Quitting coffee

[Mikej]

Anybody ever quit drinking coffee and feel "better"? I have, but I started back up and feel like the hours after coffee are cloudy.

[Schmed]

I've had a bit of GERD (reflux issues), so I tried quitting coffee.

It was tough - no headaches or anything, but I sure missed that cup in the morning.

I've gone back to 1 cup per day, and I like the little buzz. Maybe I like the cloudy! :)

[wooly]

Heresy!

I've given it up in the past and it took weeks for me to stop feeling lethargic. I didn't have headaches tho. But coffee if just too good to give up forever. Enjoy!

[christian]

I have quit drinking coffee as part of a slimming down for racing regime. That was not a good idea. I get paid to be sharp at work, not to finish 49th in a Cat 5 crit....

[Elefantino]

I have quit drinking coffee as part of a slimming down for racing regime. That was not a good idea. I get paid to be sharp at work, not to finish 49th in a Cat 5 crit....
POTD! :banana:

[Joachim]

This is almost worst than the guy who said he was "not familiar with Mercx"....Again, blasphemy!!!!!

[batman1425]

In college I got tired of the up and downs from caffeine withdrawal. Intake would go up during midterms and finals and in the weeks after I would be fighting headaches trying to titer myself back down. After I graduated I said eff that noise and cut out caffeine all together. Was caffeine free for the next 3.5 years and much happier for it. Energy levels picked up, slept better, and was saving a lot of money. Fell off the wagon my last year of grad school when the "you have 9-months to defend" ultimatum came out. Now I'm a cup a day kind of guy.

[phcollard]

This is almost worst than the guy who said he was "not familiar with Mercx"....Again, blasphemy!!!!!

You mean Merckx? :D

[Columbus SLX]

I quit coffee years ago when I had a nasty stomach bug and couldn't eat or drink for a week anyway. Now, things like chocolate and green tea wire me up pretty good. Only regret's when the flirtatious caress of espresso crosses my nose before an early morning ride.

[Joachim]

You mean Merckx? :D

Haha...no, he said "Mercx"...

[Ralph]

I went (on purpose as a goal) from two mugs each morning to 1 cup only. And I feel better. My BP went down also.....for all day long.

[Bradford]

I feel much better overall without coffee than with it. It isn't a good idea to be addicted to a drug no matter how much people fetishize it. I sleep better, feel better, and have fewer mood swings. The best part is that I have more energy when completely coffee free than I do when on coffee.

The hard part for me are those days when I'm physically under the weather but have to perform at work. I travel a lot and sometimes end up having to be good on just a few hours sleep. Or, like last week, when I had a cold and needed drugs, cold medication and caffeine, to get to work. On those occasions, I just go back to cold turkey and flush it out of my system as soon as possible.

Dump it and move on and you will be better off in the long run.

[sparky33]

I reduced the serving size of each helping of coffee to cut down on caffeine intake.

Seems a more manageable method than cutting out that afternoon cup altogether.

[SamIAm]

I have recently cut back to 1 cup of caffeinated coffee per day. The other cups are high quality decaf.

I definitely have more energy and sleep better as a result.

[Shortsocks]

I'm drinking coffee right now, it's good so good. Two things in this world I can't quit. Coffee and hookers. :banana:

[eddief]

started back a bunch o times. I noticed lately I was more of a dickhead after 2 strong cups in the morning. Easily irritated and impatient. I now mix it with two scoops of decaf and one scoop caf. I like me more and seems others do too.

[donevwil]

I quit years ago to minimize/eliminate vitreous floaters and it worked. Slowly but surely I'd sneak a cup here and there and the floaters came back. Now attempting to cut it off again, but I really need something else, tea just doesn't work for me.

[dsimon]

Whyy would you SHHHHHHHHH stop the madness...... Never quit nobody likes a quitter.

[bluesea]

I tend to buy stuff on the internet while on a strong caffeine buzz.

[EvanTA]

I've found I drink less when I drink better coffee. One cup of excellent coffee satisfies me for the day, both in terms of taste, caffeine, and the ritual of making it. I started getting tonx delivery (can't recommend it enough) and the fact that it's regular delivery also forces me to budget my coffee so I don't run out before the next shipment. Seems expensive per bag, but it's still cheaper than buying from a coffee shop.

plus, as a rule, i don't drink it after 3pm unless it's the weekend. half life of caffeine is around 6 hours, so effects will linger well into the night at that point.

[William]

I'm drinking coffee right now, it's good so good. Two things in this world I can't quit. Coffee and hookers. :banana:

At least you have your priorities straight!:p






William

[bcroslin]

i cut my coffee intake down to one caffeinated cup every morning and a few cups of decaf during the day and my anxiety level dropped dramatically. too much caffeine is just as bad as too much alcohol.

[sparky33]

...I'm back. Just needed a coffee break.

So where are we at now?

[sparky33]

Two things in this world I can't quit. Coffee and hookers. :banana:

Your workplace sounds way more fun than mine.

[bluesea]

i cut my coffee intake down to one caffeinated cup every morning and a few cups of decaf during the day and my anxiety level dropped dramatically. too much caffeine is just as bad as too much alcohol.


U-h-h-h....

[tiretrax]

I'm drinking coffee right now, it's good so good. Two things in this world I can't quit. Coffee and hookers. :banana:

What happened to heroin?



I gave it up for a few years. Now, I limit myself to one cup on workdays if I have time for it. It's best to give up all caffeine - soft drinks, gels, chocolate, etc. It's in an amazing array of products.

[Shortsocks]

What happened to heroin?



I gave it up for a few years. Now, I limit myself to one cup on workdays if I have time for it. It's best to give up all caffeine - soft drinks, gels, chocolate, etc. It's in an amazing array of products.

HEY TIRE!

I had to quit the heroin in the 90's. Way to posh for me. Problem is That the Brothel I go to Brings coffee With every,lets say, purchase. :help:

Brings a new Definition to the word "Freshly Grinding" Drip...:eek:

[holliscx]

Small ball, call us when you try giving up bacon.

[sworcester]

Not willing to give up bacon, but drink mostly decaf espresso. Several quad shots with water (we call it Americano, but decaf). Small metering of caffeine will help more than Cold Turkey (great movie by the way, in this context)

[Pete Mckeon]

especially only taking them after 4pm for sleeping at night. Most of the "good" tasting teas, i have had are high caff. I never acquired a taste for coffee, but my wife loves them and she started drinking decaf only years ago.


I remember when I use to drink LOTs of coke I started to get jittery but that was a long time ago.


Found good wines work better for my drinking. Pete

[redir]

I quit for about a year because complications from ptsd were causing me to have panic attacks and irregular hear beats. I got over that finally and the first cup of coffee I had back had what probably is the same feeling a junky gets when he spike hits the vein :D

I only drink two cups in the morning maybe once in a great while after dinner with a piece of cake. Tea in the afternoon always. It was not terribly difficult for me to quit I did go through some withdrawal but only for about 3 or 4 days.

I just like it too much to quit.

[Wesley37]

lol, this might be the wrong forum for me. I roast my own beans, I pull my own shots of espresso, and I am a 3 to 5 espresso a day kind of a guy (usually 3), and I work and race for this shop:
http://teamifg.com/files/cyclelogik.jpg

I feel much better overall without coffee than with it. It isn't a good idea to be addicted to a drug no matter how much people fetishize it. I sleep better, feel better, and have fewer mood swings. The best part is that I have more energy when completely coffee free than I do when on coffee.
...
Dump it and move on and you will be better off in the long run.

Not to say your experience with caffeine is not real, but you might want to tone down the sweeping overgeneralizations and judgement. There is now a great deal of evidence that there is a great deal of genetic variation in terms of how caffeine effects people, what one person experiences is not necessarily what another person experiences.

For example, one of the lines of attack on regular consumption I hear is that it contributes to "adrenal fatigue", and the danger of adrenal fatigue is that it puts one at a heightened risk for disorders like depression. Here is the problem - large scale studies consistently show that, on an epidemiological level, caffeine has a NEGATIVE CORRELATION to depression.

That is, regular caffeine drinkers are less likely to be depressed, non-caffeine drinkers are MORE likely to suffer depression. If there is a conclusion to be drawn from a population-level analysis that applies equally to everyone, it is that caffeine protects against depression, not that it places one at risk. That said, because of the proven variability of peoples' responses to caffeine, such a sweeping generalization does not make sense.

Like red wine, there are a number of studies that suggest long term benefits and long term costs. Some people respond poorly to some chemicals, and they should avoid them. However, for all the studies that have been done on caffeine (and there have been many), moderate consumption seems to be protective against a range of disorders and ailments for most people.

[ceolwulf]

I roast my own beans


Me too :)

Quitting coffee? Might as well ask me to quit breathing

[pbarry]

Like some other posters, I use a 1/3 caffeinated to 2/3 de-caf blend. I drink three or four cups and am much more mellow than when I consumed full strength brew. Still get the boost without the jitters.

[zap]

Coffee=good for you and those around you.

I usually have my last sip by 10a (earlier if riding in the morning)……very rare that I drink coffee any later.

[Bradford]

Wesly37, I curious which of my statements you think is an sweeping overgeneralization and nonjudgmental? I think being honest and self-aware is probably closer.

Are you disputing my statement that it isn't a good idea to be addicted to anything or that people fetishize coffee? In a thread where people are discussing how bad their withdrawal is, it is hard to say that caffeine is not addictive. Or perhaps you are just defending the positive or neutral effects of being addicted to a drug. If so, we can both be comfortable on our sides of that argument. I don't dispute the positive effects a drug can have on a body, I just do not support being addicted to anything, whether it be caffeine, porn, pain killers, or alcohol. That's not judgmental, because frankly I don't care if other people are addicts or not, as long as it doesn't have an impact on my life, and I've never had someone else's coffee addiction have an impact on my life.

As for the other thing, on a site that has about a thread a month fetishizing coffee, it is hard to defend that it is not fetishized, as are bikes, campy, watches, etc. I think it is fine to fetishize things if that makes you happy, and I sure have my share, but if you can't walk away from it without withdrawal, then you should re-think your commitment to something.

These statements are neither a stretch nor judgmental...they are easily defended.

Everything else I said was specifically about how my body reacts to it, and I have about 40 years of data on that, so I'm on pretty solid ground.

Caffeine is a drug. Like many drugs, it can have both positive and negative effects. Like many drugs, those effects are somewhat known and somewhat unknown. If you think it is a good idea to be addicted to a drug, one that gives you withdrawal when you stop using it, I suspect that your judgement is being clouded by the drug. I think our understanding of how addiction does this is pretty clear and has been since Edmund Burke. (Actually, if you never have, you should read "The Beautiful and the Sublime," it is a brilliant explanation of how the human mind determines beauty, whether it be beauty in nature or a cup of coffee).

I love caffeine and have used it more than been off it in my life. For the last 20 years, I have alternated being on and off caffeine. I feel significantly better overall off it than on it. However, there is no dispute I feel significantly better right after having a cup of coffee almost all the time. It just the rest of my life I feel better caffeine free. Listen to a drug addict, alcoholic, or smoker talk, and you'll hear the same thing. It is true that the negative effects of caffeine are orders of magnitude less harmful than those other examples, but it is still the same process. If you feel comfortable with that going on with your body, then you should enjoy your coffee. I do not, so I fight to keep off it as much as I can.

For most people I know who have given up coffee, or like me alternate between being off and on coffee, that is also true. The reason I know this is because I once had a friend with whom I had this conversation, but that time I was on your side of the argument. My response was pretty close to yours. However, seeing as that I had motives with her that were more powerful than my desire for coffee, I gave it a shot and realized she was right.

Put the coffee cup down for 6 months and come back and tell me that you were better off being addicted to a drug than drug free. If so, I'm jealous, I wish my body could handle it better and I could have a cup or two every morning.

[Saint Vitus]

I love coffee, good coffee with half and half. But often it makes my blood sugar go wacky since I can't drink it with breakfast (reflux) and the H/H does other things. I switched to tea, straight no sugar or milk. 2-3 cups and I'm ready all day for anything. Stopping caffeinated products cold turkey would be difficult though.

[christian]

For most people I know who have given up coffee, or like me alternate between being off and on coffee, that is also true.All the best science is based on "most people you know." That's why statisticians have to have so many friends.

WARNING: My insight might be clouded by my addiction to caffeine. I had a cup of coffee yesterday morning.

[Joachim]

All the best science is based on "most people you know." That's why statisticians have to have so many friends.

You are killing me!!! :)

[texbike]

For example, one of the lines of attack on regular consumption I hear is that it contributes to "adrenal fatigue", and the danger of adrenal fatigue is that it puts one at a heightened risk for disorders like depression. Here is the problem - large scale studies consistently show that, on an epidemiological level, caffeine has a NEGATIVE CORRELATION to depression.

That is, regular caffeine drinkers are less likely to be depressed, non-caffeine drinkers are MORE likely to suffer depression. If there is a conclusion to be drawn from a population-level analysis that applies equally to everyone, it is that caffeine protects against depression, not that it places one at risk. That said, because of the proven variability of peoples' responses to caffeine, such a sweeping generalization does not make sense.


Howard Shultz? Is that you? :)

Man, I love coffee..STRONG coffee, but I'm full blown berserker and ready to give a flying spin kick to the head of the world after only a few cups. I find it REALLY hard to focus and concentrate on the stuff that should be focused and concentrated on (instead of posting on a bike forum as an example). I need to crank down the consumption a bit and may try the "pbarry" approach to see if it helps.

texbike

[Wesley37]

Wesly37, I curious which of my statements you think is an sweeping overgeneralization and nonjudgmental? I think being honest and self-aware is probably closer.

Are you disputing my statement that it isn't a good idea to be addicted to anything or that people fetishize coffee? In a thread where people are discussing how bad their withdrawal is, it is hard to say that caffeine is not addictive. Or perhaps you are just defending the positive or neutral effects of being addicted to a drug. If so, we can both be comfortable on our sides of that argument. I don't dispute the positive effects a drug can have on a body, I just do not support being addicted to anything, whether it be caffeine, porn, pain killers, or alcohol. That's not judgmental, because frankly I don't care if other people are addicts or not, as long as it doesn't have an impact on my life, and I've never had someone else's coffee addiction have an impact on my life.

As for the other thing, on a site that has about a thread a month fetishizing coffee, it is hard to defend that it is not fetishized, as are bikes, campy, watches, etc. I think it is fine to fetishize things if that makes you happy, and I sure have my share, but if you can't walk away from it without withdrawal, then you should re-think your commitment to something.

These statements are neither a stretch nor judgmental...they are easily defended.

Everything else I said was specifically about how my body reacts to it, and I have about 40 years of data on that, so I'm on pretty solid ground.

Caffeine is a drug. Like many drugs, it can have both positive and negative effects. Like many drugs, those effects are somewhat known and somewhat unknown. If you think it is a good idea to be addicted to a drug, one that gives you withdrawal when you stop using it, I suspect that your judgement is being clouded by the drug. I think our understanding of how addiction does this is pretty clear and has been since Edmund Burke. (Actually, if you never have, you should read "The Beautiful and the Sublime," it is a brilliant explanation of how the human mind determines beauty, whether it be beauty in nature or a cup of coffee).

I love caffeine and have used it more than been off it in my life. For the last 20 years, I have alternated being on and off caffeine. I feel significantly better overall off it than on it. However, there is no dispute I feel significantly better right after having a cup of coffee almost all the time. It just the rest of my life I feel better caffeine free. Listen to a drug addict, alcoholic, or smoker talk, and you'll hear the same thing. It is true that the negative effects of caffeine are orders of magnitude less harmful than those other examples, but it is still the same process. If you feel comfortable with that going on with your body, then you should enjoy your coffee. I do not, so I fight to keep off it as much as I can.

For most people I know who have given up coffee, or like me alternate between being off and on coffee, that is also true. The reason I know this is because I once had a friend with whom I had this conversation, but that time I was on your side of the argument. My response was pretty close to yours. However, seeing as that I had motives with her that were more powerful than my desire for coffee, I gave it a shot and realized she was right.

Put the coffee cup down for 6 months and come back and tell me that you were better off being addicted to a drug than drug free. If so, I'm jealous, I wish my body could handle it better and I could have a cup or two every morning.

Holy non-sequitur batman!

In all seriousness, you seem like a good hearted person, and you remind me a lot of myself when I was a 16 year old straight-edger. Do me a favour. Read my previous post again, then your last post again, then practice the self awareness thing. Or rather, practice the self awareness thing whilst reading both posts. It might be surprising.

[paredown]

I am an addict.

Agree that recent research shows a positive correlation between coffee consumption and control of certain conditions, including a recent study of Finns (high consumers of coffee) that showed an inverse relationship between coffee consumption and the risk of Type 2 Diabetes...

I have gone off coffee at various points, but find life is just better with it.

(I think we are determined to find it harmful because we are at heart a nation of Puritans and are suspicious of anything pleasurable...)

[dhalbrook]

I find Yerba Mate (with a little cream and sugar) works for me.

Way less "on and off" than coffee (perhaps due to the lower amount of caffeine in general).

[benb]

It has been a battle but I've been trying to quit Coffee for about 5 years. I never really drank it till I was about 21 but from there on out for about 10 years I drank more and more of it.

Haven't had a coffee maker in the house for at least 4 years, but I still fall of the wagon from time to time and buy some. I usually try it when I am hearing about some great new artisanal coffee roast/blend/bean that is supposed to be amazing. But now that I am not addicted, it definitely all tastes different.

I do *way* better with tea and yerba mate.. it is not the Caffeine in coffee that is the problem, it is the other lesser understood compounds.

For all the fetishizing of Coffee, Tea can be even more interesting and fetishized.. there is far more variety in what is out there.

[Mikej]

Well, as far as the research, coffee is the 2nd or 3rd largest traded comodity, so I am sure there is some "big bean" money involved with the studies. As for my own research, I just feel like crap after drinking coffee. Its great drinking it and I love the ritual.

[oldpotatoe]

Holy non-sequitur batman!

In all seriousness, you seem like a good hearted person, and you remind me a lot of myself when I was a 16 year old straight-edger. Do me a favour. Read my previous post again, then your last post again, then practice the self awareness thing. Or rather, practice the self awareness thing whilst reading both posts. It might be surprising.

He's British!!

I'm gonna go have a cup of coffee laced with some whiskey.

[benb]

He's British!!


Don't proper Brits drink tea?

[d_douglas]

I'm sure I am physiologically addicted, but more than anything, I am emotionally addicted.

I have given up on drinking coffee first thing in the AM because I cant enjoy it while doing battle with kids at the breakfast table. I resist and ride to work, then once i have checked my workload and emails, I saunter to our kitchen and fire up the bong, errrrrr, aeropress. I love coffee.

I drink one per day and perhaps every two weeks, I will have a day where I drink cup 02. I am pretty sensitive to caffeine, so I manage it carefully. Not that I go nuts, but most days that I 'try' a second cup, I end up feeling sluggish and gross (stomachewise) for the rest of the day. I am drinking black tea now (2pm) and feel fine.

I am a coffee snob all the way, and dream of drinking the perfect latte (seriously!) but I know my limits of this drug. Truth be told, I know I would feel better if I never drank another shot of espresso again, but I don't want to give it up!

[cash05458]

I quit coffee...no problem as I just started upping my amphetamine intake...works like a charm!:)

[SpokeValley]

... I saunter to our kitchen and fire up the bong, errrrrr, aeropress. I love coffee.

:)

[commonguy001]

As I sit here at work drinking my morning coffee I think to myself - I have so few vices that there is no way I'm giving this up.
Saying that I have no coffee related issues so it's a no brainer.

Would prefer to never give up coffee, I love it. Coffee in the AM and tea in the PM keeps me happy and healthy.

If I'm cutting back on something for training or weight or whatever it's always been eating out and beer. I can seemingly drop beer for weeks or months without an issue.

[cookietom]

Right now I am having a coffee,,reading this and I don't know what to believed. But my coffee sure taste good. Trying not to have coffee after 2 so I can sleep well at night. I am recovering drug addict/alcoholic (21 yrs) and coffee is my best option now,,,,,

[blessthismess]

I'm sure there are great benefits from quitting caffeine/coffee but realisticly I don't see myself quitting anytime soon. I did quit cigarettes a while back and that was one of the best decisions I have made. I drink a cup in the morning, maybe two or so on the weekend. I really don't view it as anything I should be concerned with but to each his own. Quitting anything can be a great exercise in self control so I applaud anyone willing to try but I certainly will not be stopping anytime soon, in fact i'm drinking a cup right now looking out at the rain and I feel great! :)

[jmoore]

I quit years ago to minimize/eliminate vitreous floaters and it worked. Slowly but surely I'd sneak a cup here and there and the floaters came back.

Interesting. I have never heard of this. This might be the only reason for me to cut back on coffee. Will have to research some more.

[PoppaWheelie]

Last week I was thinking I might cut back. Then over the weekend I got the stomach flu. Haven't touched it since...and it doesn't sound good to me (says the man with the new Mazzer Mini full of Four Barrel sitting on the counter). All it took to quit was three straight days in the bathroom. Added bonus: A pretty serious jump on my cycling diet.

[donevwil]

Interesting. I have never heard of this. This might be the only reason for me to cut back on coffee. Will have to research some more.

Re. vitreous floater and coffee, I picked up the "potential" connection on a Google VF forum and figured it worth a try. Of course both my Optometrist and Ophthalmologist poo-pood there being any relationship. Decaf coffee didn't reduce the floaters at all and caffeinated tea (after giving up coffee and reducing the floaters) did not bring them back. After 3-4 weeks back on coffee 2-3 times a week they were back, so it's not a caffeine issue.

[Ralph]

I cut back because I discovered caffein raises my blood pressure all day. Cut back from two mugs in AM to 1 regular cup of 50%. My Doc says caffein only raises your BP for a couple hours, but I think he's wrong. Mine stayed up all day. After I cut back, my BP dropped from usually around 135/80 or slightly higher sometimes (causing me to take BP meds) to low 120's/70 or so. I was able to get off those BP meds. Hated BP meds. So this is plenty good enough reason for me to cut way back or eliminate all caffein from my diet. Some say it's not unusual for a 72 year old to have elevated BP, some hardening of the arties, etc, but if eliminating caffin from my diet keeps me off BP meds, it's worth giving it up. And i'm not heavy. Some of you young guys will make same decision some day.

[unterhausen]

interesting about the floaters and BP. I have issues with both, might be worth cutting back for that. I quit a while back because it was recommended for mood issues. I quit for quite a while, didn't see an improvement, so I started up coffee again.

[William]

Even if I quit drinking coffee I would keep roasting it.....I just dig the aroma!


http://www.gibbsfarm.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/03/coffee-roasting.jpg








William