So this is kind of a new thing for me ... but I can honestly say that I have been caffeine-free now for almost one full month!
How did it start? By accident. We ran out of soda one Sunday, and never went out. You see, I despise the taste of coffee, so I typically got my caffeine fix from diet sodas (mostly either Coke Zero or Diet Mountain Dew).
That Sunday I was miserable, and my wife challenged me. "You still think you are not addicted?" she asked. So I took the gauntlet that was thrown.
Monday was one hundred times worse than Sunday. I went to work and suffered through some horrible headaches. I was exhausted, and my whole body hurt.
Tuesday everything changed. It was the most awake I had felt in a long time.
That was the great contradiction. I didn't realize how tired I felt drinking caffeine all the time until I didn't drink it any more.
I'm not going to tell you that caffeine is necessarily bad, or that it doesn't help certain people. But I CAN tell you that since I stopped drinking all that soda, I've felt MUCH better. I don't know the science behind it, but it worked for me.
Just know this - if you are a caffeine "junkie", and you decide to quite, the first two or three days will be absolute hell. You can't say I didn't warn you! I'm not one for public service announcements, but I just wanted to pass along my recent experience on this.
So what about you? What are your thoughts about caffeine?
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Rudy and Trish are the main characters in our two published short stories in the "Evernight: Romance in a World of Darkness" anthologies. You can get to know them as well as get 23 other great stories! Here's where you can find them:
I remember cutting down from four cups of coffee to one when I was pregnant. (And yes, that one was approved by the doctors for those of you who just gasped.) My first week was terrible! Oh my gosh I thought my head would explode! Now I drink 1-2 cups a day, but I find that if I miss a day I don't get that horrible feeling. Good for you for cutting it out! Me however, I'm keeping my caffeine and my coffee!
ReplyDeleteAnother thought about you feeling better after cutting it out, think about all the fake sugar and sweeteners you were consuming...I bet that played a big part.
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DeleteI have thought of that actually ... since I never liked or drank coffee LOL ...
DeleteHi Aaron, I was a Pepsi a day junkie and one day we decided to just cut out unhealthy sugars and caffeinated drinks because I had a hard time sleeping at night from the coffee and caffeine I'd consume during the day. I still must have my a.m. coffee, but I have felt better cutting down on the soda.
ReplyDeleteAnother thing I've noticed is how much more water I'm drinking now, which is probably a good thing.
DeleteAaron you rock man! I haven't made the leap yet to give up caffeine. In October I finally quit smoking, a habit I had swore I would never take up, yet when I was 15 I smoked my first cigarette. I never thought I was a heavy smoker. It used to take me 3-4 days to go through a whole pack but even one cigarette is too much. I figure one day I might kick the caffeine monkey too but right now I can only give up one bad habit at a time.
ReplyDeleteIt's definitely not an easy thing ... none of it is LOL
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