The caffeine struggle j

[ertopolice]

Hi!

Ok so this is my second post on this section

Read some threads and comments regarding the topic and also watched Leo's inputs on these addictions in some of his videos.

Read about sport-gurus guidelines to quit

....BUT never ever been capable of it

 

I mean serious addiction with coffee in the morning just as i wake up

I need to take a FULL GLASS OF BLACK COFFEE w/o milk or any added anything to wake up and get to work..

I do not want to spend the rest of my life like this honestly. I've been working on night shifts and day shifts for many years and coffee was the only thing that kept me alive to fulfill my obligations but i realized time ago it was an addiction...and also even increasing my intake HAD NO EFFECT sometimes. Plus my beautiful aligned teeth that probably are much darker now

Today is day 1.

Tomorrow i need to wake up at 6.30am to get to work.

I do need that boost to be my day 2...and quit

Any tips from you actualized ppl? 

 

[Preety_India]

@ertopolice what I did was gradually reduce it and go some days without it. 

 

[Michal__]

Don't decrease your intake too quickly.

Let's say you have 300 mg caffeine ever morning now.

Take 250 for let's say 4 days, then 200 for another 4, then 150, then 100 & then switch to black tea, after 4 days green tea and then nothing for another 4 days.

After that you can resume drinking coffee again but hopefully more sensibly.

Trust me within a few weeks tea will actually be strong for you.

Also I noticed that garlic increases my sensitivity.

And if I do 1.5hrs+ concentration practice that day it resets my tolerance.

If you couple all these tips you should get rid off the addiction quite fast. I've done something similar multiple times and it worked. The addiction can of course return, but you now have a tool that allows you to go months without it if you prefer.

[mandyjw]

A metal straw keeps your teeth white. Don't demonize the coffee, that's how we create addictions out of minor issues in our head. Coffee isn't unhealthy for everyone, just pay attention to how it makes you feel. Pay attention to the positive reasons why you want to quit, having your own energy, having a clearer head, better sleep, etc. Also like others said, just cut back gradually, maybe cut 1/4 for a week, then another 1/4, then another. See how you feel. 

[ertopolice]

@Michal__

Concentration for keeping away from caffeine? wish it worked trust me. I began driving tons of black coffee to concentrate on my intelectual tasks at work+long shifts. 

Now I am also trying to start a meditation habit

@dflores321 Tht's the point. Just after waking up i feel i need that boost to get to leave the house and go to work..

however, that boost nowadays has minor effect due my tolerance to it

[ertopolice]

@dflores321 That's true..

I did not need it in the past and now i became a coffee junkie

Will try to replace it with some other thing and then start by cutting it drinking only a tiny tiny tiny cup

 

[Michal__]

17 minutes ago, ertopolice said:

@Michal__

Concentration for keeping away from caffeine? wish it worked trust me. I began driving tons of black coffee to concentrate on my intelectual tasks at work+long shifts. 

Now I am also trying to start a meditation habit

@dflores321 

Concentration meditation. It's way stronger than developing concentration by intellectual tasks.

1.5 hours concentration meditation ( https://www.google.com/amp/s/www.huffpost.com/entry/breath-counting-meditation_b_9698598/amp - there are 2 techniques on this link, do the breath counting one, if you manage to do the whole 1.5h, which is insanely hard on your first try, your tolerance will literally reset)

I understand if you're skeptical, but why not try it.

 

 

 

[ertopolice]

@Michal__ I will definately try 

Edited January 24, 2021 by ertopolice

[ertopolice]

update

5pm in my country

time to my second huge dose..

tried to not no take any at all but i feel SO sleepy 

my plan was to follow my reading of "the mind illuminated" but cannot keep on with it

so i made some coffee but only took a little sip

i will postpone my reading and get to the street with some podcasts

will report on the tomorrow on a normal working day

thank you all!!!

Edited January 24, 2021 by ertopolice

[Username]

I was also abusing coffee. Recently I got a smallest possible moka (1tz / 50 ml) instead of 100 ml one. I started with drinking more often but smaller amounts. Very often I wanted some coffee but I had to drink whole big thing.

If you drink 4 cups a day it's better to split it into 8. However in reality you will drink less cups (instantly). It also makes easier to cut amount of caffeine if you do it in very small steps. Reducing by 25% is hard.

Another idea is mixing ordinary coffee with decaf. I'm not sure why (maybe due to Armodafinil usage?) I became very sensitive. 25 ml of moka feels like way too much now. Probably I will start mixing coffee and decaf in 1:1 ratio.

 

Edited January 25, 2021 by Username

[ertopolice]

@Username my problem is that it was a matter of nr. of cups but of the intensity of it

Figure 200ml filtered coffee made of 200ml water+full coffee container filter of the machine. That was a dose. A full black intense 200ml take. 

Total craze.

So..i will considering splitting into little sips throughout the day or use the right normal quantity of water for that quantity of coffee...

 

[ertopolice]

UPDATE DAY 2

Work day

Consumed the same tiny sips of coffee x2 morning-early afternoon

ok at work

now getting to my gym routine

considering those caffeine pills which are much lower dose than my previous one of 200ml pure black coffee.. 

any advice on that @Username @Michal__ @dflores321 @mandyjw @Preety_India

THANK YOU!

 

Edited January 25, 2021 by ertopolice

[Username]

I would just gradually lower caffeine intake. Coffee with less caffeine is a good idea. I have an impression that my free will / willpower is very limited, so I try to be strategic about using it. I would rather try to drop addiction in 6 months or even a year without making serious effort. I prefer to use my willpower for other things like sticking to physical exercises, learning and fasting.

I'm also about to drink another coffee 

[ertopolice]

UPDATE DAY 3

Same as day 2

Bit of a headache last night and during the day..but fields ok

More vivid dermis during the last 2 nights. I never remembered my dreams in the morning and these last days feels kinda weird coming back to dream remembering

Struggling with the worry and fear of this COVID thing as a first line responder. Terrified have to say. 

Very needed self control and peace to handle this.

thank you all

[Village]

On 1/24/2021 at 2:27 PM, mandyjw said:

A metal straw keeps your teeth white. Don't demonize the coffee, that's how we create addictions out of minor issues in our head. Coffee isn't unhealthy for everyone, just pay attention to how it makes you feel. Pay attention to the positive reasons why you want to quit, having your own energy, having a clearer head, better sleep, etc. Also like others said, just cut back gradually, maybe cut 1/4 for a week, then another 1/4, then another. See how you feel. 

Caffeine is a nerve-irritant that makes your body produce stress hormones (cortisol and adrenaline), and the coffee beans themselves are full of natural toxins (seeds don't want to be eaten) and pesticides. Long-term coffee addiction is a straight ticket to adrenal fatigue, ruined gut flora and yellow teeth.

[ertopolice]

@Village Yes..prolongued expire to cortical kills ur adrenals..

DAY 4

Same level os alertness as day 2

Little he ache as previous day

Same thing regarding the vivid dreams

 

[ertopolice]

UPDATE 

1 WEEK OFF %75 COFFEE INTAKE

Ok for now

I struggle to have good sleep the last 3 days due to stress and work issues i guess

Yesterday morning i was totally asleep in my morning training at gym

Also, i keep feeling a little headache everyday. not so strong but i wonder if it cased by the caffeine withdrawal

Any inputs?

@Village @Username @dflores321 @Michal__ @mandyjw @Preety_India

Thanks for reading and ur support!

[Preety_India]

@ertopolice yes caffeine withdrawal absolutely 

[ertopolice]

@dflores321 totally!

saved lot of time in the morning tbh

btw i've read coffee + dark chocolate is good for brain function so i kinda feel pity of deciding going totally OFF from it

[Michal__]

10 minutes ago, ertopolice said:

@dflores321 totally!

saved lot of time in the morning tbh

btw i've read coffee + dark chocolate is good for brain function so i kinda feel pity of deciding going totally OFF from it

After you build up to a month without coffee you can use it again in moderation.