I want to give up caffeine

[Faithr]

I have toyed with this for a few years.  I am a serious addict.  I am actually afraid of not having caffeine because it is my go to relief when I get a migraine and also I am so addicted I know I'll have bad withdrawal symptoms.  A few years ago I had to give it up for a bit because of medical testing.  It was awful, headaches, I couldn't keep my eyelids up, irritable, etc.  I was really proud that I did but as soon as the tests were over, I was back with a vengeance.  I still don't really want to give it up for forever, but I do think my body would benefit from being free of caffeine for a while.  So I was aiming for Lent which begins in 2.5 weeks.  It would be a huge sacrifice, if I can do this!

 

But I really am afraid of it, even though that sounds so weird and wimpy to say.  Anyone here who is a former caffeine addict who has kicked the habit?  Words of wisdom?

[ILiveInFlipFlops]

Erm, well, I would say that the thing I miss most in the world is a daily cup of hot, delicious coffee with cream, so I'm finding it hard to comprehend :lol: That said, caffeine and I do not get along well at all. When I was drinking a lot, and then I got pregnant, I cut down slowly, to one cup a day, then 3/4, then 1/2, etc. Maybe you can spend the next few weeks weaning off, and then when Lent hits (I can't believe it's almost Lent!), you might be ready to cut it out entirely? If you're that addicted, going cold turkey will probably be a recipe for failure. 

 

Good luck!

[bolt.]

You might try switching to decaf products and doing a measured weaning process using caffeine tablets. Then, by the time you want to be 100% off it, you will not need to change your eating/drinking habits, and the chemical habit will feel (appropriately) like its own thing.

 

Theologically, if you can not successfully finish with the withdrawl symptoms before lent, I don't like the sense in which you would be connecting irritability and pain with a season that is intended for expressions of holiness. It is true that many believers 'give things up for lent' to express holiness, dedication, repentance or self-control -- I get that. I'm just sure actual chemical withdrawl makes sense in the context of the season.

[RootAnn]

I'm going to give up pop ("Coke," "soda," i.e. carbonated drinks) for Lent. It is almost my only caffeine. I've gone off before, cold turkey, and will echo ILiveInFlipFlops:  Cut down gradually and have the meds handy for that first week or two.

Edited January 24, 2016 by RootAnn

[wintermom]

I went from drinking coffee all day to having one cup of espresso (with lots of milk) in the morning and herbal tea for the rest of the day. No withdrawl symptoms and no cravings for more coffee. I just really like having something warm to drink in the winter, but it doesn't have to be all coffee. If I skip that one cup of espresso I do get head-aches, though.

[RioSamba]

I cannot fathom *wanting* to give up caffeine. I adore my coffee, and Mexican Cokes help my migraines. I did stop taking caffeine prior to and during pregnancy. I just reduced my consumption gradually over four weeks, and I didn't have any withdrawal symptoms. I did miss it terribly! Good luck!

[Spy Car]

Words of Wisdom?

 

Give up "contemplating insane actions" for Lent :D

 

Bill

Edited January 24, 2016 by Spy Car

[Rosie_0801]

Could be my lack of holiness, but giving up medicinal caffeine sounds anything but positive.

 

 

I remember hearing that after the second cup of the day, there are no further benefits. If that is true, keep your two cups and switch the rest to miso or something?

[Spryte]

No words of wisdom for giving it up.

 

But I'd like to send a sympathy card...

[HomeAgain]

I give up caffeine periodically, mostly when dh isn't around to make coffee first thing in the morning. :D   Or summer.  I find it easier in the summer to go caffeine-free. My advice is to wean yourself.  Get a small bit of black tea and drink that for a week.  Then switch to green, and finally, white with a bit of fruit infused in it or an herbal like chamomile.  At the same time, up your exercise first thing in the morning and mid afternoon.

[Annie G]

I've done it a few times just to prove to myself that I can.  I do better weaning myself. If I stop cold turkey I have a week of headaches and that isn't fun.  But if I wean myself I have far fewer withdrawal problems. I wean myself by stopping any after lunch then stopping all but my first fix in the morning. Last thing to go is that first morning cup, which dh fixes for me and brings me as I'm getting out of bed.  

 

The post mentioning exercise might be worth exploring. I usually go off caffeine for a couple of months in spring when the weather turns nice and I can get back on the bike trail after a long, cold winter.   I don't know whether the exercise makes me more able to give up caffeine or whether giving it up makes me enjoy exercise more. 

 

Good luck- hope you're successful and don't have withdrawal issues. 

[SharonM]

My caffeine was also to benefit my migraines, but I did give it up. I mixed decaf with reg. slowly to not get headaches. in a week or two I was solely drinking decaf.

Good news for women of a certain age, as caffeine irritates the bladder causing some embarrassing moments, it was good to pass it by as those are almost gone, and I sleep way better without the caffeine.

I love coffee and tea, but mostly drink decaf. And I gave up soda altogether, which was good, although I am back at it again.

Last year I gave up drinking for Lent. I found it was really easy to do, and I now drink less, which is a good thing. I don't want it to control me. This year I am giving up caffeine again. I fully expect to find that easy too. Weaning off of caffeine is the only way to go, the headaches can be killers. (although I did take Excedrin migraine when I needed it.) But I don't want any food "addictions" for me as they can be an easy way to justify consuming too much and too recklessly.

[lexi]

I have horrible migraines as well and I did give up caffeine years ago. I'm no longer dependent on it. I only have migraines once a month now rather than weekly. I do drink caffeine when I have a migraine and it does help the symptoms a lot. But that is the only time I have caffeine now. I also try to be careful with my chocolate intake. It wasn't fun the first few weeks of kicking the caffeine habit but I'm glad I did it. Overall I think I feel better now.

[IfIOnly]

I just feel so much better when I quit caffeine. The difference is noteworthy.  The things that help me the most quit and stay off of it are a really good multi with bioavailable b vitamins and an adrenal support supplement.  With those things, I don't need the caffeine, thought I do love the taste, so it's a constant battle to not drink it or just one cup a day at best.  

Edited January 24, 2016 by ifIonlyhadabrain

[EKS]

The times I've given up caffeine, I've just gradually substituted decaf for regular in my coffee.  It took maybe a week or two to go completely off.  No headaches.

 

 

[Spryte]

This thread is right under the coffee colonic thread.   :lol:

 

Maybe you could try coffee colonics while you're giving up the morning cup.  That could turn you off to coffee really quick!

[Carol in Cal.]

I usually quit every couple of years, mostly so that just a little bit of coffee REALLY powers me up.  I get kind of inured to it when I drink a lot of it.

 

I try to quit when I'm on vacation for a week or when I can arrange my schedule so that I can sleep in.  I take aspirin if I get headaches, and I quit cold turkey.  Usually the aspirin works pretty well.  I up my fruit smoothie intake at the same time, because I figure the A, B, and C vitamins are helpful.  Generally I sleep a lot more for about 3-4 days (which I interpret to mean that I actually do need this rest), and then after that I feel really normal even without the coffee.  I drink Good Earth herbal cinnamon tea, which is VERY naturally sweet, at the times when I would normally relax with some coffee, and then I'm good to go for a while.

 

Then something will happen, like I'll go to a conference with all day meetings or something, and I'll add in a little coffee, maybe half a cup in the morning and a cup of tea in the afternoon, and I will be very wired from just that little bit.  And so on, until I'm all hooked again. 

 

Since I don't think it's actually bad for me, I'm fine with this.

[heartlikealion]

Dh has gone off caffeine a few times. It's never pretty. Is there some sort of substitute drink that might help you shift focus? He usually does it when he's trying to lose weight. His go to replacement drink is iced tea. Sometimes sweet, sometimes not. Mainly he goes back to caffeine to stay awake (before a car ride, in the morning at work because they sell coffee).

[Tiramisu]

The times I've given up caffeine, I've just gradually substituted decaf for regular in my coffee.  It took maybe a week or two to go completely off.  No headaches.

 

I think this is a great idea.

 

Otherwise, Bill is right.

 

When Lent starts, you don't have to give it up completely. Each week decrease your caffeine a small amount. It will still be a sacrifice, just not one that will impact the rest of your family as much.

 

Unless your dh and all your kids decide to put up with your un-caffeinated self as their Lenten sacrifice.  :tongue_smilie:

 

I think for a mom, they key is to not do something so extreme that the rest of your family could be negatively affected by it. Otherwise, it defeats the purpose. Dh used to go vegetarian for Lent until he finally realized it caused me more work, and all of us weren't ready to jump on board with that. If I gave up my morning tea, I'd probably go on a rampage. So instead I'm going to give up my favorite breakfast which will be sacrifice enough without being tortuous to everyone else because of my grumpiness.

[Faithr]

This thread is right under the coffee colonic thread.   :lol:

 

Maybe you could try coffee colonics while you're giving up the morning cup.  That could turn you off to coffee really quick!

I noticed that too!  And somebody posted about Keurig!  LOL.  Coffee is the hot topic right now.  

 

Thanks everybody for your advice.  I think when I imbibe in too much caffeine it can actually provoke migraines too.  So it's kind of crazy.  If I am in the throes of a migraine a cup of coffee can help, but if I drink too much it can trigger.  So I am always kind of playing Russian roulette anyway!  I am sure I will feel healthier when I am not on caffeine.  It seems to irritate a lot of other minor health complaints.  

 

Anyway, I am starting to wean myself off now, very gradually. I hope I am done by 2/10 but if not I'll just keep going.  I need to do it during a time when there is a definite incentive and a clear timeframe.  That will help.  So Lent is actually a great time to do it.  And if I am going to give it up, I might as well do it prayerfully!   

 

Since I am planning ahead, I hope to avoid headaches and irritability. 

[Mom2OandE]

I gave up Diet Coke in August. It was awful for about 8 days. I started ech day with a fresh fruit smoothie with flax seed and I drank a lot of water. I'm still off of it all these months later.

[1GirlTwinBoys]

Try going to decaf and then eventually to Teeccino.  It's a caffeine free herbal coffee.

[Erica in OR]

Try going to decaf and then eventually to Teeccino.  It's a caffeine free herbal coffee.

 

My husband went to Teeccino for a long time when he gave up coffee years ago because of its acidity content. It was decent. Much better than the Postum he tried before that. Ugh.

 

Erica in OR

[Aiden]

I gave up caffeine during my pregnancy. I simply started mixing decaf in with my regular coffee during brewing--on day 1, something like 20% decaf, keep that up for a few days, then 40% decaf and so on. I didn't get any headaches. I did have to limit the number of cups I could drink--no point in having less caffeine per cup if I then increased the number of cups so I was still getting the same amount of caffeine overall. It wasn't long before I was drinking only decaf coffee ... and then it wasn't long before I no longer saw the point and wasn't drinking any coffee at all.

 

I'm pretty sure it was the day after my daughter was born that I gleefully resumed my habit of one or more cups of fully caffeinated coffee per day. I really should go off it again; I'm having sleep issues that could only be helped by eliminating caffeine. Unfortunately, those same sleep issues make me so tired in the morning that I can't conceive of foregoing my morning pick-me-up.

 

Personally, I'm of the opinion that if caffeine is an effective medicine for your migraines, you shouldn't withhold that medicine from yourself. Wean yourself off of it as an everyday drink, but don't feel any compulsion to forego medicinal caffeine when it's needed. Who knows--maybe avoiding it most of the time will make it an even more effective medicine.

[matrips]

I quit caffeine quite a few years ago. I do remember making it a process though, not just cold turkey. I'd make coffee with part caffeine and part caffeine free, and gradually decreased it. I can't remember if withdrawal was bad or not. I quit because I was so addicted. I'd get all jittery and upset (cranky) as it approached 1pm and I hadn't had my afternoon fix. I was fun on long car trips! It got tiresome being that way, do I quit.

 

I can still have caffeine now and then without getting addicted over again. Sometimes there is no caffeine stuff when I'm out. So you should be able to keep using it for the migraines.

Edited January 25, 2016 by matrips

[jenn-]

I am a caffeine addict. I've been on and off it since Jr high (sodas back then, coffee more recently). I transitioned off of coffee once again back in December. I did it by upping the creamer to coffee ratio (keurigs are good for this as the measure for you). Once I was down to 6 oz coffee to 10 oz of almond milk, I starting skipping a couple every other day.

 

I'd shoot for this to be a New Years resolution instead of a Lenten one. You've seen that you can come off of it for awhile, but went back on as soon as you could. As an addict, that means Easter morning will involve a large cup of coffee.

[ashfern]

Haven't read the other replies. I did give up caffeine several times. If you drink a lot of caffeine I would NOT go cold turkey. One of the times I gave up caffeine I weaned myself off of it. I was drinking 4 diet sodas a day. I went to 3 for a couple of days, then 2 for a couple of days, then 1 per day, and then 1 every other day, and then none. The caffeine withdrawl headache wasn't as bad. The key is to have an alternative drink to replace your caffeine. So, if you do coffee or tea every morning drink decaf versions. If you like the feel of the soda bubbles get seltzer water (flavored if you need it) to drink. I find that the headache is worse on the 2nd-3rd day and then it's fine. You can do it!!

[Angie in VA]

I was addicted to sodas. I tried to quit cold turkey a few times but had terrible withdrawal symptoms. Once I had a headache made worse by light and sound.

 

Finally one time I declared that was it. I quit on a Sunday night. I took something for the headache (Advil, I think) Monday morning, Monday night, and again on Tuesday morning. Then I was done. No more withdrawals. I have only craved an ice cold Coca Cola three or four times since then, but never gave in.

 

It's been over 13 yrs since I had a caffeinated soda. I think chocolate has some caffeine in it too, but I quit sodas b/c I wanted to be healthy. I didn't quit chocolate, b/c I didn't wan to to be suicidal!

 

Good luck. You can do this! 

Edited January 25, 2016 by Angie in VA

[AmandaVT]

The times I've given up caffeine, I've just gradually substituted decaf for regular in my coffee.  It took maybe a week or two to go completely off.  No headaches.

 

This is what we did. I started cutting the regular coffee w/ 1/4 decaf and then 1/2 and 3/4's. In our grocery store, we can just mix the beans up however we want before grinding, so it's easy to blend. I love being able to get up in the morning and not need my cup of coffee to get going. I love the taste though, so I still drink my mostly decaf when I get up. I'm much more clearheaded first thing now. 

 

I've never had a migraine, but if caffeine makes them go away, I'd consider making an exception to your no caffeine rule for when you have one. They don't sound fun!

[sheryl]

Faith,

 

Right - been there, done that! :)
 

When I was newly married in 1980, I drank maybe a pot (carafe) a day.  Over the years I started to drink less.

 

Here's what I've found out 35 years later:

 

1.  About 5-7 years ago my dentist who was then in practice for about 40 years (so, very experienced, but he has since retired) asked me to not drink coffee/caffeine a few days before my dental procedure.   He jokingly said it hyped me up so much and I was nervous in the chair.   Because I wanted to help him and "obey" I did as he requested.  I liked it.  I was A LOT LESS nervous for him and it worked.

 

2.  For me the older I get the more sensitive I am to caffeine and it's stimulating effect.  I can't drink coffee/caffeine late in the day anymore as it keeps me WIDE-EYED ALL NIGHT!   Ugh!    So, I still drink but maybe 4-8 oz. a day.   In fact, I just had about 8 ounces and it's 8:45 am.  That's all I'll have unless I make some decaf and fool my head into thinking it's the real thing by it's taste, etc!  LOL!  :lol:

 

3.  Drinking less coffee helps me to even out my nerves, get more sleep and not be as irritable.

 

With that said, there are good reasons to drink coffee.  Still, drink it in moderation.

 

In your case, you will NOT want to go cold turkey.  I would advise weaning yourself.  Is it the "stimulant" effect you like?  Can you get a "rev" by eating a fruit instead.  Try to wean.  Drink a cup, alternate with decaf, cup, decaf, cup, decaf and again decaf, cup and space it out.

 

HTH!

 

eta: just did some research and there are others but these 2 are helpful as an alternative for a stimulant kick w/o caffeine:

 

- B-12 vitamin  (I used to get shots from the dr. of this 20 years ago, but haven't in a long time)

 

- Peppermint Oil (My Dad told me about this years ago and I forgot.  I keep peppermint disks with me on long drives, in the car, at home, etc for this very reason. But, the OIL may work better b/c it would be absorbed more efficiently).  I may buy some.  :)

 

 

Edited January 25, 2016 by sheryl

[momacacia]

Deliciously organic website has a post on going off caffeine gradually. Also, I've heard that taking magnesium or applying magnesium oil can help with withdrawal symptoms.

[sheryl]

Faith, Look at my eta.

[HomeAgain]

Oh, I just remembered something else that helped!  I downsized my coffee cups a few years ago and invested in some that were the standard size in the 1950's, about 1/2 cup measurement.  I still use my big mugs for soups and occasional tea, but cutting down the size made me still feel like I was getting my two cups in. LOL

 

(we also downsized our plates at the same time.  HUGE difference in how we eat now!)