Why I Quit Coffee and How That's Been Working Out • Hacker News Board

Re: Why I Quit Coffee and How That's Been Working Out

#31

Post by dantillberg » Sat, May 02, 2015, 12:44 PM UTC

keerthiko wrote: post #13

I have never consumed coffee on a regular basis. I like working out of cafes (I'm a nomad and working from my hostel room is drab too often a week), so I often resort to Hot Chocolate or a tea. Sometimes these are overpriced so I end up going with coffee, but I have about one cup every 2-3 months I would say. If you find yourself having to drink coffee a lot outside of a cafe, it may not even be a caffeine addiction.…

I love me a mug of hot water with a bit of honey mixed in. It's kind of like drinking tea, except without the actual tea flavor (for which I've never acquired the taste), and it's super-easy to prepare.

Re: Why I Quit Coffee and How That's Been Working Out

#32

Post by jtolj » Sat, May 02, 2015, 12:47 PM UTC

I had to quit coffee about 7 months ago, after to developing a moderate case of something called chronic prostatitis. Of all the symptoms and things I have to avoid, coffee is still the thing I miss the most.

It's not just the boost, or the taste and smell, although I do miss all of those. Mostly it's the ritual in the morning, and the social experience of "grabbing a cup of coffee" with someone that leaves a big void in my life. Making my rooibos chai or having cup of herbal tea with someone is just not the same.

This condition may not ever go away, so I've sort of come to terms that coffee may have left my life for good, but before I never would have considered cutting it out completely. I didn't find that it impacted my sleep or productivity as long as I didn't drink it too late in the day.

Anecdotally, even after 7 months without caffeine, I find that I'm still much groggier in the morning than I used to be. My sleep at night hasn't improved.

Overall would not recommend ;p.

Re: Why I Quit Coffee and How That's Been Working Out

#33

Post by owly » Sat, May 02, 2015, 12:54 PM UTC

I cut way back on coffee as well. I still drink a few cups a week. I've increased my green tea consumption greatly thanks to https://tomotcha.com/en/ Check it out. High quality green tea direct from Japan. Some very unique varieties that I don't regularly see in the states. Cheers!

Re: Why I Quit Coffee and How That's Been Working Out

#34

Post by __Joker » Sat, May 02, 2015, 12:56 PM UTC

I kind of had similar experience with my sleep patterns. I used to be kind of moderate to heavy coffee drinker and suffered from erratic sleep times. I cut out coffee to single cup in the morning and stopped the bright lights and monitors at night and effect has been quite amazing. I sleep early now and get a good night sleep and wake pretty early.

Re: Why I Quit Coffee and How That's Been Working Out

#35

Post by boyaka » Sat, May 02, 2015, 12:58 PM UTC

jtolj wrote: post #32

I had to quit coffee about 7 months ago, after to developing a moderate case of something called chronic prostatitis. Of all the symptoms and things I have to avoid, coffee is still the thing I miss the most. It's not just the boost, or the taste and smell, although I do miss all of those. Mostly it's the ritual in the morning, and the social experience of "grabbing a cup of coffee" with someone that leaves a big voi…

Can you explain your personal symptoms, experiences, and how you happened upon discovering your condition? What made you go to the doctor and get diagnosed? I really dislike looking up medical conditions online.

Re: Why I Quit Coffee and How That's Been Working Out

#36

Post by thomasfl » Sat, May 02, 2015, 1:00 PM UTC

Caffein is the most widespread psychoactive drug by far. It's surprisingly hard to stop drinking it after twenty years. For many people the body starts acting like it's been poisened, and you can't sleep a whole night through without going to the toilet to pee. Quit coffee, and it stops after a few days.

Politicians that wants to keep up the war on drugs and continue to criminalize drug use, should try to go for a week without caffeine. I got a problem. I love coffee, but I have to stop.

Re: Why I Quit Coffee and How That's Been Working Out

#37

Post by jacquesm » Sat, May 02, 2015, 1:01 PM UTC

jtolj wrote: post #32

I had to quit coffee about 7 months ago, after to developing a moderate case of something called chronic prostatitis. Of all the symptoms and things I have to avoid, coffee is still the thing I miss the most. It's not just the boost, or the taste and smell, although I do miss all of those. Mostly it's the ritual in the morning, and the social experience of "grabbing a cup of coffee" with someone that leaves a big voi…

Re: Why I Quit Coffee and How That's Been Working Out

#38

Post by fugoogs » Sat, May 02, 2015, 1:02 PM UTC

jtolj wrote: post #32

I had to quit coffee about 7 months ago, after to developing a moderate case of something called chronic prostatitis. Of all the symptoms and things I have to avoid, coffee is still the thing I miss the most. It's not just the boost, or the taste and smell, although I do miss all of those. Mostly it's the ritual in the morning, and the social experience of "grabbing a cup of coffee" with someone that leaves a big voi…

If your prostatitis is still bothering you, look in to pelvic floor physiotherapy. After my experience I am convinced the chronic kind is a muscle condition (although it may first start as an infection).

I am symptom free a good 95% of the time, no longer have a problem with caffeine or spicy foods, and in the words of Krusty the Clown, I can ride a bike again.

Re: Why I Quit Coffee and How That's Been Working Out

#39

Post by joslin01 » Sat, May 02, 2015, 1:06 PM UTC

I just quit coffee last week. Crazy that it's been a week now. I had gotten sick and didn't have any coffee for 2 days. This prompted me to just go all the way and stop it altogether.

One big thing I saw drop was my anxiety. Anxiety has been passed down by my father, and while it's somewhat mild in me, my dad & sister would be having panic attacks at my age. For me, I never went into a straight panic but it can be hard for me to feel safe. I'm a very hard worker with a lot of responsibility, so of course the anxiety has plenty to feed upon ("This isn't done, gotta do this, gotta do that."). Coffee would fuel that kind of behavior as if it were some kind of battle and take it all on. Then when the inevitable crash came, I would have to be looking to supplement it.

Like I said, I'm only a week in but what the OP says about waking up is very true and probably my favorite aspect of quitting coffee. I'll wake up at 6:30 and wanna just get up. When 11 or 12 rolls around, I fall asleep very naturally and wouldn't be able to stay awake even if I wanted to. It's worth a shot for everyone. Unlike the OP, I went completely cold turkey on the caffeine I should mention.

Re: Why I Quit Coffee and How That's Been Working Out

#40

Post by marchelzo » Sat, May 02, 2015, 1:08 PM UTC

I don't drink coffee terribly frequently, but I'm still intrigued by this Dandy Blend drink... has anyone else tried it? Even for the samples, it costs $11.60 to have it shipped to eastern Canada, so I'm a little hesitant.