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-   -   Has anyone given up coffee/caffeine? (https://www.soberrecovery.com/forums/alcoholism/453382-has-anyone-given-up-coffee-caffeine.html)

Notch8 04-14-2021 12:33 PM

Has anyone given up coffee/caffeine?
 
Anybody?

ciowa 04-14-2021 01:39 PM

Ive given up caffeine a few times over the past 10 years and each time my bodies reaction was different. Each time I experienced side affects.
Cold Turkey - intense headaches around day 3-5 and also extreme drowsiness on those days, like sit down on a armchair and accidentally nod off for 5 minutes in the middle of the afternoon drowsiness.
Weaning off for a week - Very mild headaches, slight drowsiness around day 3-5 but then ok by day 7
Weaning off for a week - extreme fatigue and lethargy from days 8-12.
Each time, by day 14 at the latest and had a more even level of energy from the time I woke up til I went to sleep. My alertness was level as well and not the crash and peak cycle of caffeine use. I slept better and gradually woke in the mornings from sleep instead of snapping to full on alertness as soon as I opened my eyes.
Im drinking coffee right now but want to get off again in time for the summer.

advbike 04-14-2021 01:52 PM

I wish I could. I love the taste and smell so I drink too much. 4 cups every morning, and possibly an espresso early afternoon.. and i like it dark and strong. So I am on that up and down, crash and burn cycle. I recently started trying to wean off by getting some good decaf beans that I mix in starting with cup 3. But I doubt I will ever quit completely as I just enjoy it so much. Like, umm, gonna make an americano right now, haha.

PS - great analysis Ciowa. Helpful info.

Bethany57 04-14-2021 03:47 PM

Wow...interesting thread. I drink 3 -4cups a day (before noon) and really wish I could give it up. I may try to keep adding a decent decaf and eventually do all decaf ( i realize de caf even has some caffeine). Once when I did go off completely I felt so tired and emotionally flat. Afraid to try it again but I should.

2ndhandrose 04-14-2021 03:51 PM

Never!!! :)

least 04-14-2021 04:03 PM

When I was still drinking I had to give up coffee in the morning as I'd be going thru w/d and the anxiety was off the charts. :( But once I got sober for good, and didn't have that w/d anxiety, I started having it again. Usually about 3 cups a day. Love my coffee! :)

ScottFromWI 04-16-2021 10:47 AM


Originally Posted by least (Post 7622354)
When I was still drinking I had to give up coffee in the morning as I'd be going thru w/d and the anxiety was off the charts. :( But once I got sober for good, and didn't have that w/d anxiety, I started having it again. Usually about 3 cups a day. Love my coffee! :)

My story is a lot like this - my anxiety was crippling at first and caffeine made it even worse. After the withdrawal anxiety went away, I was still dealing with undiagnosed GAD for a while and again, caffeine made it worse. I completely gave it up for a while and it definitely helped, but after I was able to start managing/treating my anxiety I was able to ease back into regular coffee. I still don't drink as much as I used to (coffee) but I can now drink a couple cups of regular without worrying that it will ruin my day.

CincyFin 04-16-2021 04:46 PM

I drink coffee but caffeine has the opposite effect on me. I can drink 2 cups of coffee and get sleepy. My wife is an RN and says that is prevalent in people with ADD. I have never been diagnosed ADD but I do have some symptoms. But if I am drinking coffee regularly and stop I will get headaches.

Skyhawker 04-16-2021 08:44 PM

I love the taste and smell of it, but never had any when I was drinking. As with others, it would cause my already bad anxiety to skyrocket. Now that I do not have much anxiety anymore I will have a cup of it here and there. I will notice a slight spike in anxiety when I do have a cup... However, on some days when I really am exhausted, it is nice to enjoy a nice white chocolate mocha in the morning :).

silversky 04-17-2021 05:52 AM

I cut back to one cup of coffee in the morning about 3 weeks ago. Was drinking 2-3 before. I did this to lessen anxiety. After reading this thread I realize I'm not having the peaks and crashes anymore. I did not have any headaches cutting back. I drink decaf or green tea the rest of the day. It seems to help. Someday might try a total fast. That feels intimidating right now but might be worth trying.

Grateful09 04-17-2021 08:54 AM

I also cut back to one cup of coffee in the morning. It seems for some people, giving up entirely is the thing to do. But for me, having that one cup of coffee is part of my morning victory celebration - good morning, I made it sober for 24 hours, and this morning I feel OK (minus ongoing PAWS symptoms, but still better than hangovers and upset over that). And now I commit to another 24 hours. I think if I had adverse symptoms in relation to coffee in recovery, I would give it up. But for me, keeping it to one small cup has worked, with a bit of green tea and then herbal tea the rest of the time.

JustJohn 04-17-2021 09:10 AM

Coffee is one thing I dearly love - can't see a legitimate reason for giving it up. I'm on a keto/low carb diet, and I have 2 cups each morning before 0900 and none the rest of the day. I put in 2 tablespoons of heavy cream, one teaspoon of coconut oil and a dash of unsweetened cocoa powder, mixed in a shaker, in each cup. Then I work out. Gives me a nice, slow burning energy all day.

Notch8 04-17-2021 12:42 PM

I was up until nearly midnight last night and awake at 5:30 this morning. Been going full-speed ahead and resisting the urge to hammer the coffee pot. Just put on a K-cup to get me through the afternoon.

shakeel 04-17-2021 12:59 PM

I only drink Decaf. in other words, I try to stay away from anything that would raise my heart beat(except exercise of course). Anything that would give me that feeling of anxiety that used to precede the obsession for the first drink.

Nevertheless 04-17-2021 08:25 PM

I still drink caffeinated coffee most of the time. But a couple years ago my girl got a coffee grinder for me. Whole bean coffee also comes decaffeinated. The local grocery store has one called intense French. You can't tell by the taste of it that it is decaffeinated. My coffee grinder is one of my prize possessions. I think it was around 35 dollars off of Amazon. If caffeine is keeping you from sleeping and you can't handle store bought ground decaff,grinding your own might be an option.
I believe i did quit drinking caffeinated coffee for a while when I first quit drinking,and probably should cut back on it again.

Sloinge 04-18-2021 09:30 PM

I guess that I had the reverse experience - when I was drinking I couldn’t handle caffeine on top of the existing booze anxiety.

Sober - I love coffee - probably too much. But I stop at noon and switch to green or caffeine free teas.

One of the great joys of waking up sober is my first breakfast latte in the am. I don’t think it’s a replacement addiction, but I very much enjoy coffee now.

Sloinge 04-18-2021 09:31 PM


Originally Posted by Grateful09 (Post 7623510)
I also cut back to one cup of coffee in the morning. It seems for some people, giving up entirely is the thing to do. But for me, having that one cup of coffee is part of my morning victory celebration - good morning, I made it sober for 24 hours, and this morning I feel OK (minus ongoing PAWS symptoms, but still better than hangovers and upset over that). And now I commit to another 24 hours. I think if I had adverse symptoms in relation to coffee in recovery, I would give it up. But for me, keeping it to one small cup has worked, with a bit of green tea and then herbal tea the rest of the time.

I think I just posted the exact same response!

Aellyce 04-19-2021 06:54 AM

I love coffee and would not want to give it up unless it had some strong contraindications. I did cut down a lot over the years though. When I was younger, I would just sip coffee all day most days, including sometimes drinking it late in the afternoon and evening. Not sure if it qualified as an addiction, but I was definitely a workaholic and associated coffee strongly with an energy boost back then, so I would also drink coffee to consciously increase my alertness sometimes beyond healthy measures. I managed to find a healthier compromise for both the excessive working and coffee without having to completely stop either, and I'm happy with it now. I drink on average 2 cups of coffee now, max 3 occasionally, never after 4pm, and most often all before noon. My sleep was often a mess when I was young, I even started abusing alcohol more to "manage" that, but of course it only made it worse long-term. I sleep so much better now that I don't drink alcohol and moderate the coffee and don't feel it's necessary to completely stop all caffeine. I very rarely drink tea and never drink sodas and other energy drinks, don't even eat chocolate, so whatever I get is from those cups of coffee. I do have some anxiety, but 2-3 cups a day don't make it worse for me, and other ways like exercising more, relaxing in drug-free ways, and maintaining a healthy routine help me more than eliminating coffee. But if I had to cut it off completely for a medical reason, for example, I definitely would.

Cascabel 04-20-2021 01:07 PM

When I was working, I would drink coffee all day long. Since I retired (23 years ago) I have gradually reduced my consumption to one cup (mug) a day. I thoroughly enjoy that one cup but don’t want any more after that.

MyLittleHorsie 04-26-2021 04:15 PM

I quit coffee about a year ago. I didn't have any withdrawal. I had a cup recently, didn't do anything for me.
Now I will have tea here and there, but I am careful to drink naturally decaffeinated, although I do love a good Earl Grey with steamed milk and honey. That's an indulgence, not a necessity. Same with spiced teas. I drink them because they taste good, not for what they do for me.
I don't think you have to give up caffeine. I just wanted the necessity of it gone. I went back to work last year and my office is an hour commute, my bladder is middle aged. Coffee was not It's friend in the morning. Plus it triggers an inflammatory response in me, so it was time.

Bethany57 04-27-2021 06:44 AM

Hi: I have been drinking coffee for years about 3 cups daily. I have bad insomnia but always have the coffee before 10:00 am so it should be out of my system by then wouldn't you think? Anyhow on Sunday I wanted to see how I would sleep without the coffee so I went cold turkey. no coffee (well I had decaf) I had a headache.......all day! I still had a hard time sleeping that night. I decided to gradually cut down. I am mixing the regular coffee with the decafe 1:2. I will keep decreasing so eventually I will only be having decaf.

zjw 04-28-2021 12:56 PM

I’ve given it up many times I’m always more even keel and energetic over all without it. But usually one bad nights rest can have me reaching for a cup then I feel fantastic that first time then I’m hooked no big deal right? Well the last couple times I almost high tailed to the er with full on panic attacks and body temp issues mentally I felt as if I was going totally insane. It makes my anxiety 10 times worse. You would think I’d learn my lesson! I think I have at this point i totally love coffee but even regular old decaf will
have me drinking more and more and sooner or later just reaching for regular.

I seem to find it harder to quit then alcohol in that it’s more acceptable and causes less harm seemingly but for me the last couple quits where done cause I thought the end was near or something it was so bad I hope I never do it again but I dunno I might get stupid sigh.

Db1105 04-28-2021 08:19 PM

No, over the years I have upped my coffee game. Bought a small roaster so I roast my own beans. Ground on demand, and have several coffee makers and an espresso machine.
my problem is alcohol. Haven’t had a drink in a few decades. Coffee hasn’t caused me any problems and it’s time to buy another 10 pounds.

EllyB 04-29-2021 01:50 PM

I developed anxiety after I quit drinking so have had to cut way down on caffeine... I only have about 30 mg. or less a day. I am actually looking forward to eventually going back to having a cup of coffee/tea or two a day. I never drank more than a couple of cups a day, whether drinking heavily or not.

TheSoberNord 05-01-2021 01:09 PM

Had to give it up made my anxiety worse. Problem was though I always liked the the taste of coffee so I drink a ton of decaf.

Cellardweller 05-02-2021 04:46 PM

I would like to. Most of the things on my plate, I don't really want to do. Caffeine gives me a bump to get going on them. My teeth however are starting to become sensitive to acidic foods/drinks, so I may need to cut down on it. Sadly. I do find however that I treat it a lot like alcohol in that I'm usually feeling its ups/downs and work on keeping my up and managing my crashes. Funny, right?

TroubleAfoot 05-04-2021 09:18 PM

I drink a lot of caffeine. I have a really strong 16oz cup, in the morning, that I think is around 250mg of caffeine and, every afternoon, I follow that up with a 300mg energy drink. I sip both of these very slowly over a couple of hours (usually my coffee, with heavy cream, is cold by the time I'm done with it). On random days I'll even have a little more than that. Caffeine increases dopamine and, for me, it's a mood lifter and can make me feel better when I'm in a funk. Obviously, for others, the opposite can happen when it causes jitters and ratchets up your anxiety.

I do secular weddings (4 so far, over the past 6 years, and only for very close friends) and I recently found that getting loaded up on caffeine really helped me, believe it or not, to really relax, calm down and flawlessly perform the ceremony in front of 200 people. The other ceremonies I did went well too but I absolutely nailed that last one. I had the least amount of "nerves" than ever before. Caffeine is now my secret weapon if I am ever asked to do another one.

Now. . .having said all that I want to get off of caffeine. Besides dopamine it also increases the release of cortisol, the stress hormone. This is not a good thing and is probably why some get extreme anxiety on it. Now that I am sober and eating healthy I'd like to, eventually, see what could happen if I went completely clean. Besides anxiety, some people find that a lot of muscle tension goes away when they stop caffeine. They also report their energy levels are more consistent across their days. I've read that one needs to quit for at least two months to realize maximum results.

dancook99 05-05-2021 05:52 AM

I've been off for 4 months now. The thought of drinking a coffee gives me anxiety 😅 No more dips or headaches either.

MelindaFlowers 05-06-2021 09:45 PM

Nope.

Scd619x 05-10-2021 02:47 PM

Nope no reason to, more of a tea person though.


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