I've been about a week with no caffeine.

[Dave Gray]

I'm not a caffeine junkie, but I do have a coffee every morning and then I probably have an average of 1.5 Coke Zeros throughout the remainder of the day.

I've had an increase in general anxiety lately, so I decided to cut caffeine out entirely until I kind leveled out.

The first night, I had a headache for the entire evening.  It was super intense or incredibly painful, but it just lasted a long, long time -- I think I took some Advil and it depressed it, but basically, I had to just sleep it away.

The next day, I may have had intermittent headaches, but nothing too bad and really none since.

The big change has been in morning routine.  Coffee is a signal to my brain to wake up.  Once I drink it -- almost like one sip, it's like I move into a different gear.  Without that, it's a much slower uptake to the day.  For example, even right now, it's almost 11AM and I've been up and working for 2 hours, but I still don't feel like I'm activated yet.  It's really quite strange.  I'm up and can think but I definitely feel this haze of "pre-coffee" where I don't feel super sharp.

I bought a single pack of decaf coffee pods so that on some morning when I feel like I need it, I still have the ritual of the coffee, which helps it feel normal and I don't yearn for it as much. 

I don't plan on doing this forever....when these pods run out, I'll probably get back to it.

Do you drink caffeine regularly and do you ever stop?

[Sibster]

I usually have a large cup every morning.   Dunkin Donuts, Wawa, and Circle K are my favorite places to go.

Today, I woke up late and didn't have time to get any.   I'm moving much slower as a result and my head is swimming.

[Spider-Dan]

I usually have a k-cup at work each morning, out of boredom if nothing else.  But on my days off, drinking coffee is very irregular; I usually get up when I'm done sleeping, so there's just... no need for coffee?

When I make coffee at home, it's more because I enjoy making coffee than anything else.  During COVID, I got a coffee syphon and really got into the coffee world, including coffee YouTube channels etc.  The end result is that (at home) there are many times when I feel like making coffee but I'll just use decaf because it's too late in the day.

But at work... yeah, I drink a shitty k-cup every morning, basically like clockwork.

[Sunstroke]

Caffeine is my drug of choice...with a little pot sprinkled in at night for the bzzz. I drink a cup of coffee first thing in the morning around 5:30 (Gevalia, fairly strong), and usually slam that first cup in 5-6 hard swallows. Then I have a second cup on a slow sip.  While sipping the second cup, I put a pepsi in the freezer for 45 minutes, which creates a delightful pepsi slush. I'll have another pepsi slush late afternoon, with a few glasses of ice water or milk in between. I usually have another cup of coffee about an hour before bed...roughly 12:00.

[Phishfan]

I've never really been a coffee drinker. I tried for a little bit in college because it came with breakfast at this place I used to go but I was a pussy and needed plenty of cream and sugar. I drink 1-2 Dr. Peppers a day. Caffeine has never had a noticeable effect on me. I drink the soda for the taste.

[CF DolFan]

I drink a 20 oz cup everyday here at home although like Phish, I drink it like a 10 year old little girl. I started very young and never grew out of it. I did quit for many years but started back up in my 40s and haven't stopped. Just had to go 24 hours with no caffeine and honestly my body didn't seem to notice. For the record ... I drink Dunkin' that I buy for the house.

BTW ... Decaffeinated does not mean it doesn't have any caffeine. It just means most of it has been removed.

  

[Pappy13]

I've never been a coffee drinker, don't even like the smell of it, but I used to drink 2 or 3 Diet Dr. Peppers every day, then I had some issues with my kidneys that put me in the hospital. While I was in, I didn't have a single soda for several days and started feeling really strange and my wife and I realized that it was caffeine withdrawal. After that I gave up Dr. Pepper completely and started drinking cranberry juice with some diet ginger ale instead which is really sweet (what I liked about Dr. Pepper) but avoids the caffeine and is better for my kidneys. Been doing that for several years now and don't miss the caffeine at all. I still don't drink enough water, I don't find it satisfying to drink at all, but that's a different issue.

[Sibster]

UPDATE

Got me a 24 oz Colombian Dark Roast from Circle K on the way to work.   Now I'm feeling normal.

[pondwater]

I rarely do coffee, but I do mix up a pre workout every morning that has between 200-400 mgs of caffeine depending on my workout that day. 200-250 is the sweet spot for me, when I go higher I'll usually crash around 2-3 pm and wind up on the couch napping for a couple hours.

In my opinion, if you want to reset your caffeine tolerance, instead of going cold turkey, it's best to taper down over a week or two and then do a week or two with no caffeine. It really helps negate most of the withdrawal side effects. When you eventually start back using caffeine you'll want to start with the lowest effective dosage and then taper back up over time. Otherwise your tolerance will build up quicker. Everyone is different though, but that's just what works best for me.

[Dave Gray]

BTW ... Decaffeinated does not mean it doesn't have any caffeine. It just means most of it has been removed. 

Yeah, but it's trace amounts.  I'm just reading online and it removes AT LEAST 97% of the caffeine. 

I didn't do this, but I am reading that drinking decaf when quitting caffeine can help with withdrawals.

[Sibster]

Yeah, but it's trace amounts.  I'm just reading online and it removes AT LEAST 97% of the caffeine. 

I didn't do this, but I am reading that drinking decaf when quitting caffeine can help with withdrawals.

Same concept as drinking non alcoholic beer can help someone stay on the wagon, but there's a small amount of alcohol in non alcoholic beer, same amount as apple juice.   The difference is, a kid can go into a store and buy a half gallon of apple juice but can't buy a six pack of non alcoholic beer.

[masterfins]

Since I quit my 9-5 job a few years ago I have cut back from 6 cups a day to 2 cups, occasionally a 3rd in the afternoon.  The smell and taste of coffee signals my body it's time to drop a deuce in the morning.  If I'm in a hurry to leave in the morning and don't have coffee then my body skips the BM until the evening when I'm back home.