How to Give Up Coffee
May 27th, 2005 by Steve Pavlina
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Caffeine is the modern drug of choice in the work world, easily accessible, socially acceptable, readily affordable, and of course perfectly legal. As for the health effects, I’ve read evidence both for good and ill, so right now I don’t fall strongly on either side. One thing is clear though — caffeine is addictive. And this addictive nature is what leans me towards the negative side.
As a teenager I often drank sodas; cola was my favorite. I never drank coffee as a teenager, and I rarely drank it in college. But when I got into programming PC games, I’d sometimes drink coffee every day for months at a time. But I’d always eventually break the habit and have no caffeine for months at a time too. It was sort of cyclical.
Then I read the book Pour Your Heart Into It by Howard Schultz, which is the story of Starbucks (Schultz is the CEO). Schultz made gourmet coffee sound so good, that I embarked on a Starbucks kick for a while and tried all different kinds of gourmet coffees, espressos, soy lattes, etc. I know not all coffee drinkers like Starbucks (my mom surely doesn’t), but I still think their coffee is among the best. Another favorite of mine was Lion Coffee from Hawaii. I bought a nice espresso maker and used it to make my own soy cappucinos (I avoid all dairy products).
I really grew to like the taste of different gourmet coffees, which were much better than the swill I used to drink in college. But it was so easy to fall into a pattern of addiction, drinking coffee out of habit instead of only when I actually wanted some. Today I still drink coffee on occasion, but that’s the exception. Most of the time I don’t consume any caffeine for weeks or months at a time. I found it fairly easy to break the habit. Here are a couple ways to do it:
Method 1: Coffee to Herbal Tea
First, switch from coffee to tea. You still get the caffeine from tea, but not as much. Enjoy some good quality tea — not Lipton! I particular like Earl Grey and Green Tea. I found this easy to do right away. But if you find it too hard to switch so abruptly, then make the transition over a period of weeks equal to the number of cups of coffee you drink each day. For example, if you drink 4 cups of coffee a day, then switch to 3c coffee / 1c tea for the first week, then go 2c/2c for the second week, then 1c/3c, and finally 0c/4c for the fourth week.
Next, make the transition from regular tea to caffeine-free (not decaffeinated) herbal tea. Herbal tea isn’t really tea, but it’s close. Celestial Seasonings offers a wide variety of flavors. I recommend getting a variety pack to see which kinds you like. You can do the switch abruptly, or use the gradual method above. Now you’re caffeine free.
Method 2: Coffee to Grain Coffee
Switch from coffee to grain coffee. Grain coffee is to coffee as herbal tea is to tea, and grain coffee is naturally caffeine-free. Grain coffee isn’t real coffee, but it’s a ground mixture of things like grains, nuts, dried fruit, and natural flavors that you can put into a regular drip coffee maker and make something that looks and tastes similar to coffee. Some grain coffees I tried were very bitter and well… disgusting. After trying a few different types, I found one I really liked: Teeccino. I buy it at Whole Foods. This has the best taste of all the ones I’ve tried, and it comes in a variety of flavors: vanilla nut, java, hazelnut, chocolate mint, almond amaretto, etc. Sometimes I mix different flavors together to make interesting concoctions. While I still usually prefer the rich taste of a good cup of Sumatra coffee, this stuff isn’t too bad. It tastes similar to coffee, but it has a unique flavor of its own, and it’s not acidic like coffee is. I typically mix a little Rice Dream (rice milk) into each cup to make it creamier.
A great way to transition to grain coffee is to mix it with regular coffee as you scoop the dry grounds into your coffee filter. So if you use 4 scoops of ground coffee normally, then try 3 scoops of coffee with 1 scoop of grain coffee for the first week, and continue to transition gradually as in the first method above.
Part of the addiction of coffee drinking is having a warm beverage, so the two methods above focus on that. I really like having something warm to drink, especially during the winter. I even have a small mug warmer on my desk. I usually alternate for weeks at a time between Teecino and herbal tea. Today I’ve already had two cups of Vanilla Nut Teeccino.
I suppose you could try a similar process if you’re addicted to soda by transitioning to something else like water or juice, but I’ve never found it hard to give up soda.
I don’t recommend decaffeinated coffee or tea because known carcinogens are used in the decaffeination process, and decaffeinated drinks are still highly acidic. From what I’ve read on this, I’d say you’re better off with caffeine.
When you give up caffeine, you’re likely to experience withdrawal symptoms. If I’m doing 4c coffee a day and then go cold turkey, I get headaches and backaches, and generally my emotions are out of whack for several days. But I still personally prefer to transition quickly rather than gradually. I’d rather just get the withdrawal over with.
Why Give Up Coffee at All?
I can’t ignore the energy boost and mental acceleration that comes from caffeine. But I do notice negative side effects when I drink coffee. Caffeine seems to make part of my brain overactive and another part underactive. I become really good at doing things, but very bad at prioritizing what needs to be done. If I drink a lot of coffee, I’ll often spend hours doing a bunch of low priority tasks, and I find that other unproductive habits are more likely to be done excessively. I become like a rat in a treadmill, doing more and more but not accomplishing what really matters. I find it very hard to focus on the big picture from a holistic whole-brain standpoint if I’ve consumed caffeine.
I also feel that caffeine blocks too much of my intuition and creativity. I miss subtle sensory input, and my thinking becomes too linear. Sometimes linear thinking is OK though. If I have a lot of menial tasks to complete, and I already have a clear to-do list to follow, drinking a cup of coffee can get me through them quickly. But if I have to sit down and do high-level work like developing my next quarterly plan, caffeine will make a mess of my thought process and dramatically reduce my ability to concentrate. My mind races too much on caffeine; it’s hard to stay focused on just one thing.
Additionally, caffeine definitely disrupts my sleep habits. Even if I have a cup of coffee in the morning and none for the rest of the day, I don’t sleep as well. I wake up in the middle of the night, or it’s hard for me to get out of bed in the morning. When I consume no caffeine, I sleep more restfully and wake up easily. I also don’t experience so much midday sleepiness.
And lastly caffeine makes me feel hotter than usual, including while I sleep. I need to turn the air conditioner up to feel comfortable, so that’s another hidden cost.
There’s also a nice page on Teeccino’s site about the top reasons to be caffeine-free.
I’m not saying you need to give up coffee entirely, but I don’t think it’s a good idea to remain addicted to it throughout the year, especially if you experience a drop in intution, creativity, and holistic thinking as I do. If you find it becoming an addiction, try one of the methods above to transition to a coffee substitute like herbal tea or grain coffee. Then you still get to enjoy a warm beverage without the negative side effects. I think it’s easer when you have a substitute for coffee instead of having to do completely without, but this won’t be necessary for everyone.
May 27th, 2005 at 12:29 pm
Good post. I have noticed my addiction to coffee for years. In fact, i only drink 2 cups of coffee a day but it’s like an habit. Even when i don’t want coffee, i drink it.
I would like to stop because i feel coffee stress me a lot. One year ago, i’ve stop it during 2 months, and i was feeling better, realy more calm.(i’m naturally stressed and coffee seems to increase my stress)
May 27th, 2005 at 5:47 pm
I have tried going without coffee. I have gone more than a year without caffine. I finally gave up. Caffine juices my motor and sharpens my brain. I now consume one to two cups a day. I also remember seeing some data that indicates it may help prevent cancer.
My model is, God banned us from the garden of Eden and forced us to work hard to survive. But did not completely abandon us, He gave us coffee so that we might have the energy we need to survive.
May 27th, 2005 at 7:03 pm
I switched from sodas to tea a couple years back. I get real tea leaves at the Chinese grocery store to brew with. With this I’ve found I get all the good stuff from caffeine and none of the bad. Doesn’t even keep me up if I drink right before bed.
I switched when a molecular biologist I worked for gave me a lecture on all the benefits of tea. He was more glowing than this article — but then he was chinese!
http://lpi.oregonstate.edu/infocenter/phytochemicals/tea/
May 27th, 2005 at 8:59 pm
What a timely post Steve. I was planning to get off of caffeine over the next week. I’ll have to try the Teecino as I find that a replacement works better than trying to eliminate something altogether. I find that caffeine starts to have the opposite effect on me after months of addiction.
My big problem is finding beverages without caffeine and sugar when I’m out and about. I really like ice tea as I can get it without sugar. I don’t like diet sodas with all the chemicals and junk. So when I eliminate caffeine it ends up being water or milk which doesn’t allow much variety. I’ll have to make some fruit juices and herbal teas and take them along.
Not looking forward to the headaches….
John
May 28th, 2005 at 7:59 am
I used to drink 2-3 cokes and another 2-3 lattes a day.About 6 months ago I was at the coffee shop and really focused on getting some work done, out of habit I was drinking lattes. I drank about 4 in a matter of an hour, then I went home and was still able to go right to sleep. The next day when I had time to think about it I had my epiphany: caffiene is a drug. I had become addicted and my tolerance levels were just getting higher, requiring much more than I thought should be a healthy level.
That day I gave up cold turkey. The first few days were hard, I just wanted to sleep all the time. Now, when I’m tired I know that just means I’ll have to go to bed a little earlier that night. Every once in while I’ll have a Chai Tea latte when my coworkers get coffee, but that’s due to being social and not because an addiction tells me I have to :).
What did I replace cokes and coffee with? Plain, boring, water. I have a bottle on my desk and one of the first things I do each day is fill it up. One of the tricks I use to keep it interesting is I also keep small containers of concentrated lemon and lime juices in my desk. When I crave something with flavor, a couple of drops usually does the trick.
May 29th, 2005 at 4:00 am
I have greatly reduced my coffee intake without giving up the pleasure by making lattes at home with regular strong coffee and a milk foamer. I use 1/4 cup of coffee and 3/4 foamed skim milk.
May 29th, 2005 at 9:38 am
I just visited notmilk.com and it was definitely an example of a website that isn’t inviting new visitors. I had no idea what it was for or why I should be there.
Anyway, apparently after exploring for longer than a normal person would have, I found that it is a website that goes along with a book. Fine.
It tells you a lot of things about how milk is bad for you. Fine, although it seems that milk isn’t as bad as the things that are illegally allowed to be put in it.
So now what? It isn’t clear what I SHOULD be doing instead. You’d think an article on the benefits of milk substitutes like soy or rice milk would be easily within sight.
Anyway, I was always a big water drinker. I only have soft drinks when out with friends, and even then I’ll take an alternative if available.
May 29th, 2005 at 11:27 am
I have a friend who unfortunately is doing pot. And sometimes acid (LSD). It was nice knowing him, since his use of these substances will change him into another person.
He did however, say a thing about coffee that was really interesting. He said that he didn’t drink coffee, because the effects were too strong for him. He also said that it lessened his sensitivity and empathy, being all speeded up on caffeine.
Whoa, I thought. I am doing a drug that even my friend, the dope fiend, stayed away from.
May 29th, 2005 at 8:37 pm
I have switched from coffee to Cola and then to water about 2 years ago. It wasn’t hard because I did it very gradually.
Quitting coffee cold-turkey can be very hard - you get horrible headaches, etc. But if you switch very gradually, you won’t get these symptoms.
I have discovered one thing: Before quitting coffee, it didn’t have a big effect on my because I was drinking it every day. After quitting, even a small cup of coffee had a large effect. So I begun using coffee very rarely, when I really needed an energy boost.
Last year I only drank coffee twice, when I had to go to two important business meetings. I was extremely energetic and focused because of the coffee.
One more piece of advice: stay away from “energy drinks” such as Red Bull, Burn or Tiger Shot. They contain lots of vitamins which increase your appetite and may make you fat if during the same period you can’t keep at least a light diet.
I found that aerobic exercise and good sleeping and eating habits are the best way to keep myself energetic and focused on my work in the long term. Get yourself a gym membership card for a good gym - this is 100 times better than coffee.
May 30th, 2005 at 2:31 am
[…] tea and see if there are any other differences. What are others’ thoughts on this? How to Give Up Coffee - [Steve Pavlina]
[…]
May 30th, 2005 at 6:22 am
I used to drink about 3-4 cups of *instant* (urgh) coffee a day (in work). I still have one cup of “real” coffee in the morning, but I stopped drinking during the day after a forced break due to illness.
Coffee makes your concentration way too cyclical. Without coffee I can work steadily with no late afternoon slow down. The other nasty side effect is loss of appetite - just drink more coffee and forget about lunch if you’re busy. Now that really is bad for you.
May 31st, 2005 at 6:23 am
I have given up caffeine, going cold turkey. Probably the most important thing I have found to help aleviate the withdrawal symptoms is to drink a lot of water. Replacing each cup of coffe with 12 oz of pure water not only helps withdrawal, but is good for you and helps with weight loss.
May 31st, 2005 at 7:48 am
Just be careful what herbal tea you try during the day, as some have the opposite effect of caffeine, actually making you sleepy. Stay away from chammomile tea, for example, if you’re taking it first thing in the morning, or at work. (It’s great just before bed, though.)
May 31st, 2005 at 8:49 am
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May 31st, 2005 at 10:41 am
Somewhere I read that it takes the equivalent of ~120 cups of water to produce the coffee beans that are used up in the brewing of one cup of coffee. If you take sugar with your coffee, add another 100 cups of water!
For more information, please visit http://stocktonuu.inreach.com/coffee.htm
It talks about how ecologically devastating it is that “poor” countries grow coffee to pay off their country’s debts, at the cost of degradation to rainforests.
May 31st, 2005 at 12:49 pm
I used to drink 2 cups of coffee every day for a year. Then I switched to alternate days in one week and didnt drink coffee at all for the following week to allow the body to “de-toxify” from the effects of caffeine. Finally, I stopped drinking the coffee on alternate days completely. I am now completely free from coffee but not from caffeine. I make chai everyday and drink that. The effects of caffeine are small and I am more active than before.
May 31st, 2005 at 2:01 pm
I don’t drink coffee or tea, but I take NoDoz when ever I don’t get enough sleep or feel depleted. It does the trick and gets you off the coffee. No acids or sugar, just a pill of caffeine. Is this bad?
May 31st, 2005 at 5:40 pm
I’m looking forward to this. Thanks.
Did anyone notice that the Google ads were all for coffee (at least for me)?
June 1st, 2005 at 12:36 am
Insomniac “One more piece of advice: stay away from “energy drinks” such as Red Bull, Burn or Tiger Shot. They contain lots of vitamins which increase your appetite and may make you fat if during the same period you can’t keep at least a light diet.”
This statement is just completely wrong. Vitamins have no caloric value, and are not a source of fat in any way shape or form. Although being able to somewhat change your releasing of fat, the caffeine in Red Bull would much more than make up for any vitamins. Red Bull is however packed with B vitamins which are water soluble, so dehydration is a minor concern for any energy drink consumer. While caffeiene has some diuretic effects, it has not even been proven that caffeine in liquid form is dehydrating. A small bottle of water per energy drink is more than enough to combat dehydration.
I can’t speak for other energy drinks as most of them are questionable junk products anyway. Please get your facts straight before you talk about a product you know nothing about.
June 1st, 2005 at 12:49 am
I’m portuguese. I’ve been to the USA and I must say this: you have no coffee.
There is no coffee to be found in the States, please realize this!
I’d like to invite you all to my country: Portugal. It’s the westernmost country in europe and everyday thousands of people drink coffee at breakfast, lunch and dinner, and REAL coffee too. Strong, extremely dark espresso in very small cups.
I assure you, this stuff will grow hair on your chest. I was averaging 10 of these a day until recently. I’m now cutting down a bit, so I enjoyed your post.
Cheers
June 1st, 2005 at 1:53 am
I am a solid coffee drinker. Right now, I’ve probably had four cups of coffee and one cup of tea, and I’ll probably have one last cup sometime before I hit the sack tonight. I have the tolerance of a bull elephant I suppose.
That said, I have also tried going caffeine free after the woman I was dating suggested that perhaps a pot of coffee a day wasn’t good for me. The first couple days were hell, (I wanted nothing to do with my alarm clock at all) but after I was off caffeine for a week or two I really couldn’t tell the difference outside of a more regular sleeping schedule. Come ten at night, I was ready for the sack no matter what was left for me to do, no matter if I had gotten up at 6am or a more leisurly 8. I didn’t eat any differently, I really didn’t notice any change in how I felt during that post-lunch slump.
But I had lost a lot of “flexibility”.. As an on call guy, if I got a ring at 3AM to fix something, I was brain dead for a good hour, and when I did make it back to bed I would more than make up for the interruption.
So I went back to drinking coffee and tea after about six months out of indifference for it. It helped enormously with the odd nights of broken sleep and didn’t impact me in any other material way (aside from good coffee being cheaper than bottled water. Gah, those boys have a racket going I’m sure.)
June 1st, 2005 at 2:19 am
I just finished college, often consuming 4 cans of mountain dew per day, and double that during all night cram sessions. I started drinking a lot of water in place of pop. but i would eventually have one per week, then per day, then twice aday. I found out it was three things that kept me wanting md: Sugar, carbination burn while drinking, and caffiene. I found that i can substitute squirt and get the sugar, carbination burn, but no caffiene. I started out with a case of squirt per week, then a 12pack, and now once or twice a week. almost 3 months and i dont even want md anymore.. w00t!
June 1st, 2005 at 2:22 am
I quit drinking coffee about 3 months ago after @ 20 plus years of a pot, or more a day. I really did not think coffee was that potent of a stimulant until
I gave it up & switched to tea. The 1st day after I quit, I felt like death & vomited several times. Over the next several weeks I suffered from very
strong headaches & a general crappy feeling. Now I drink several cups of tea
a day and get the same boost I did from coffee for all thase years. And as with
all things you give up, I sometimes wonder why the hell & drank so much of that crap without ever really thinking about it. Mind control I guess…
Damn You, Juan Valdez!!!
June 1st, 2005 at 3:30 am
Now write an article for cigarettes…
June 1st, 2005 at 4:33 am
I play the piano for fun and find that I can sightread better when I’ve had the proper dose of caffeine.
June 1st, 2005 at 5:01 am
lifebalance Says: Somewhere I read that it takes the equivalent of ~120 cups of water to produce the coffee beans that are used up in the brewing of one cup of coffee. If you take sugar with your coffee, add another 100 cups of water!
I’ve heard statistics such as this one before, but what I never see is how much of that water is tainted in the process. I mean, for our cup of coffee with sugar we’ve supposedly spent ~220 cups of water (more if you like cream I guess). Well that water isn’t gone or destroyed, so what’s the problem? Granted some of it *may* be polluted to some degree along the way, but no more than may be damaged in processing some of the alternative drinks I’d suspect.
June 1st, 2005 at 5:08 am
I grew up never drinking coffee (until I was about 30). I now drink coffee almost daily but can easily go without for long periods of time.
June 1st, 2005 at 5:54 am
I have recently been doing a diet that is paid for by my health insurance at work. You drink 5 shakes a day, and have 64 oz. of water daily, as well as two pretty tasty health bars.
Not only that but we have learned proper nutrition, and excersise techniques. Funny becuase I found myself naturally gravitating towards your sleep article guidlines too…
Getting up in the morning and working out before my shower and work not only made sure I got my workout in more often that trying to make sure I did it in the evening, it also made me feel more rested…and more alert at work.
So…what does this have to do with caffeine?
At 27 now, I feel better than I did the entire 5 years I spent in college. During that time I had horrendous study habits, and would have at least 1 cup of coffee per meal, and cokes in between classes and during classes.
These days, in better shape, I “need” it less. The thing to remember is that your overall health is the issue, and that we are all made up differently. Caffiene stills tends to help me at times, but I feel a lot better with less of it.
June 1st, 2005 at 6:03 am
I switched from regular to decaf over three years ago when I began to develop anxiety disorder. The artificial race of the heart from the coffee was always enough to trigger another attack. Since then, I have much greater control over my panic attacks, I sleep better at night, am much more alert during the day and have had an easier time of quitting smoking - which I did shortly there after since drinking coffee was such a big trigger in my life. Still love the beer, though. (You have to have at least ONE vice in your life to make the day-to-day a bit more bearable!)
June 1st, 2005 at 6:12 am
I’ve been caffeine-free for over a year now, and I feel much better. Getting out of bed is so much easier, and so is going to sleep. I can also concentrate when I want to without first having to drink a cup.
The reason I feel caffeine is dangerous is the way it stimulates you. It’s not conjuring up this magical source of energy contained in the coffee bean, but merely stimulating your body’s own glands into producing adrenaline. In other words, you’re provoking a similar chemical response to the one the body has when you perceive severe danger. Caffeine also affects dopamine in the brain. I can’t imagine any of this meddling about with your body’s own tried and true regulating mechanisms can be anything but bad news over the long term. And it’s bad for your heart, your stomache, your intestines, your teeth, your sex life, your blood pressure, your breath, and your pocketbook. The choice was clear, but giving up wasn’t easy. Not as hard as smoking, but I had to make two or three attempts before I got unhooked. Another upside is that if I do decide to have a cup of regular now, I get a huge buzz. And there are a lot of tasty decafs these days.
June 1st, 2005 at 6:33 am
your advice is great. however. as a former opiate and tranquilizer addict who struggled for years and someone who also gave up nicotine, the only drug i consume now is my morning pepsi. i am thinking about switching to the decaffeinated version thanks to your article.
June 1st, 2005 at 7:03 am
I gave up coffee about five years ago. I had headaches, etc. But after my brain got used to having no coffee, I find that I sleep better and wake up feeling refreshed instead of miserable.
June 1st, 2005 at 7:04 am
One will live no longer or shorter, better or worse, good or bad, likeable or unlikeable, richer or poorer based on coffee consumption. The “addiction” thing is a sissy phase we all go through. Since I’m not “addicted” to peyote, it’s OK to go to work on it? Do what ever you want and STOP WORRYING. Everything will work out.
June 1st, 2005 at 7:12 am
Coffee is the beverage of the people of God, and the cordial of his servants who thirst for wisdom. When coffee is infused into the bowl, it exhales the odor of musk, and is of the color of ink. The truth is not known except to the wise, who drink it from the foaming coffee cup. God has deprived fools of coffee, who with invincible obstinacy condemn it as injurious. In it will we drown our adversities, and in its fire our sorrows.
~ Transylvanian Medical Society, ca. 1850
June 1st, 2005 at 7:20 am
I gave up Coffee and anything with caffeine about 4 months ago and it’s been a good move. Just like when I quit smoking about 20 years ago, it was just a decision I made and went cold turkey.
My stomach feels much better. I sleep better and I’m not as stressed out.
Another good point is that I’ve lost weight because I’m not eating all the sugar and cream that came along with the coffee!
June 1st, 2005 at 8:54 am
Here’s another lower caffeine coffee/soda alternative…
http://www.zipfizz.org
June 1st, 2005 at 9:12 am
6 coffees in the morning before noon. Then I switch to soda and drink 4-8 sodas. I guess I am an addict…a happy addict.
June 1st, 2005 at 9:33 am
I would say that’s bad because you’re only taking what is actually bad for you in coffee. There’s a lot of good things in coffee if they’re not being filtered out by metal filters (USE PAPER ONES!
)
June 1st, 2005 at 10:26 am
I am not a big coffee drinker, maybe 5 cups a week. I used to drink about a gallon of Mt.Dew each day. I quit Mt.Dew cold turkey and went without caffeine for a few months but decided I was more addicted to the extra calories in the sugar pop. I still do about 3 cups a week of coffee but I found I liked green tea better. I quit smoking too. I am still a fat pig though and I don’t excercise.
Maybe I should switch to Meth?
June 1st, 2005 at 10:27 am
Caffeine is a physically and psychologically addictive central nervous system stimulant. The easiest way for me to go off caffeine is to gradually reduce the amount I take in over one or two weeks. If you drink more than four cups of coffee a day, make it a month. When you taper off gradually you hardly miss it.
June 1st, 2005 at 10:30 am
Matt: I disagree, there isn’t much, if anything, in coffee that’s good for you. The roasting process pretty much destroys any antioxidants and vitamins and probably creates free radicals, which damage cells.
Tea, on the other hand, does have antioxidants that are good for you, especially green tea and so-called “white” tea which is regular tea that is prepared differently than normal.
June 1st, 2005 at 10:33 am
Okay, here’s my two cents about coffee and caffeine.
1-caffeine is a drug
2-caffeine is addictive
3-anyone attempting to cut back on caffeine use is going to feel some sort of effect from withdrawl
4-caffeine or lack thereof, will have different effects upon different people.
I for example, drink about half a pot of black coffee per day, spread out of course. I usually do not have a problem sleeping at night and if I do it does not have anything to do with the amount of coffee I drink. But that is just me, it might be different for Joe Doe down the block. You should always use a drug with caution, even asprin, because you don’t know how it is going to effect you. I personally would never give up or cut back on coffee. Nor would I switch to something else. Tea just does not have the same effect on me that nice strong black coffee does. I have tried no-doze before and it made me feel ill after it wore off and had about the same effect that coffee does, except of course any health benifits from the coffee itself. So if you want to give up coffee/caffeine that’s up to you, but it’s really no different than giving up chocolate, which also contains addictive substances. Just my two cents.
June 1st, 2005 at 10:39 am
kick the opiates and tranquilizers? kicking smoking kicked my a**, kicking drinking kicked my a**, now it is trying to kick xanax and restoril? got any secrets? kicking caffiene kicked my a**, so I am back on it. need it for night shift and 60+ hr work weeks….. I can tell when I’ve had too much when my hands shake too much to type…thanks
June 1st, 2005 at 11:46 am
Many decaffeinated teas use liquid carbon dioxide (what you exhale) to remove caffeine without removing all the good stuff.
Tea has about 40 mg of caffeine, black or green.
Giving up caffeine is the best thing I’ve done for my mood and general health.
June 1st, 2005 at 12:21 pm
Once again, what is everyone’s view on NoDoz (caffeine pills)?
June 1st, 2005 at 12:46 pm
Well, I get migranes and for years (ever since around kindergarden, in fact) I couldn’t figure out how to cure them. I tried turning off all the lights and I’ve tried cooling down in water and I’ve tried, well, practically everything.
Eventually I got totally sick of it, so I went to a neurologist a couple years back and she perscribed me medication, which worked well, but the downside was that it knocked me out completely and even if I were to take it before I went to bed, I’d still wake up needing double the sleep.
Obviously, this didn’t work. I couldn’t really do anything I needed to do while I was on it, so I stopped taking it when I heard that sometimes coffee can help these headaches.
So I drink a cup or two of coffee every morning and now I get a migrane maybe once a month, rather than once every two days.
Needless to say, I ain’t switchin’. I don’t care if it messes up my sleep schedule, because both migraines and the medicine I used did too. I was perfectly useless with the “alternatives” but I can actually function normally thanks to my regular caffeine does each morning.
June 1st, 2005 at 10:10 pm
Soy coffee is an interesting alternative as well. I drink the Rocamojo brand. If you mix it 50/50 with decaf coffee, you get something that tastes much like coffee but nuttier and less bitter; the soy’s alkalinity balances out the coffee’s acidity so it’s easier on the digestion, and it actually has useful amounts of iron, fiber and protein. They sell a 50/50 blend as well, but it’s caffeinated, so I buy the full soy and blend it with coffee myself.
If I go over two cups a day, I switch to pure soy or herbal tea.
June 2nd, 2005 at 10:19 am
Thanks for posting this article, very intersting stuff! I lived on that early morning copy while I was writing my novel and now that I get more sleep it’s not as insistent a habit. Still it pays to be aware of what you are playing around with…. –sam paul
June 2nd, 2005 at 11:33 am
What in the world is a holistic whole-brain standpoint? There’s a lot of scientific sounding words in this article, and I’m not sure I know what you mean by them. I have some idea of what they mean to me, but I have no way to know if that’s what you mean. Like when you say that some parts of your brain are overactive and some are underactive, but which parts? The linear thinking part? I don’t think there’s a physical part of the brain that does that, so maybe you don’t mean physically, but what do you mean? Also you say that caffeine blocks intuition? And creativity? Are there parts of the brain that control creativity? Its very confusing.
June 2nd, 2005 at 11:54 am
While the neocortex is actually very uniform in its basic structure from one region to the next, different parts of the brain are responsible for different types of mental work: memory, perceptual processing, logical thinking, communication, etc. But in terms of the effect that coffee has on me, I’m speaking in terms of my actual behavior and results, which only partially correlates to the underlying physical structure of the brain.
I don’t have enough knowledge of brain chemistry to know how caffeine physically affects different parts of the brain, but I have witnessed how caffeine consumption affects my behavior. Caffeine makes me less intuitive in the sense that I experience a lower degree of accuracy when I attempt to use my intuition to achieve a “gut feeling” about something. With caffeine my intuition is often wrong, but without caffeine I find that my intuition is usually correct.
Once I broke the caffeine addiction, my intuition provided far more clarity, and I was actually able to trust it and get positive results by doing so instead of having it lead me down all sorts of blind alleys. I was able to see potential opportunities that seemed like they were previously blocked from coming through, but I was also able to stop pursuing hunches that didn’t pan out. If you think of intuition like another sense such as hearing, then coffee made me a bad listener — I couldn’t hear things clearly enough, so I wasn’t able to trust my intuition because it was too often inaccurate. I think the intuition was working fine, but the coffee prevented me from perceiving it clearly. Other drugs like alcohol will also interfere with sensory input, making it less sharp and distinct.
Robert Anton Wilson shared similar thoughts about caffeine in his book Cosmic Trigger, Vol. 1.
June 3rd, 2005 at 6:24 am
I was seriously addicted to caffeine (coffe in the morning, Pepsi at 10 a.m.) when I was in college. I’ve since discovered that a lot of my skin conditions were the result of drinking caffeinated drinks. I’ve moved off and keep myself limited to a few cups of green tea (China green tips probably being the strongest) a day. But, I do find it interesting since I work in IT and watch my co-workers wander around all day with cups of coffee.
There is an interesting article at National Geographic.com that speaks to the habit-forming nature and an argument on why withdrawal stages should be classified as a psychological disorder.
June 3rd, 2005 at 9:11 pm
I notice on your blogs, Steve, that you only post responses to posts where they take you up on a matter.
You should once in a while, comment on a post from someone who is sharing their experience, or is thanking you for the article. Instead of just trying to always make sure you have the last word on a topic under argument or debate.
June 5th, 2005 at 8:02 am
Linking Park
Thomas Friedman is expertly fisked by the Baghdad Burning blog. Friedman honestly cannot argue against that kind of credibility. Heck, I couldn’t agree more. A robot inside your intestine. It isn’t as yucky as it sounds. The Church is exploring
June 8th, 2005 at 8:30 am
In before, I drank a cup of coffee each morning and I am addict to it. How do I know? Once I did not drink coffee that day, I would have a headache. I determine to quit coffee, I reduce the amount that I drink each day ( from a full cup to half a cup and then from every day to every two days ) Now I only drink coffee once a week for enjoyment, I can drink it and I can ignore it, and it won’t cause me headache anymore.
June 9th, 2005 at 10:10 pm
I didn’t have time to read all the other posts, but am I the only one to find humor in the Coffee related Google Ads?
I drink my fair share of Coffee; usually in expensive lattes at work. I also take Coffee at home as desired/required. I use lots of milk, (I know, I know) so at least I get my daily calcium and other required minerals…
I had to go cold turkey twice for some medical tests years ago, and man, did I get wicked withdrawl headaches for the first 3 or 4 days!
My first visit to this site, came from a link to this article from LIFEHACKER, I’ll come back on a regular basis!
June 10th, 2005 at 10:38 am
@DocRobot: Be careful of drinking milk…. Although it does contain calcium, it comes in a form largely indigestible by humans — it’s intended for cows, so it won’t make your bones any stronger. In fact, you’ll get the opposite result. Milk will actually weaken your bones because the casein (milk protein) requires calcium to metabolize, and that calcium will be leeched from your bones. Dairy consumers have lower levels of blood calcium and weaker bones (esp. in old age) than non-consumers. Stick with healthy calcium sources like broccoli, where the calcium comes in a form readily usable by humans. Leave the cows milk to the cows.
Of course the dairy industry wants you to accept that because milk contains calcium that it’s good for your bones. There are billions of dollars to be made from people who believe that drinking another species milk is healthy.
June 12th, 2005 at 5:57 pm
I love coffee. I have about 15 a day.
June 12th, 2005 at 7:53 pm
[…] y to this weeks installation of Carnival of the Insanities. A couple of interesting bits: How to Give Up Coffee and Outrageous Ebay Auctions There is a lot of insanity to […]
June 13th, 2005 at 1:00 am
I quit coffee more than a week ago. I am still getting the occasional headache and I also feel very drowsy, even if I sleep 8 hours. I must mention that I have also quit refined food, sweetsm wheat products, chips, wine, etc. (I am doing a 30-day detox program). Is it normal to feel this way after more than one week? Is it just the coffee or a combination of factors?
June 20th, 2005 at 11:26 pm
[…] 8217;est-ce que ça a l’air bien ! A moins que d’ici là je sois arrivé à me désintoxiquer… Certains cafféinomanes ont […]
June 24th, 2005 at 1:42 pm
My BF bought me this book (The Truth About Caffeine) and a great tasting beverage to drink it with. Since he knows I quit coffee recently, he’s been really wonderful helping me in cope with my mood swings. Soyfee is made from soy beans that is roasted just like coffee. I enjoy the taste and don’t miss coffee one bit. Buy it online at http://www.soycoffee.com.
June 28th, 2005 at 5:12 pm
[…] ly just to prove I can quit and so the next time I pick it back up, it is more effective. Link Permalink No Comments » No c […]
July 6th, 2005 at 9:08 am
I concur that it is right to avoid modern dairy products. This should not be confused with the great benefits of raw and fermented milk. Raw milk is milk that has not been processed in any way. Pasteurization and homogenization destroys the nutrition in milk, making it dead and unhealthy for your body. Believe me, if you can find a source of raw milk and dairy products, you will benefit greatly by including them in your diet. More information can be found at http://www.realmilk.com.
July 6th, 2005 at 10:13 am
Even raw dairy products are enormously unhealthy. For starters human beings lack the ability to metabolize the casein in cow’s milk — there’s a reason cows have four stomachs. Even adult cows don’t drink cow’s milk — it’s just for their calves as they quickly pack on the pounds. If you want to be an adult human, wean yourself and stop suckling like a baby cow.
July 7th, 2005 at 4:25 am
[…] elopment blogs and articles, you must have read Steve Pavlina’s blog. His posts like How to Give Up Coffee and How to Become an Early Riser are definitely popular amo […]
July 13th, 2005 at 1:37 pm
THANK YOU! i’ve been trying to find out ways to cut down on my coffee intake
for health reasons, and couldn’t find any info about grain coffee. so thank you for your insight and help…i’m transitioning from healthy non-veg to full time veg from vegan to eventually macrobiotic, and coffee is definately an addiction for me. when i don’t have a cup or two daily my head hurts, like headaches, and i know other
people, mostly women, who have gone thru “caffiene withdrawal” similarly. so that, if it isn’t enough, tells me that a slow switch is what i need, and grain coffee
is better than organic i’m sure….so thanks again for your helpful and useful info!
July 14th, 2005 at 5:56 am
If no one else has suggested it yet, i’d like to mention yerba mate (pronounced Yerba Matt-eh, i think).. it’s south american, i think, it’s a tea.
But the nice thing about it is it give you a coffee-like buzz, without the shaky stressed out-ness that comes with coffee. It’s much better for this than your normal teas.
I buy it loose and make it in my coffee pot.. it’s the only way i can go without coffee.
August 22nd, 2005 at 1:32 am
WHATS WRONG WITH LIPTONS TEA.. LOVELY CUPPA.. BREAKFAST TEA IS THE BEST YOU CAN GET…
MIND LIPTONS DONT FIND OUT.. LIABLE SUIT TO FOLLOW…I BET..
August 22nd, 2005 at 8:07 pm
I’m at that aggravating slump in the addiction/quitting cycle. I’ve been drinking coffee nice and moderately for so long that it no longer has any real positive intellectual or energy benefits. A little boost followed by bigger slumps–another boost, another slump, etc. I’m convinced that my brain is just not working at full power anymore. I fully realize that I need to quit and get to the other side of freedom, re-balanced energy levels, improved intuitive and cognitive functioning…..oh please! BUT–HOW LONG DOES IT *** TAKE? I need to write a 300 page dissertation and I can’t decide whether I really need to pay my withdrawal dues now or whether I can’t afford to. ANY ADVICE ON HOW TO MOST QUICKLY GET THRU THE POST-ACTUE-WITHDRAWAL-PAIN-BUT-ENDLESS SLUMP?
August 30th, 2005 at 11:02 am
You might put in brackets after “Lion’s Coffee” that most Big Island people feel that Lion’s Coffee is probably the most commercial and worst tasting of the Kona coffees available.