r/decaf

I quit cold turkey at the beginning of the year. I was pretty dependent on it, drinking at least 400mg a day. I wanted to quit for a month to see how I did, but I ended up pushing it to three, and then six, etc bc I felt so much better.

To anyone going through it right now: I had drank coffee basically every single day since middle school (as someone who is currently in their mid 20s). So roughly 10-12 years of daily use, multiple cups a day, plus energy drinks when I got older. I say all that to say: I’ve only just recently broken through the withdrawals entirely. I sleep like a baby every single night, I don’t crave it anymore, I wake up feeling more energized, I fall asleep more easily, etc.

Stick with it! I got discouraged from seeing posts that were like “I quit for two weeks and my life is 1000x better” because my withdrawals were much more drawn out than that. But once you reach the other side it’s so worth it. Everyone has their own timeline

I would like to know your weird stories. And the timing of the wild side-effects during your withdrawal.

I think my nervous system and digestion has been affected the most . Starting 10 days after I gave up. I went back to coffee during month 3 of no caffeine.

The longer I continue drinking caffeine the more frustrating the quality of your life becomes.. it keeps you stuck in a loop of highs and lows. Dependency and withdrawals when you stop. It doesn't make you more productive on the things you actually want to accomplish in your life that requires a stable mind and nervous system that isn't constantly stimulating and running off stress hormones.. caffeine is the most annoying addiction ever. Off of caffeine im naturally more productive, confident, energetic and just flow with life.

I'm back to say I'm quitting AGAIN. I was off caffeine for such a long time, maybe about four months and really really enjoying the positive effects of being off of it. My anxiety was damn near zero, I truly felt like a kid again, music sounded better, I had a greater appreciation for time spent outdoors, and my sleep was INCREDIBLE. But I never got over the temptation of "well, just one cup of tea can't be that bad." one cup turned into two, which turned into three, which turned into 4-6 cups of tea/coffee plus energy drinks. I was back to square one.

So here I am at the end of day three of cutting out caffeine cold turkey. I'm SO motivated to really see this through to at least a year. I absolutely love who I am off of caffeine, but I just need to remind myself that it's never just "one cup".

If you guys would like to keep me and others (and yourselves!) motivated, please drop some comments about how being caffeine free has changed your life. 🩵

2 weeks. I am more awake and alert than I ever was when I drank coffee. I don't have to drag myself out of bed. My eyelids aren't drooping all day. My sleep is worse, but it's really back to how it was before I started drinking coffee, and I don't need as much sleep as I did before anyway. Also, it's way easier to get myself to go to bed, because my evenings are actually satisfying now, and time moves slow enough that I don't need to stay up late to feel like I've done something. It's incredible how easy it is to get a full night's sleep.

Also how easy it is to do chores... It used to take my whole weekend just to do the laundry... This weekend I cleaned my room (for the first time in months), did laundry, made my bed, cleaned the cat litter, vacuumed, worked on job applications, and I still had time to socialize multiple times. It's incredible; I was barely functional before. Even at work, I feel way more engaged, way more present.

I can't believe I lived like that for so long...

I can not taper because I will end up relapsing. How did you quit?

I had one small, weak coffee today. Down from 2-3 big strong ones. The headache is here but it's mild. Tomorrow I have nothing. Quitting my little nicotine relapse too (just a few days). I will be free.

Wish me luck and give me tips for coping, please.