Anybody quit coffee successfully?

[DragonFire]

I love coffee...I don't put any sugar in it, just a bit of non fat milk. I love the taste of it. But I don't drink more than 2 cups per day. Monday through Thursday I only get about 1/2 a cup, if even that. And I don't drink it past 11:30 am. I start my coffee consumption, what little there is, at about 6:45-7 am...and the cup is usually untouched until about 10:30 when I finally get back to it and throw it out.

On the weekends I will have one or 2 cups per day. Of course I have a 3 day weekend. If I feel agitated after one cup, I won't have another. If I feel like I'm getting a migraine (usually due to lack of sleep) then I'll drink 2.

I would probably be just as happy with decaf..if I could find a decently dark roasted decaf. I just like the taste. But I am wary of it keeping me awake, so I won't drink it after noon.

Poor Kirk...sounds like you have overdone a good thing. If you need to have the coffee, do half caf or try all decaf. You will still get a warm flavorful drink. If that is what you are truly looking for.

Good luck!

[campmaster-k]

I really have not over done it. Its just that its makes me feel bad. I normally have a cup or two. Feel great going in. Then poop.
I just feel better when I don't have caffine. The ritual is a big part of it. I like to buy it. Not make it.

[canned o minimum]

It starts like THIS : Hello, my name is Kirk... I'm a coffee a holic ! Errr... and a Coleman a holic...

Kirk, yer a MESS ! But we love ya buddy !

I started out with coffee the way I used to like my women: Blonde and sweet...Then went to ... Dark and natural.. then went NUCLEAR and drank it ;like it was water ! I've slowed down CONSIDERABLY.

Good luck Kirk !

[Catherine+twins]

I gave up most caffeine over 20 years ago on the advice of my doctor, who felt caffeine interfered with blood pressure medications. I suspect she was mostly wrong, at least at the moderate level that I was drinking. However, I stayed off caffeine because I found a diagnosis for my twitchy legs about that time, RLS or restless leg syndrome, and giving up caffeine reduced some of my twitches. But the more I read, the more I had to change. RLS is often considered a sleep disorder, as the twitchiness keeps the victim from falling asleep. But insomnia is also a symptom of depression, so my dear doctor prescribed an anti-depressant. Yup, that makes the twitchy legs worse, so I slept even less. And my HBP mediation was making it worse. I even started working the graveyard shift at work because I figured if I couldn't sleep at night, I darned well was going to get paid for it!

Eventually I changed to a PA who is much more willing to work with me on the RLS. I'm off of caffeine, no antidepressants, a simple diuretic for my blood pressure, thyroid medication to take care of hypothyroid-indiced depression et al. I've gone from 5 meds to 2. I've also gone from 15-20 mostly sleepless nights a month to 2-3.

I'm feeling much better.

But back to the coffee rituals and such. I still like a hot drink to start the day. My breakfast drink is a form of hot chocolate, a bit of caffeine but not as much as a strong coffee. Mine is lower in sugar (in fact it is xylitol) than the usual mix, higher in cocoa, a pinch of red chile powder, a pinch of cinnamon, and dilute by half with water. It is supposed to be a non-coffee drink that is also NOT a whipped-cream desert drink, more like what was drunk by the ancient Mayans and Aztecs (they didn't use any milk, I can't go that far). Other than that, my hot drinks are caffeine-free herb teas. I like most of the Zinger varieties from Celestial Seasonings.

Good luck on your withdrawal symptoms this week. I'm cheering for you!

Catherine

[campmaster-k]

Day # 3. Monday. 8:35 am caffine free. Not as bad today as I thought . I think I have beat it.

[eamarquardt]

Eventually I changed to a PA who is much more willing to work with me ...........Catherine

When I got out of the hospital (from quitting Methadone) the doctor had me on a host of meds, wanted to continue ECTs once a month indefinitely, refused to accept my "diagnosis" that I was allergic to one of the meds he had prescribed, etc, and I got fed up and went to a new doctor. His summary, "Sounds to me like you're between a rock and a hard place (is in no effective treatment for the chronic pain)". We stopped all of the meds and I did much better. Some doc's are simply to arrogant to accept that they don't have all the answers.

I now tell my doctors what I want and they fulfill my every request. I'm living every abuser's dream!

Kicking coffee has gotta be a piece of cake compared to the stuff I've kicked.

Carry on!

Gus

[campmaster-k]

2:40 pm on Monday. I normally feel a very low point at this time of day. But today the low is not as low. I am becoming normal again. Hey maybe I am also cured from collecting rusty Coleman lanterns too. Maybe it was the coffee all along! Naaaaa. It was Doug.

[Aaron Coffee]

Don't know if this will help, but, at work we don't get an afternoon break per se, we get off at 3:45 but get paid until 4:00. I used to get a candy bar to eat at about 2:00, I started taking a bottle of Sunny D (I usually buy a gallon and fill a clean 20 oz. bottle as I find the single serving bottles to small)and I would drink that around 2:00 and that seemed to give me more of a pickup than a candy bar, and could possibly be better for me.
As far as me giving up coffee, NEVER, I am waiting for the royalty checks for all the years they have used my name, also waiting for royalties from Norelco for the use of the name "Mr. Coffee" as that name goes way back in my family.

[canned o minimum]

Sunny "D" ??? What possible nutrition could there be in that stuff ??? I'm not even sure there is ANY natural ingredients in it ...But that might be because I'm hooked on fresh squeezed OJ.

Of course, I'm jus pullin yer chain Aaron... I couldn't wait to see what YOU had to say over here... Aaron Coffee !!! Yer a riot ! Hope ya git all them royalties...

[S. Heisley]

Kirk, it is very possible that your digestive system has an intolerance for coffee. Stranger things have happened.
Congratulations on solving your problem and becoming coffee-free!

[canned o minimum]

I kicked alcohol cause I'd be dead by now if I didn't... congrats on beatin the beast !

[campmaster-k]

Day # 4 . 8:30 still caffeine free. Feel great, much less anxiety. I sleep so much better. I was waking up at 2-3 am and then could not go back to sleep. Now no problem. I celebrated this morning by buy three quick pick lotto tickets. Over 300 million you know!

[campmaster-k]

Its about day 7 or 8. I had a long horrible city council meeting last night . I was up till midnight trying to figure out a big mess . Yep you guessed it , back on the bean today. Coffee is better when you havent had it for awhile.

[Verna]

Its about day 7 or 8. I had a long horrible city council meeting last night . I was up till midnight trying to figure out a big mess . Yep you guessed it , back on the bean today. Coffee is better when you havent had it for awhile.

Kirk, it's still possible for you to quit coffee. 20 years ago, it took me three attempts to kick cigarettes. I wanted to quit and I did, but I didn't let a couple of slip ups stop my ultimate goal.

If you want to quit, yes, you can

[SteveW]

I was planning to quit over Spring Break this year. Unfortunately my wife had other ideas and decided since we were around the house longer in the morning that she would brew an extra cup for both of us. Needless to say, I didn't quit over the break.