Right there with you, dropped all coffee and other caffeine three days ago, but cheated at some point on day 1 (midmorning I think) and drank someone else's leftover coffee. Still, nothing since then. No headache, but my energy and drive to do anything productive are very different.
Discussion
Different how?
I still have energy, but no desire to do much with it? I've watched a ton of youtube, but not done much else productive over the last few days, aside from the things I absolutely had to do. I assume that will clear up in a few more days. More curious about what changes will happen with sleep, but too soon to tell (and too much other stuff impacting it)
after 2 weeks clear the main thing I can say is that it takes time for the metabolites of caffeine to get out of your blood, and you may get some odd things happen along the way as your blood pH returns back to normal, you will have more oxygen carrying capacity and a load is taken off your kidneys.
I'm surprised it hangs around that long, given how fast the withdrawal sets it.
the withdrawal is really nothing, but i'm not sure you are aware how long lasting the metabolites are.
i had a condition called "gout" some years back that was related to dehydration and caffeine metabolism. it blocks up fine capillaries all over your body especially your skin.
i have again been seeing this, and gradually the blood vessels are clearing out. i've also been having odd problems with my teeth and part of that has been related to the way that caffeine's metabolites literally clog up your fine blood vessels.
caffeine is nasty stuff, a lot more nasty than you'd think. almost all of it turns into uric acid and clogs up your blood and kidneys for weeks after you stop.
this is also why many people are addicted to both caffeine and alcohol, as the alcohol thins the blood and reduces the bad side effects of chronic caffeine use.
Wow, I'm glad it's clearing up for you. Gout is not fun condition to deal with. I had no idea caffeine stuck around that long but I'm glad I do now. This could be a more interesting adventure than I expected
I'm still enjoying my afternoon caffeine at this point. I can't imagine cold turkey-ing this. Bravo! Keep it up!
You too! Looks like there's a few of us on this journey presently.
Another thing to add - I'm definitely hungry more. Coffee worked nicely as an appetite suppressant, especially in the morning. I may not be able to skip breakfast for a while!
I'm noticing that too. It works out well. I just recently started breakfast again after years of one meal/day. It's difficult "training" myself to eat in the morning again but ditching coffee in the morning is making that easier.
I have my omad in the mid-morning. Decaf coffee helps with the caffeine ritual part too.
I personally can't stand decaf. I roast & brew for a living and decaf is just very different, I've become accustomed to a distaste for it.
It certainly is different, but I find the ritual of morning coffee is more powerful than the actual drink or the flavor. It’s ridiculous, but like smoking, I think fixation and context were more powerful factors is the challenges of quitting than nicotine ever was.
I don't think that's ridiculous at all. It makes perfect sense. We are creatures of habit. The rest is just chemicals.
the brainwashing that these things are good for you is the worst and hardest part of breaking the habit, even when your symptoms from their damage are so bad you are, like i was, literally losing your vision, your ability to walk even...
and it's not just stuff we eat and drink and inhale, i also have put down the phone and stopped using it, i don't even have a nostr client on it and don't run any chat clients on it anymore and in fact, avoid taking it with me unless i'm going to really unfamiliar places.
Right. There's trade-offs with some things so it's always worth weighing all sides. I think the most important thing is to figure out what works for your body, your mind, the condition you're in, and the lifestyle you want to achieve/maintain/get away from. And finding ways to transition there. That's the tough part.