Caffeine free again

[mahogany]

Last spring, I eliminated caffeine, and after the first few days of misery, I started to feel better than I had in years. I managed to stay away from caffeine for about six weeks. And then, I discovered Matcha, and I slid down the slippery slope all the way down the hill from there. I’m a heavy tea drinker. I drink about one pot of black in the morning, and then a pot of green in the afternoon, and pot of herbal in the evening. Yes, I said a pot, not a cup. In addition, I will have a bowl of matcha, and the odd espresso or cappucino here and there as a treat. So, I’m sure my system was completely polluted with caffeine.

On the weekend, I was mentioning to a friend, who had been chronically tired that perhaps it was adrenal exhaustion due to over consumption of caffeine, and I suggested going off the caffeine. After hanging up the phone and I thinking of how exhausted and drained I’ve felt lately, I figured it would be pretty hypocritical of me not to eliminate it also. So I did. I’m now on day five of no caffeine. This morning I woke at 6:15 without the alarm, and I feel fantastic. I feel refreshed; I’ve checked my e-mail and LJ; I’ve made business calls to Ontario (they’re three hours ahead), and the kids aren’t even awake yet.

Comments

[balatro.livejournal.com]

I'm constantly tired...Grrr. I don't drink a ton of coffee though. Maybe a cup or two a day.

[mahogany.livejournal.com]

Do you consume caffeine in other forms - iced tea, brewed tea, soft drinks, chocolate etc?

[balatro.livejournal.com]

The tea I brew I use diet tea bags. I think the gotcha is eating out, which I do with my coworkers every day. Other than soda (diet or otherwise) or tea, it's hard to find caffeine things to drink...other than water.

[randomdreams.livejournal.com]

Some recent studies have claimed that the lift people get from coffee in the morning is basically entirely offsetting the onset of withdrawal symptoms from not having had any caffeine all night: in other words, after the first three days of caffeine, it doesn't actually do anything other than get you back to where you would've been if you didn't have any in the first place.

Sigh.

[tatianne.livejournal.com]

Wow, that's fantastic. I gave up coffee for lent. I do still drink tea. But I'll say that for the past week or so I've *craved* coffee like mad.

[nightynight.livejournal.com]

I have tried to do this twice, but I just LOVE having a warm, comforting drink first thing in the morning. I thought I was doing okay last time with the herbal tea; then I went back to coffee and PEOPLE AROUND ME EXPRESSED RELIEF.

Apparently I was a complete hydra while quitting: I thought I was perfectly normal!

You seem normal and happy to me! Keep going!

That's it. I'm going to kick this in 2007. Damn, I just love coffee so much, though.

[mahogany.livejournal.com]

Hehehehe. This reminds me of the time that J* and I were with some close friends and the subject of PMS came up. I announced that I was really glad that I didn't suffer from it, and J* started choking (for real, not pretend choking) on his drink. Evidently, I do suffer from PMS, and totally didn't realize it. Your comment made me check in with him just to make sure that my mood has actually been normal this time around, and apparently, I've been fine.

I'm a hot beverage person too, so I've been drinking a ton of rooibos and honeybush. I've even tried Teccino, it's a coffee alternative. It's actually not half bad. It's definitely not great, and it doens't particularly taste like coffee, but I actually don't mind the taste.

I hope you're feeling better :-).

[new-iconoclast.livejournal.com]

Every so often I'll quit Coca-Cola, too. Usually if some big medical thing comes up and I can drug myself through the caffeine withdrawal with some heavy-duty painkiller. Then I'll be OK for months, feeling good, sleeping well, until something will come up and I'll say to myself, "I could have one, you know, just a social Coke."

Bang. Back in the shit so quick my head swims.

[mahogany.livejournal.com]

I'll be OK for months, feeling good, sleeping well, until something will come up and I'll say to myself, "I could have one, you know, just a social Coke."

Bang. Back in the shit so quick my head swims.

LOL! I fell into the same trap just last week. This time it was a bit different, though...the "innocent" cappucino (in the evening, no less....what was I thinking?) ended up making me feel jittery and anxious, and I was awake until nearly three on a week night, and then I was a cranky wreck for two days afterward. The good news is that I haven't been at all tempted to touch any since.