# Giving up Coffee



## Elvira (Dec 1, 2011)

Hi everyone. I love coffee but I'm contemplating giving it up (or at least drastically cutting down my consumption!) Right now I probably drink 1+ cups of coffee a day and if I don't have it, I feel lethargic, cranky, and mentally foggy. However, I'm starting to realize that a lot of the problems in my life can be solved by cutting out coffee.

1) Insomnia
I never really put two and two...no wonder I couldn't get to bed when I drank coffee so late at night! :tongue:

2) Anxiety
I'm just a naturally anxious person and it's not really problematic, but I notice I feel a lot more anxious when I'm hopped up on coffee. 

3) Energy
Last semester when I drank _way _too much coffee, I would crash and burn. I want to have a more stable flow of energy throughout the day.

4) Irritability
I think some of my moodiness could probably be related to the coffee-induced energy swings. 

Basically, I'm starting to realize that I rely on coffee _way _too much and it doesn't really offer a good payback. I've been thinking that's it's been helping me but I really think it's been hurting me.

So should I go cold-turkey or wean myself gradually? Also, have any of you given up coffee, and what was your experience like?


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## Snakecharmer (Oct 26, 2010)

Over my dead body. Seriously.

You'd have to pry my coffee out of my cold, dead hands.

If you want to stop drinking it, keep in mind that you may have caffeine withdrawal headaches if you stop abruptly. You may want to gradually reduce your intake.


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## Powder monkey (Jun 1, 2012)

I've been known to make an 8 cup pot and drink the whole thing before bed.

And not wake up to go to the bathroom, not once. 


Honestly, besides the uphill battle to keep my teeth an acceptable shade, I don't have any cons from drinking coffee. I can also go from drinking a full 12 cup pot myself one day-to only one cup the next and be just fine. I usually have 4-6 cups a day. 



I also think that the key to good, long lasting energy through a day is your diet. Most importantly, your breakfast. I stuff a good big complete breakfast down my throat in the morning and I have good energy all day. Or, you have days like today where I had enough time to scarf down a day old scone, and I was beat by the time it was 3.


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## StellarTwirl (Jul 1, 2012)

I've given coffee up several times. I usually do it, not with the intention of quitting, but to reboot my system because my body's become too adjusted to it for it to be effective. I also don't like the idea of being dependent on it, so it's good knowing I can just let it go whenever I choose. 

For a while, I get headaches and feel tired and unmotivated. But after that adjustment period, I'm back to normal. I like to just stop altogether ... no tapering ... because I'm not into moderation. 

Caffeine gives me more mood swings, as well as more intense focus. So if I were going through a stressful situation, it would definitely heighten my suffering. But it's incredibly helpful when I need to think through a problem.



EDIT: Do you exercise regularly? That gives me way more energy than coffee.


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## Curiously (Nov 7, 2011)

Oh hell no.

Coffee is my lifeblood.


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## voicetrocity (Mar 31, 2012)

I've given up coffee a few times in my life, and have always gone cold turkey. The worst symptom I've had is a persistent headache, for the first three days. I've never noticed much of a difference in my sleeping habits or energy levels after giving it up; however, I do usually stick to having 1 cup a day. 

I would suggest, just based on my experience, gradually slowing down your intake-to avoid headaches. Other than that, I don't have much more in the way of advice. Good luck, whatever you decide to do!


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## DarwinsBastard (Apr 27, 2012)

black coffee is my substitute for drinks filled with empty calories, I don't think I could go a day without it's dark tasty goodness.

that said, giving coffee up isn't a bad idea, though the effects of caffeine are largely overblown (even though caffeine is mildly diuretic in large quantities you're still getting a net gain in water, for example) anxiety shouldn't result unless you're particularly sensitive to the stuff or drink tons of it, and if you avoid coffee after noon you should mitigate the sleep loss issues (caffeine has about a 6 hour half life in the body) 



and finally, if you love coffee but still want to cut caffeine there is an obvious fix for that, as you can order decaf from any restaurant and buy it in any supermarket, and if you end up getting caffeine headaches from quitting follow @voicetrocity s advice and gradually slow your consumption.

personally I'm not abandoning it any time soon XD

good luck either way


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## SumSamurai (Sep 9, 2010)

I can definitely relate to coffee induced anxiety.. I became more social phobic than usual, avoided people and got all jittery when they attempted to talk to me. :tongue:


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## android654 (Jan 19, 2010)

I was under the impression that caffeine had more benefits than harm. Either way, withdrawal from anything is harder cold turkey. Not just the physical dependency on it, but the psychological addiction to it may be harder to break. So gradual reduction is usually the best way to go.


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## DarwinsBastard (Apr 27, 2012)

android654 said:


> I was under the impression that caffeine had more benefits than harm. Either way, withdrawal from anything is harder cold turkey. Not just the physical dependency on it, but the psychological addiction to it may be harder to break. So gradual reduction is usually the best way to go.


This is an angle I forgot to mention. A coffee, or anything with caffeine speeds your metabolism slightly, it also genuinely does improve recall, helps with depression, and I'm fairly sure I saw something recently suggesting it lowers your risk of both Type 2 diabetes and alzheimers slightly.

edit- it's an old article, but yeah.

http://coffeetea.about.com/od/health/a/healthdiabetes.htm


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## Kyandigaru (Mar 11, 2012)

I can't do that...I just can't!


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## Elvira (Dec 1, 2011)

DarwinsBastard said:


> This is an angle I forgot to mention. A coffee, or anything with caffeine speeds your metabolism slightly, it also genuinely does improve recall, helps with depression, and I'm fairly sure I saw something recently suggesting it lowers your risk of both Type 2 diabetes and alzheimers slightly.
> 
> edit- it's an old article, but yeah.
> 
> ...


Maybe I should just keep my coffee then!  It seems like a lot of healthy older adults drink large quantities of coffee. My dad is incredibly in shape and drinks about 5 cups a day.

I think maybe I should just space it out throughout the day, but it's so hard because it seems like coffee is the perfect temperature for like 5 minutes! Therefore, I'd drink it all at once, which probably was what caused me to feel jittery. If I made iced coffee, then I could put in a water bottle and sip it throughout the day.


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## Tad Cooper (Apr 10, 2010)

I quit coffee for the same/similar reasons!
I found it made me so anxious I got palpitations and felt sick x.x


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## mushr00m (May 23, 2011)

How I cut down - By gradually cutting down so to start with, I only drank anything caffeinated before 8pm and did that for a few days and then brought the time down by another hour or 2 until I got to drinking coffee only before noon. Good luck!


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## Ashneversleeps (May 28, 2011)

I've never quit for good (interestingly it's the recreational use I just can't kick, but I can start my day well enough without it), but it's always helped me to switch to green tea as a substitute to wean myself of it.


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## INTJellectual (Oct 22, 2011)

At first, I really don't like coffee, because I'm sensitive to its after effect. I get agitated, tensed, and action-oriented (I have done cleaning the house because of that intense effect) as if I had taken drugs.

But now, with some delicious 3n1 brand of coffee, I get used to drink it every morning once a day to warm me up and wake me up. When I read that coffee is rich in antioxidants, I started to drink it, but only once a day, and I never drink it at night because I can get really insomniac.


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## telepariah (Jun 20, 2011)

I can quit any time I want. In fact, I've already quit three times today! :wink:

Actually, I have quit and restarted more times than I could possibly count. I agree with @Powder monkey about diet. Something in coffee -- not necessarily caffeine -- makes me hypoglycemic. I get hot flashes with sweat, jittery nerves, palpitations, and severe anxiety IF I have not eaten properly. The problem is carbs. If I have a good breakfast that is a balanced meal with protein, fat, fresh vegetables, and only a moderate amount of carbs, then I can drink all the coffee I want. But if I eat pan_quakes_ or something else very sweet, the coffee makes me burn through that in no time and I am left a quivering mass of nerves and sweat who can't stop eating carbs all day long. For me, anyway, the problem is carbs.

My dad is 82 and he has had 8 cups a day all his life. He is a picture of health despite never really having exercised. I try to limit myself to 3 and most of the time I only have a single cup in the morning. I drink espresso, which doesn't contain as much of the other chemicals that seem to be incompatible with a carb-based diet. I am off work today but I've had two espressos this morning. I do find that having that second cup when I get to the shop and another in the mid afternoon help me have more energy and ability to focus through my ten hour shift. I don't really mind if it keeps me awake because sleeping is so painful in terms of my neck injuries that sometimes I am afraid to go to sleep because sleep can result in much worse pain.


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