@fl_flower_grl Thanks for sharing your success with us! Best of luck testing your theory this weekend, though sorry to hear your kid has been sick. When I used to drink coffee, 95% of the time it was taken black (local air roasted, blueberry flavored light roast, freshly ground at home–because I’m a snob. ), though on occassion I would add a bit of heavy cream. Putting sugar in always seemed to give coffee a really weird flavor and texture to me, though I wonder if it is because the air roasted beans tend to produce a slightly more oily coffee. But anyway, I was never able to get on that train. Reducing the sugar in general, along with caffeine is a bit torturous, but at the same time I think it kind of helps me stay in line. It’s easy for me to over compensate with sugar when quitting caffeine, or to over compensate with caffeine when dropping sugar. I haven’t died yet, so I think that means it’s going okay so far
@anon74766472 chaos in your environment/life can definitely make quitting something more difficult. If it’s just that one and you hop back onto no caffeine, hopefully it will be easier for you to get through the shorter “back lash” from your body. We moved almost every year when I was a child and teenager, so I know very well how stressful moving is. Hang in there! This won’t last forever!
@Bootz thanks for posting the episode. I have it queued for later. That is excellent about your overnight HRv increase! Good for you! You are definitely right that unconsciousness is not sleep. You know, whenever I fell asleep from drinking, I would always wake throughout the night. Seriously horrible sleep. I haven’t read Dr. Lustig’s latest book. I actually didn’t know he had another out. I’ve read his first, but basically it was mostly what he has done lectures on. I’ll have to look it up. That’s good about not eating earlier in the day. My response to anyone who puts down the idea of not eating for several hours before sleep is how it helps our natural Growth Hormone levels. It really is an excellent thing to give some time between food and sleep.
Thank you. I have no idea yet. This move was awful. It was the first one where the kitchen was mine and tomorrow some friends, my brother and I will put it together. There is already some shit because they didn’t get the sink out of the countertop bc someone glued it there. Thank you for this
I am very stressed. Usually, I am relaxed relatively because in the evening I can start unpacking the boxes. But as the kitchen is completely a mess and I still have no real idea how and where to put the furniture. It’s just awful. I am still glad I found what I need to go to bed, internet is working and I watch some series.
I think you could say it’s related. What is the stress that is making it difficult for you to stay off caffeine? This right here.
I have never in my life seen a place where you have to literally bring your own kitchen like that. I’m glad you have some friends who will come help you put it together!
I know I will be off topic too, but I thought the same! @anon74766472 you had to take the entire kitchen? I was reading about your kitchen stuff, but didn’t really get the point. Germans are weird! (I’m German… )
Why? It’s not that usual that you have a kitchen in an apartment. I was lucky until last year there was always a kitchen inside the apartment or that I could buy it from the person who was in the apartment before. Of I’d sold it now, I’d still have to get an new one. So, I’d lose a lot of money.
In the US, apartments all have the kitchen built in and it belongs to the building, not to the renter; so the renter doesn’t take these things around with them. These are things the apartments must have by law (I used to own, and rent out, a condo), though technically the rental space does not have to have a stove or a refrigerator. Most that I know of tend to anyway though because it makes the rental more likely to be rented out.
I’ve always lived in the western US, so perhaps this is less of the case in other parts of the country. So this really was a surprise for me. It’s always interesting how things work in other places.
I know I’d probably fall off the caffeine wagon if I had to buy a whole kitchen and put it together when moving! Though I can see the appeal of having one’s own kitchen that they move around with them as well, even if it is stressful.
I’m down to 600mg/day. The plan is to stay at 600 tomorrow, then go down to 400 on Wednesday, do that for three days, then go down to 200 for 3 days, then 100 for three days, then nothing. For some reason it just feels harder the closer I get to zero, so I’m slowing the approach as I get closer.
I’ve stopped having the energy drinks and just pop the tablets. This means I’ve had to get over not having all the other junk they put in those drinks, which is good. Also there’s something of a habit built up in drinking them, so forces a disconnect in my brain and gets me used to not having that habit.
Once I’m off the caffeine, then I can reduce and remove the over the counter sleep aids, which are an absolute necessity for me if I have caffeine. I’m very much a stimulant/depressant swing person. This is just on the lowest scale possible, I guess.
We have been looking for a new bed (because ours is 20 years old), and hopefully that will help with sleep quality. I’ve been shutting miss kitty out of the bedroom if she becomes too loud and fidgety, which also has been helping with sleep quality. I set an alarm to feed her in the middle of the night when she’s shut out so that I can get her medicine to her on time. I love her dearly, but once she passes away I think staying caffeine free will be much easier because my quality of sleep will greatly improve.
All fingers are crossed that cutting down leads to a good result @Chiron
I reset my timer today. Nothing to say but that it’s the fucking habit.
Except last Friday when I relapsed. I felt like crap and one cup really helped me.
Hi, I’m new on here
Been getting sober for a few years now but as yall will know its not a one time thing, currently 4 months of the booze and going on for 2 months off drugs - which I mention because these things are caffeine have for a long time been intertwined. Especially as the winter months set in, I’d love to put baileys or tia Maria in my coffee, and that got earlier and earlier until I was drinking rum at breakfast like “fuck it, its Christmas” in November
But also, my ex-best friend/co-dependent enabler wasn’t much of a drinker, but she got me into weed and coffee - and yeah it’s the kinda thing you lol about, because it’s just weed and coffee - it’s not like we’re doing coke and molly all day everyday (just weekends with increasing frequency) but her thing (and mine too) was to smoke weed to come down and drink coffee to pick her up again and looking back I think that was just the defining characteristic of that whole relationship - just constant up and down, never in balance - which I think is on of the key drivers for addiction (for me certainly)
And you do think “it’s just coffee, it’s not a proper addiction” but I’m off booze (which was my whole thing since I was a kid) and off weed (which was my whole thing since I was in my early 20s) I quit cigs years ago without a bother, I even quit my meds - but caffeine?? Still doing it!! I’ve stopped having big pint cups of strong filter coffee - I’ve switched to tea, and the off latte - but yeah, it’s hard
I think it’s hard because it has the up and down bounce of drugs, but it’s subtle enough that you don’t get those “rock bottom” comedown moments the urge you to make a change, but it’s also so normalised that it’s nearly impossible to get away from, which in my xp is the hardest part about that
It is pumpkin spice season tho so, I guess I just gotta work up the courage to ask for decaff - like a nerd!
Cut down to 400mg today after a rough night sleeping. I’m pretty tired, but I am determined to get off caffeine and then stay off. Admittedly, I have eaten more sugar than I would like, but at the same time I know that is me trying to make up for the caffeine in my body.
I have started recording my food again. This is something I used to be religious about, but now I’m finding it hard to get back to. I’m doing it though because I know it is important in being aware of what and how much a person is consuming. This is helping me from diving head first into a bunch of sugar, which is good.
My plan is to try to get to sleep at a “decent” time in order to midigate some of the unpleasantries that come with quitting caffeine. Yesterday was a rough day and I wasn’t able to get in bed as early as I wanted. I know it would be so easy to take away my suffering in the moment, but I’m tired of this circus and all the monkies that have ridden on my back.
@Bekah212 Welcome to the community and to this thread. You’re right about caffeine and all the ups and downs that come with it being normalized. Society ultimately decides what is “normal”, but that doesn’t mean it’s good. Nothing wrong with asking for a decaf pumpkin spice! I have heard that some people in this thread have found some good decaffs. It might be worth the time to scroll back through the thread for that. You’ve got this.
@Fireweed Tapering is a good idea! Going slower can help with long term success!
Already half in day 3. Was somehow tired this morning. Well, it’s raining so lack of sunlight might be a reason. But: I got my first kettlebell workout done in my new place and feel a lot better now. I don’t have much in my to do list today nor the next weeks. Which is totally fine by me. There’s so much to discover here. Get an orientation.
Its almost 10pm and i find myself craving a good ol’ cold can of (Bang) liquid death. Not because of the taste, but just for the memory of energy I’d get. The moon is bright and beautiful tonight and I want to stay up and spend time outside. I can’t do that if i am forced to sleep by my body. Thats just how it is though. Eyes on the prize…
Tomorrow is my third 400mg day, but part of me wants to speed up the process to get it over with. I won’t though. My exhaustion and headache remind me that slow and steady is best here.
I’ve had issues falling asleep, despite being tired. This is normal at this stage for me. My energy levels, weirdly, haven’t been horrible.
When I used to drink coffee, 95% of the time it was taken black (local air roasted, blueberry flavored light roast, freshly ground at home–because I’m a snob. 
), though on occassion I would add a bit of heavy cream. Putting sugar in always seemed to give coffee a really weird flavor and texture to me, though I wonder if it is because the air roasted beans tend to produce a slightly more oily coffee. 
But anyway, I was never able to get on that train. Reducing the sugar in general, along with caffeine is a bit torturous, but at the same time I think it kind of helps me stay in line. It’s easy for me to over compensate with sugar when quitting caffeine, or to over compensate with caffeine when dropping sugar. I haven’t died yet, so I think that means it’s going okay so far 
That is excellent about your overnight HRv increase! Good for you! You are definitely right that unconsciousness is not sleep. 
I’m glad you have some friends who will come help you put it together!
Nothing to say but that it’s the fucking habit.
