I've been making various failed attempts to get off caffeine for a while now... it's such a hard drug for me to get free of. Part of it is how universally socially-acceptable it is. Worse than alcohol even. Almost everyone responds with "Bug coffee is GOOD for you!!!" or "WHY would you quit COFFEE????"
And it's so interwound with my life... not just the physical addiction but the emotional, the psychological, the social addiction. I am definitely physically dependent. The headaches when I try to go cold turkey are excruciating. Weaning only seems to eventually lead me back to excess. It's like alcohol but worse because it is so 'innocent'....
But the few people I know who have quit it, ALL universally characterize their lives as better, their energy levels improved, their anxieties reduced, their GERD improved or entirely gone, their sleep patterns stabilized, their moods improved, their hormone balance regulated......
So I say - keep at it. Don't let the social pressure to engage in the world's most commonly-used drug. Listen to YOUR own voice and follow what feels right for your body, mind, spirit and life.
I'm gonna get free of it. I'm finding that fresh from the hospital with a newborn is an extra challenging week for it, but I"m going to keep at it.
I know that I will be happy I did.... just as happy and grateful as I am to be sober.
