad habit.

By far the best tip I ever got from /r/LifeProTips was "drink two cups of water first thing in the morning". Makes a huge difference for my energy levels and likelihood of getting a headache.
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