Quitting Coffee?

[CestMoi]

I quit drinking coffee for two years in my thirties. The hardest part of it was the week-long headache that didn't respond to any medications. I get migraines regularly, though, so I'm used to constant headaches.

I remember feeling more relaxed once I stopped drinking coffee. Eventually I missed it too much, though, and slipped back into the habit.

[radram]

  It is a mild addition to our household budget as well, probably around $2/day or so since we mostly make and drink it at home.

I realize this is not the main point of your post, but I have to ask:  A can of coffee is $6.00 full price.  Why does it last in your household for only 3 days?

I have been full cafe, decaff, and half caff at different times in the past 2 years, after I noticed I started getting lightheaded after a half pot of coffee.  Half caff now but thinking about going back to decaff.

[RetiredAt63]

I'm down to 1 mug a day of regular coffee.  I don't need it to get going, I have hot lemon water first thing (learned that from my Grannie), then breakfast, then the coffee (with the paper or the Olympics).  The rest of the day is decaf, or tea, or lemonade, or whatever.  I am not that great with milk any more digestively, but cream is fine (10% and up).  This seems like the optimum amount for me, I am OK with half that if schedule warrants but it feels good at this level.

Coffee and cream never affected my GERD, but sugar and carbs and wheat sure did.  Everyone's body is an N=1 experiment in finding what works best   ;-)

[Duchess of Stratosphear]

I'm off coffee!

I am still drinking a mug of Earl Grey in the morning and a cup of green tea in the afternoon, so I'm not off caffeine, but I can tell that I feel less groggy and strung out in the morning. I figure I'm getting about 1/3 to 1/4 the caffeine I was getting before, and I think it's a good change. I do love coffee, so I don't know how long this will last, but it's a good move for now. Thanks for the inspiration.

[neo von retorch]

Ha this is timely. I barely slept last night and already had 3 cups (10 oz) today, compared to my regular 2. And I was debating a 4th...

[Duchess of Stratosphear]

It remains to be seen how a night of insomnia will affect my resolve to stay on the wagon.

[neo von retorch]

I'm sorry to offer up anecdotes of my failures to aid in your own hidden agenda to fail back to coffee :-P

[Duchess of Stratosphear]

Yeah....this is the third time I've quit, after all. But for now, it feels pretty good!

I hope you get some sleep!

[oldladystache]

I just started using a little less coffee for the same amount of water. I didn't plan to quit, just see how dilute I could make the coffee and still enjoy it.

i always had a big mug in the morning.

At first I couldn't tell the difference, it smelled and tasted the same. So later I used even less and the coffee began to look a little weaker but it still smelled and tasted good so I was happy. After a while I decided to make it even weaker. That seemed fine too.

Then one morning I forgot to drink my coffee. I remembered later and drank it. It was always automatically waiting for me when I got up. But I began forgetting more often. Lots of thrown out weak coffee. Eventually I began to notice that I was forgetting it more often than I was drinking it. So I stopped making it.

It was probably 3 or 4 months from the time I started making it weaker until I didn't need it anymore.

[PAstash]

Sorry but that is just stupid talk :-)

When and if I am 90 and in the hospital, the IV better have a coffee drip.

This guy gets it.

side note great username.

[chesebert]

My husband has given up coffee twice now for Lent (40 days). He doesn't give up caffeine, so he drinks tea or sometimes soda (we rarely buy soda), or if we go out to a coffee shop during that time, he gets a chai tea latte or something similar. The first week has historically been the most rough, but he notices a significant change in himself after that. His ability to concentrate and focus is different when off of coffee. He sleeps better when he's off of it, too. I still brew a pot for myself in the morning, and he just ignores it and makes himself a cup of tea (or has iced tea from the fridge).

I think it's definitely worthwhile to attempt to give it up, at least for a month or so.

I am actually not entirely sure if tea is any better than coffee.

I drink probably 10+ cups a day and if I don't constantly drink tea, I would fall asleep or become very slow....

Sign for FIRE?