Giving up Coffee

[Adam]

Ok last week I gave up drinking Coffee, I now only drink water at work or at home, in an attempt to become even more of a health freak lol. I used to find myself drinking up to 6/7 cups a day Problem I have is I'm finding my cravings for a nice frothy cafe latte so bad right now, I'm wondering if quitting Coffee is really even worth it? Can anyone here please, convince me I am doing the right thing, or tell me I'm stupid so I can go spend £1.05 of my hard earnt English money on a Coffee Help....

[skysaw]

6 or 7 cups a day is a lot, but one or two won't harm you. Sounds like a cutback was in order, but why completely shut off the flow of the NECTAR OF THE GODS? {coffee}

[Merlock]

Why do you want to quit it? Is it a serious health threat, like, say, commonly used drugs in society today? I've heard tea being placed on the same level as coffee - bad for health, some say. But I drink it nearly every day and I don't see any harm coming from it. I also drink apple juice regularly but just because, say, juices are good for you, doesn't mean that coffee or tea is bad, I'd presume. So, what's the reason for quitting coffee? (Not that I've never tried coffee before.)

[Adrenaline Junkie]

Coffee like all stimulants can be addictive but if i was you Adam i would just try and suplement something else that you like that is also healthy to keep your cravings at bay, also try and keep your mind busy. Also, don't quit staight away if you do, just cut down, make it 5 cups instead of 6/7 and work from there, but 1-2 cups a day is not bad for you, just do things in moderation and don't rush into things, hope things go well my master

[dodobird]

For me it's better to drink less of it, so that I will not built a tolerance. If I drink more than 1 cup a day I quickly become addicted, and then I need coffee just to feel reasonable. If I drink just one cup a day, ( and sometimes no cups at all ) than I really feel the caffeine when I do drink it, and I really enjoy it. And then on times when I need to be alert, such when needing to drive at night, then I can drink more coffee, and it helps to keep me awake and alert.

[Adam]

Well I feel more awake in the day believe it or not, and am staying awake for longer in the night but it can help in stress reduction (I am quite stressed at the moment, have a lot of life changing decisions which need to be made in personal and work life) Sleep problems, irritability, anxiety and depression are aggravated by caffeine too, ok I'm not depressed, or suffer from anxiety but do feel low a lot of the time... Also goals for achieving optimal health conflict with daily usage of caffeine so to cut it out I am hoping will help me feel better, and I do to a degree, but just crave a cup soooooooooo much!!! Since I have gone cold Turkey for 7 days now, I think giving in and having a cup would be like giving in? I have had a couple of cups of tea in the past 7 days though, perhaps I should cut this out too?

[Howie]

It's not worth it. Because I can't What I do try to do is limit ingesting other things with caffeine. Pop, teas, Excedrin, energy drinks etc.

[Burns]

One or 2 cups of coffee per day are not harmful - and I thought I read somewhere that it was beneficial in some way. But yeah, 6 or 7 cups is way too much, Adam! If you want to drink it, I don't think there's a reason to give it up completely - just have 1 or 2 cups and stop there. But if you don't think you can control yourself, then yeah, maybe stopping altogether is your answer. Personally, I don't consume any other caffiene - I never drink pop or anything like that. So I enjoy my 1-2 cups of coffee per day. I know for a fact I'm not addicted to it though, because sometimes I'll go a few days without having any coffee (just to test myself), and I never get headaches or anything. Yay for

[Howie]

Yay for Go Burns!!!!!!!!!!!

[Mes Tarrant]

I agree 1 or 2 cups is not bad. Don't give up tea. I think excessive tea is less harmful than excessive coffee. I'm a huge fan of fruit smoothies. Maybe you can substitute one of those. If they're made from fresh fruit you'll get the energy you need. Or if you havent already, you can try some fancy blended frappuccino (spelling??).. they're very filling, so maybe you won't be able to stomach more than 1 or 2.

[Adam]

I do drink Smoothies everyday too, I love them

[iruka2998]

would drinkin cappucinno twice a day affect my REM length etc if i drink more than 4 hours before i go to bed --- im a coffee/cappucino addict

[Never]

Drink green tea with honey. Nothing to worry about there if you take it easy.

[Alex D]

Everything in moderation I think. Try and drink mainly water, but maybe a cup or so of coffee a day?

[KuRoSaKi]

I find that recently I am dreaking a pot of coffee a day, but if you have been drinking a lot of coffee for a long time and stop suddenly you will get withdrawls since the caffeine in coffee is a drug so you might find yourself getting headaches etc. from not drinking coffee I say you either. 1. Wing yourself off of it. 2. Drink 2 cups a day AKA decrease your intake. 3. Find a replacement like tea. Something like that.

[Amethyst Star]

would drinkin cappucinno twice a day affect my REM length etc if i drink more than 4 hours before i go to bed --- im a coffee/cappucino addict I'm more of a sweeter-coffee-drink person when I'm getting something fancy, but I'll drink everything from drip coffee to americanos to mochas to blended drinks. Caffeine affects people in different ways. I've found that personally, I have a burst of energy about 10 or 15 minutes after I start drinking the coffee, but then about 7 or 8 hours later, I get another boost of energy. I'm not sure if it's a "crash recovery", but nonetheless there it is. That's why I try not to let myself drink much with caffeine after about 2 or 3pm. As for affecting your REM, it just depends on how you're affected by coffee. I don't think it'd affect your REM persay, but it could give you a rough time falling asleep and frustration sometimes causes you to sleep lighter. For me that means average dreams. I gave up coffee for 40 days and it wasn't as hard as I thought. Granted I was drinking about 2-4 shots per day, not as much as you (depending on how big your cups are), but I've also been blessed in that I don't usually get really grumpy or suffer from headaches if I go without caffeine. Again, it just affects people differently. Sometimes I just like to give my stomach a break from all the crap I throw down into it, so I'll take a day off of coffee... like today. Which in hindsight, with only 3 hours of sleep may not have been the best idea.

[Howie]

I'm more of a sweeter-coffee-drink person when I'm getting something fancy, but I'll drink everything from drip coffee to americanos to mochas to blended drinks. Caffeine affects people in different ways. I've found that personally, I have a burst of energy about 10 or 15 minutes after I start drinking the coffee, but then about 7 or 8 hours later, I get another boost of energy. I'm not sure if it's a "crash recovery", but nonetheless there it is. That's why I try not to let myself drink much with caffeine after about 2 or 3pm. As for affecting your REM, it just depends on how you're affected by coffee. I don't think it'd affect your REM persay, but it could give you a rough time falling asleep and frustration sometimes causes you to sleep lighter. For me that means average dreams. I gave up coffee for 40 days and it wasn't as hard as I thought. Granted I was drinking about 2-4 shots per day, not as much as you (depending on how big your cups are), but I've also been blessed in that I don't usually get really grumpy or suffer from headaches if I go without caffeine. Again, it just affects people differently. Sometimes I just like to give my stomach a break from all the crap I throw down into it, so I'll take a day off of coffee... like today. Which in hindsight, with only 3 hours of sleep may not have been the best idea. You are a sweat coffee drinker! ~Was this forty days AND Forty nights? Was it a religious fast? I think it is good to give your stomach a break too. I gave up fast food. That shit is crap. Or that crap is shit. I have tried to fast for a day a few times. I make it until about 7:00. Then I give in. How week is that?

[Vex Kitten]

I gave up coffee over a year ago, I think, and I'm so glad I did. It's great knowing I can start off a day without having to pump myself full of caffine. BUT... I'm addicted to French Vanilla Cappuchino. I only have it on the weekend as a treat if I've been a good girl all week. Perhaps you go without the coffee for a few days and treat yourself to one as an indulgence every so often, maybe wean yourself off it eventually. I quit fast food too. That crap really is shit. Great way to describe it Howie. hehe

[LBT Petrie]

Hmm. I just started drinking coffee about a month ago. Dont really like the taste and I feel really light-headed when I come down. I think I'm gonna stop too. Not saying that it will be that hard for me, but we can get through it together

[Adam]

Well it's been about 2 weeks now, and the cravings have gone finally, although I find I am struggling to get through the day at work now, although that might be because I am being kept up till 12-1am talking :p But think after another week or so I will be ok. I have been drinking a huge smoothie in the mornings with an Actimel. Once in work fill a litre bottle of water and stick to that, then after lunch I start to feel tired, but keep on the water and find myself going for walks around my office (almost a round mile to walk it all ) Thanks for the help and advice! Will keep you updated but already feeling better in the mornings and through out the day, just feel a little tired but sure this will pass p.s the other main reason for me giving this up is because at the end of the month I am going to be paying a few grand on getting my teeth made perfect lol - And after whitening them coffee and wine are two of the worst discolouring things you can do to your teeth, and since I don't smoke, I have given them up too

[Adam]

Hmm. I just started drinking coffee about a month ago. Dont really like the taste and I feel really light-headed when I come down. I think I'm gonna stop too. Not saying that it will be that hard for me, but we can get through it together Yeah sure, good luck to you, take the advice here, and we can work on this together Anyone else want to sign up, please do

[Mes Tarrant]

I wish I could afford enough coffee to get addicted. By that I mean fancy blended drinks. Won't drink anything else!!

[Adam]

It costs me a fortune!! Its £1.05 for a latte where I work, which is about $2.10 in your language, I think. Not sure if that is expensive for you, but this is work coffee, granted they make it from a fancy machine, but it should be subsidised really!! So the amount I drink adds up lol

[Mes Tarrant]

Oh I know all about pounds, I'm English at heart you know!!! Yeah that definitely adds up, especially with 6 or 7. Well saving money must be a good motivator.

[KuRoSaKi]

Pshhhhh my sister will only drink Starbucks coffee and I swear nothing is less than $5 there so you are looking at like $30 if you want 6 cups of coffee hahaha. Now that is expensive. But still $2.10 can get pretty pricey I understand luckily I don't have such a high fashioned taste so I can get the big tubs and have a pot of coffee every morning as long as there is enough sugar in it it's drinkable to me.