Don’t Be Afraid to Quit Caffeine
Even Temporary Measures Can Yield Long Term Insights
As I write this, I’ve got my favorite $1 Goodwill coffee mug (an antiquated Crater Lake souvenir that reads “Marty”) full of black bean juice that has been freshly ground and brewed. It tastes delightful, just like a breath full of crisp morning air after a deep sleep.
I repeat this process almost every morning, only seemingly adjusting the amount of beans I use or water that I pour into various contraptions to craft my stimulating cocktail. Being a caffeine addict for more than a decade and coffee aficionado for slightly less than that, I know the science and art of the different bean types, grinds and drip methods needed to achieve the desired results.
Yet as much as I love caffeine (and specifically, coffee), I will quit from time to time to simply get an insight into what role it plays in my life. In my 30 years of living, I’ve probably given up caffeine 12 or 14 times for various reasons, never knowing how long I’d go off or expecting miracle cures. Never have I regretted it, even when the physical symptoms of withdrawal overtook me and onlookers saw a frazzled young man cursing the skies with expletives thrown in for good measure.
By exploring your relationship to caffeine and how you consume it, you can actually learn a lot about yourself. Even a temporary break can yield tremendous results, and you should never fear trying it out. The worst case scenarios you are imagining in your mind are both better and worse than you think. Y’know, like any adventure.
The First Time I Quit
It’s slightly difficult to remember the first time I quit caffeine, because at the time I wouldn’t have been a strict coffee connoisseur. But if my aging memory serves me correctly, it would have been while I was a freshman or sophomore in college and partaking in a terrible diet of fast food, sugary drinks, coffee, Red Bull, and more.
Quitting caffeine and sugar at the same time is a nobleman’s challenge, and therefore I do put this attempt in high regard. Within hours of not intaking my preferred load of sugar, caffeine, and god knows what else, I had a massive headache. Not knowing anything about the half-life of caffeine or that there were ways to slowly wean myself off, I quickly surrendered the next morning after a terrible night’s sleep and various aches and pains in my muscles.
As physically painful as this was, you can’t help but learn from it. Caffeine can be a hell of a drug in high doses, but even interruptions in small to moderate daily habits can cause enough discomfort to “ruin” your life. One can learn about this all they want from medical textbooks, this Medium article, or YouTube videos, but once you’ve experienced it you simply know.
Hidden in Plain Sight
The thing that is probably most fascinating about caffeine is that its ill effects and dangers are extremely well known, just like alcohol. It’s not as if there is a conspiracy to keep this from the public, but that it is literally hidden in plain sight. The only thing that even comes close as a comparison is sugar, with the exception being that sugar can provide (poor) nutritional value as a carbohydrate.
In fact, it can be downright difficult to fully dodge caffeine in daily life because of it being hidden in products that won’t list it as an ingredient (such as chocolate). Ever wondered why certain pain relievers give you a boost and take away your headache? ’Cause you’re hopped up on the caff, bud!
The best bet for getting rid of caffeine in your daily routine is drinking water-based beverages, eating foods that biologically contain no caffeine (such as fruits, veggies, and meats), and carefully evaluating medications that you take for hidden caffeine. In a way, it can be fun to try and figure out if there’s caffeine in something and if the Caffeine Conspiracy Center is trying to get you mercilessly hooked to the newest version of the Reese’s cup.
Don’t Anticipate Bad Results
In parsing through all the times that I’ve quit caffeine for health or personal reasons, I’ve got to admit that sometimes it was downright easy.
Not only have there been a handful of times that I did not experience physical pain or withdrawal symptoms, but it was usually coupled with a “life change” moment or ability to master myself in some other way. Things would build up in intensity until I was simply done with this habit, beverage or supplement that was so ingrained in my routine. When I broke from the caffeine-supported habit, I was able to look at myself differently and see a causation-correlation relationship that might ring true elsewhere.
While it’s prudent to expect headaches, muscle pains, dehydration and a lack of bowel movements (nobody ever talks about this) when you rid yourself of caffeine, the plain truth is that it just doesn’t happen 100% of the time. One time, I remember putting down coffee when I was trying to mitigate a bad flare up of psoriasis and experiencing no ill results other than lack of enjoyment (I love the taste). Ultimately it did little to nothing for my psoriasis, and within a couple weeks I was brewing the Black Demon Juice once again to my ultimate satisfaction.
You might be surprised to find out that other than lack of stimulation or deviation from daily ritual, your caffeine “habit” passes with little notice. A minor headache or muscle spasms that can disappear with a routine dosage of ibuprofen might get you over the hump in one or two days with minimal willpower, and who knows what could be on the other side?
Life Without a Rushing Heartbeat
Caffeine is a mild stimulant that increases your blood pressure and activity of your central nervous system. This can be confirmed in any pharmacology textbook or encyclopedia.
What can be difficult to find out, and will be almost entirely located within the realm of personal experience is your reaction to no longer using it in your life. Whether you think this will be trivial or a grand remains to be seen, but even Michael Pollan reported that just 3 months of caffeine abstinence was a “psychedelic experience” when he got back on the train.
If you have anxiety and don’t currently take medication or try to mitigate it in any way, then you may certainly find out that have a reduced heart rate helps out with this. Sleep will come easier than ever, especially if you jump start your caffeine-less journey with a bit of melatonin. These are simply aspects of a calmer life without being so artificially stimulated, but you might experience any of these wonderful side effects once you’ve decided to put the caffeine down.
It’s a Bit Difficult to Describe the Calm
Have you ever met a Mormon and seen the physical calm and relaxation just behind their eyes? While Jesus is probably responsible for 75% of it, there is something to be said about not ingesting stimulants on a daily basis and letting the “natural” rhythms of life take over for maximum effect. While I don’t think it’s worth become a Latter-Day Saint in order to quit caffeine, it is certainly a point to learn from and observe.
After you’ve been caffeine free for approximately four days or so, you’ll more than likely notice that a brain fog has lifted and that you’re just “you,” without any artificial additives. Almost like a suburban version of detox and rehab, waking up and not ingesting caffeine continually throughout the day will feel like you’ve got a slightly new lease on life — somewhat akin to turning the volume down on a stereo that’s always blasting.
While it may feel more difficult to think, exercise, or do much of anything, I urge you to push through these feelings and see what happens on the other side. Observe how you feel and why you think you feel that way. Even if no clear answers arise, it will be an entirely new experience that you can continue to monitor and learn from.
You Can Learn to Pick It Up and Put It Down
Have you ever been at a party and seen someone smoke a cigarette that you didn’t know partook? Upon questioning them, they actually might not be a regular smoker, but remark that they can “pick it up and put it down” whenever they want to. It’s OK to be skeptical of this, but it does happen.
Believe it or not, some people are like this (you may be one of them) and it is an eternal thorn in the side of both medical doctors and health Puritans everywhere. Despite the various pieces of propaganda you may have heard, it’s entirely possible to try various things in life, from caffeine to nicotine or worse, and be able to decide whether it’s giving you something you need or outright harming you. Caffeine is no different as long as you get rid of the social habit and/or time custom that reinforces it.
Once you’ve quit ingesting your preferred caffeine source enough times, you will look at it as the same way you probably view the occasional cigar or a McDonald’s cheeseburger. It’s neither good nor bad at the end of the day, but in order to incorporate it positively into your lifestyle you need to balance it with the proper actions and precautions or face the consequences.
You’ll Never Know Until You Try
Do you even remember why you use caffeine?
Is it because you truly enjoy the flavor of the coffee, tea, or energy drink that you’re using? Are mountains of dark chocolate or various supplements filling the hole that you have somewhere inside? Or is it simply an addiction that you’re reinforcing because you don’t know what else to do?
After my long sabbaticals from caffeine, I always return to coffee because I truly love it as a beverage and health food. It’s so versatile, lovely, and a part of my Italian heritage that I enjoy immensely. I drink mine black, with coconut oil, and rarely have problems with sleep or energy depletion.
You don’t have to be crushing up No-Doz pills and blowing rails off of a subway toilet in order to question why a particular substance is in your life. Instead of accepting it as part of the mundane humdrum that is your caffeinated existence, go off of it for a while and see what happens.
Ya might just learn something.
