I'm giving up...
 

Caffeine!

I am 1m 5d 8h sober from alcohol. I've had my ups and downs and am *extremely* depressed these days. As in debilitating in many cases...might need professional psych help soon.

Anywho...

I've decided to give up caffeine to see if that will help my side effects. Waking up hungover, lots of chronic body aches I've never had before, always thirsty, tired, tired, oh and very tired all the time. My brain feels fried and I have a very hard time spitting out coherent sentences. I'm an absolute utter mess.

Hopefully no caffeine will help...yay for more withdrawals! I usually drink 2-3 diet pepsis a day and 2 diet rockstars too. Hell...I'll stop drinking diet stuff too. Water and water derivatives only! No more aspartame. I need to nip this lethargy before it causes me to do something drastic to myself...I'm deep in a rabbit hole and need to get out before I die down here.

So..all you folks, any advice on kicking caffeine? Tomorrow will be day 1 of no caffeine or artificial sweeteners.

I hate drinking plain water but enjoy sparkling water, and flavored waters. The last time I did the caffeine kick many years ago I caved with iced tea saying that it was healthy for me...pfft one thing led to another and I ended up with 8 tea bags for a single glass, that stuff was like acidic mud but it was delicious! Then I cut to the harder energy drinks. So total abstinence is key for this.

Caffein withdrawal is bad. Will take a few days. Sorry you're having a rough time. You got a support system?

Dude, is this a joke??

Gosh, that sounds hard. With regards to the extreme tiredness, I have been drinking fresh vege juice every day and it's made an incredible difference to my energy levels. It does require your own juicer, but if you don't have one and can afford it, it's a great investment.
If you are used to a lot of caffeine on a daily basis you could try weaning(?) I've given up coffee on several occasions and just having one mouthful on the first day of abstinence put a stop to withdrawals (I hope this doesn't count as medical advice!)
Re the extreme depression, I would suggest seeing a doctor. I did about two months ago, was put on medication, and I cannot believe the difference. No kidding. Good luck and hang in there. Hugs.

Dude, you should read your own signature prior to responding to anybody.

I'd say drink plenty of water. I quit most caffeine but gradually. I'd make a pot of coffee half decaf, half regular. Then bumped the caffeinated portion down from there. I also drink decaf diet soda if I want something fizzy and sweet.

I can feel it if I have caffeine. Like something's not quite right. Good luck and congrats on one month plus off the alcohol.

Sorry, thought this was another one of those "I'm in a bar drinking....", click on link, "....diet coke!".

I haven't encountered many of those yet. I'd happily change it to prevent confusion buy don't know how to edit an existing title. Do you?

I think there are probably other steps you can take to address your depression apart from quitting coffee or going to a psychiatrist. I'm talking about simple actions such as the following.

1. Eating three meals a day with lots of fruit and vegetables.
2. Doing regular exercise
3. Not smoking nicotine or marijuana.
4. Going regularly to a supportive group, such as AA.
5. Spending time with positive-minded sober friends.
6. Developing a spiritual life through reading inspiring books or praying.
7. Keeping a diary
8. Making a list of things you are grateful for each day.
9. Keeping your home reasonably clean and tidy
10. Striving every day to help other people and asking yourself each day what you unselfish actions you can take that other people would appreciate.

I don't claim to do all these things all the time. But when I do most of them as part of my recovery programme, I definitely feel happier. And I don't worry about having a few cups of coffee each day as part of a normal life.

We're with you on this journey. Let us know what more we can do help and support you.

I cut back on caffeine a lot but not entirely, after quitting alcohol I needed something to keep me going through the day at work, but then realised I was drinking far too much.

So what I do now is still have my 2 black coffees in the morning (the first of which is in my hand at this moment :)) and then I switch to decaf after that until I get home, my evenings are now coffee free and instead drink green/white teas.

On the whole my caffeine consumption is down but not cut out completely, everything in moderation. :)