#1
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Stopping drinking coffee/caffeine
Has anyone done this? I have. Well I gave up smoking a while ago which was my latest in a long line of half-arsed attempts to. This time it***8217;s worked (because for some time although I enjoyed it, I realised I was a slave to it and didn***8217;t want to be enslaved to a substance any more). Anyway, this got me thinking about other stuff.
I drank coffee every morning, and the only thing to make me get out of bed/look forward to the day was the lovely smell and bitter taste of coffee. But I would put 4 spoonfuls in (I love the taste), only black coffee, milk ruins the bitter taste. The morning was a definite coffee, and usually one more or two more sometimes three. Anyway, I ran out of instant coffee and didn***8217;t go to the supermarket and buy some more because I was fatigued and said Ill go and buy some tomorrow. I craved coffee a lot and thought wow I***8217;m a slave to this just like tobacco. Next day came still fatigued said tomorrow or tonight I***8217;ll get coffee but still didn***8217;t. So since then for two months I have almost been totally free of coffee/caffeine and drink herbal tea. I thought coffee was mild and probably helped my thinking plus giving me energy to get out of bed, however I have since learned it didn***8217;t help my thinking it made it worse! My thinking and intelligence seems to have gone up since I stopped drinking it, my sleep is better and my energy became paradoxically better after a week! Anxiety was down, coffee must have been a contributor to my social anxiety I didn***8217;t realise! My university friend said she didn***8217;t drink coffee because of anxiety, I thought how strange but I get it now. Most importantly, I don***8217;t feel like a slave! I don***8217;t need coffee just to get going, and after one week I didn***8217;t miss it at all, just replaced my coffee with herbal tea willing I knew was healthy and not mind-altering. As a side note, two months into not drinking coffee I was with my friends and treated myself to a coffee (after all it***8217;s a mild drug what harm can it do). I had it at 1pm and could not sleep all that night, I went 24 hours without sleep despite me sleeping great since I stopped drinking it. So now I know if it is messing with my brain that much (I must have been tolerant since I drank it for years) it isn***8217;t mild at all and my brain is not meant to be messed with, so no more coffee for me! That is what a powerful substance it is and yet I consumed it like pop! I***8217;m not being preachy just saying just because stopping something seemingly as benign as coffee has made a huge positive impact on my mental health and quality of life (although I thought it would make it worse). The reverse was true! |
#2
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Re: Stopping drinking coffee/caffeine
I won't give up coffee ever again.
I was a solid 10 cup a day person from the age of 15ish to..well 32. I went through university buying the stupidly overpriced ones with all the cream on top and the sprinkles and whatever, it was basically an ice cream The second university I went to was a 20 second walk from a Nero, that got expensive I never really thought it did anything to me, Infact I'm pretty much immune to caffiene (energy drinks do nothing for me, caffiene pills do nothing) I can drink a cup of coffee and sleep 10 minutes later. I drink it for the taste, I don't like the bitter taste of coffee, I have it strong but do have milk and sugar. Earlier this year when I got ill I knocked it on the head towards the end January as I was trying to figure out what was giving me the stomach problems I was going through. Good grief, I lasted about 2 weeks without any ill effects, didnt miss it at all..then it all started going downhill, I was tired/irritable/literally wanted to rip peoples head off at work. I kept at it, presumed it was just like giving up any other sort of addiction..I had no caffeine for about..3-4 months. It didn't get better at all! I don't know "why" but I'm much better with caffeine in me giving it up didn't do anything for my mental health/anxiety maybe its just been part of me for so damn long now..even if I miss my morning cup I start getting irritable It's cool you found something that worked but I feel 3-4 months was a good test for me (I was only trying to give it up to have less milk, not the actual coffee) it's not for me, I'm back to 6-7 cups a day minimum and it works! |
#3
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Re: Stopping drinking coffee/caffeine
I guess it***8217;s different for different people. Luckily, I***8217;ve not gone worse I***8217;ve gone better, I do miss the taste/ritual but it is not worth me drinking again (except maybe on special occasions), because of how it***8217;s really improved my mood and energy.
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#4
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Re: Stopping drinking coffee/caffeine
I remember reading on here about five years ago that caffeine was bad for anxiety and I did cut down. Now my addiction is worse than ever. I find that I get less bored and I'm more able to concentrate with caffeine. I am more of a tea drinker though, I find coffee gives more of a jolt. I now think I have ADHD and caffeine is apparently a way of self medicating. Sleep problems are sometimes an issue though.
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#5
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Re: Stopping drinking coffee/caffeine
I suppose if I'd felt vastly better without the caffeine I would have gave it up and found something else to drink as it's not like I would fall apart without it (or possibly even drank decaff but I find that as pointless as alcohol free..alcohol)
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#6
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Re: Stopping drinking coffee/caffeine
Quote:
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#7
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Re: Stopping drinking coffee/caffeine
Never have liked coffee much (cappuccino with lots of cream and sugar is OK), I'm a tea man
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#8
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Re: Stopping drinking coffee/caffeine
That's very interesting and well done, BP. Maybe I should try to give up drinking coffee too. For an old caffeine junkie like me it's gonna be very tough though!
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#9
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Re: Stopping drinking coffee/caffeine
Drink on average 1-3 cups of coffee a day (never after mid afternoon). Dont have any problems with this and see no reason to give it up.
Everyone is different of course, but for me its a harmless little pleasure |
#10
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Re: Stopping drinking coffee/caffeine
This does help. Giving up sugar also helps. Oh, and wheat and dairy – they both aggravate the gut.
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