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Rank: Matriarch
Joined: 12/6/2006
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In a bid to improve my inner health, I'm going to stop drinking coffee (well, caffeinated coffee as a start - decaf for a week, then none) for a month. I've not done this since I first started drinking coffee regularly, probably 1985. http://www.squidoo.com/CoffeeHarmA few cups per day are fine judging by the research, however I've been consuming probably 3-4 per day for a long time, and want to cut it out. Coffee is particularly bad for your kidneys - along with red wine, another of my favourite vices I need to cut back on  I've read that caffeine is the main ingredient in coffee to do harm, particularly to the nervous system, however decaf isn't that much better from the looks of things: http://www.buzzle.com/articles/is-decaffeinated-coffee-bad-for-you.html (and it still contains up to 3% of the caffeine). A friend of mine did it successfully and stayed off coffee for months and months. One day she had a cup of caffeinated coffee served to her by accident, and said she was shaking at the end of it. Has anyone tried to do this themselves? 
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Rank: Lurker
Joined: 11/30/2006
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I used to drink coffee by the carload. It started effecting, or is that affecting, my stomach in a bad way so I just quit. Didn't seem to really bother me all that much but, I've known people really addicted to the caffeine. If you are, can I request vacation time until it's all over? 
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Rank: Her Royal Spriteness
Joined: 6/18/2010
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Location: Oz, United States
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i have, Nic. i am, admittedly, addicted to the stuff, but everyonce in a while i try to just go cold turkey - it's never pretty - i get headaches for a bit and i get really irratable and feel run down until my body adjusts... usually, it's not long before i give up and vow that i will just drink less of the stuff, but then, that never lasts either and i am back on the juice - i HAVE managed to cut down in the last few years, tho, and now i think my intake is pretty sane :)
 Bitches in the Basement on Amazon by our own Dancing Doll
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No coffee?? *shudders* never!
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Joined: 3/3/2009
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Location: Victoria, Australia
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At most I drink a cup of coffee a day, and some days I don't have any. I usually drink green tea, but that has caffeine in it too, so I'm not sure how I'd go giving up caffeine all together.
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Rank: Forum Guru
Joined: 3/1/2009
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I wouldnt last. I dont function well without coffee in the morning.
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Rank: Alpha Blonde
Joined: 2/17/2010
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Wow... I probably have about three cups of coffee a month. When I'm exhausted and I need that burst of energy, I'll have a coffee or double espresso and I'm ridiculously wired. It's the same as indulging in Red Bull. I like to save it for those times that I need it and then I know it will work perfectly. I've never been a huge coffee fanatic. I can take it or leave it....
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Rank: Matriarch
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chefkathleen wrote:I used to drink coffee by the carload. It started effecting, or is that affecting, my stomach in a bad way so I just quit. Didn't seem to really bother me all that much but, I've known people really addicted to the caffeine. If you are, can I request vacation time until it's all over? I have a similar issue, and have been told to cut back on coffee and alcohol in particular. A double whammy. I don't have any cravings at all today which is a good sign, and am no more irritable than normal 
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Rank: Lurker
Joined: 11/30/2006
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I am not a coffee drinker...but I used to be a Pepsi-a-holic. When I started cutting back..I got really bad headaches. It sucked, but eventually my body adjusted!
Good luck, Nicola, you are a brave woman!!
Sassy (:
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Rank: Lurker
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I was a heavy coffee drinker for many years. Then, about 2 months ago, I quit. I weaned myself off of it slowly for a few days. Even with that, I still felt terrible for about 2 days after I quit. This was followed by 2 weeks of feeling tired and having some mild physical withdrawal symptoms. But after that, the fog lifted, and I am now very glad I quit. My energy level generally is much higher and more stable. I no longer experience the daily roller coaster of ups and downs caused by the caffeine. I'm eating less, and even losing some weight. And I've broken my unhealthy relationship with a certain Seattle-based corporate giant. Overall, a definite improvement.
I don't know whether my experience is typical or not. But I do think it is worth at least trying. Just be prepared to "gut it out" for a couple of weeks before you start to really see the upside.
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nicola wrote:chefkathleen wrote:I used to drink coffee by the carload. It started effecting, or is that affecting, my stomach in a bad way so I just quit. Didn't seem to really bother me all that much but, I've known people really addicted to the caffeine. If you are, can I request vacation time until it's all over? I have a similar issue, and have been told to cut back on coffee and alcohol in particular. A double whammy. I don't have any cravings at all today which is a good sign, and am no more irritable than normal OMG! You were told to cut back on both coffee and alcohol??? OMG...that would be my worst nightmare...I would die... Nothing in a Stephen King novel or Dante's Inferno could match the horror... OMG...my heart goes out to you, my deepest sympathy... I need a drink now...
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Dancing_Doll wrote:Wow... I probably have about three cups of coffee a month.
When I'm exhausted and I need that burst of energy, I'll have a coffee or double espresso and I'm ridiculously wired. It's the same as indulging in Red Bull. I like to save it for those times that I need it and then I know it will work perfectly.
I've never been a huge coffee fanatic. I can take it or leave it.... I not sure I have had 3 cups of coffee in my life! Just don't like the taste, but love the smell of fresh brewed coffee. Go Figure!! But could never give up tea or Diet Coke!!!
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Nic
I feel that if you have been able to go from regular to decaff you can make it. I love having a hot drink in the morning, it is the best part of my morning routine. A nice cup of herbal tea is an excellent replacement for coffee, once you are off the caffeine.
Good luck!
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Rank: Lurker
Joined: 11/30/2006
Posts: 327,178
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Nic,
Congrats if you can do this. At times I feel like a cop with the amount of coffee that I do drink. A radio jock has nothing else to do all day... so I know I would fail badly. I tried once and it was like I just tried to quit smoking.. I got bad headaches.. and a case of the bitchiness.. something I shall not attempt again.
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Rank: Lurker
Joined: 11/30/2006
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I think it would be like cutting off my fingers. Do not think I could function without coffee in the morning. I have cut down from about 5 cups to 2, but never go all the way. Hope you can do it, especially if it is for your health. Good Luck.
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nicola wrote:Has anyone tried to do this themselves? I read in a medical journal a few years ago that there was a correlation between 'some' heavy drinkers of coffee which showed those people involved in that particular study, were also heavy alcohol imbibers. I've cut down a lot on my alcohol intake. But I still drink a pot or more a day of coffee. I once went four months without coffee or cigarettes. Cold turkey. The first week I was miserable. After that, it was a walk in the park - I had a few other things to worry more about, heheh.
 The best thing you can do for your fellow,
next to rousing his conscience, is - not to give him things
to think about, but to wake things up that are in him...
to make him think things for himself - George MacDonald
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Rank: Advanced Wordsmith
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I gave up drinking coffee. At one point I was on 6-8 cups a day. Around the time I quit, I was only drinking a couple. I have a lot of problems sleeping, so have decided to cut all caffeine out of my diet.
Occasionally in the morning I have some type of green tea if I need a boost. It has far less caffeine, but mostly I take Spirulina when I need a lift, and it doesn't stop me from sleeping
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nicola wrote:In a bid to improve my inner health, I'm going to stop drinking coffee (well, caffeinated coffee as a start - decaf for a week, then none) for a month. I've not done this since I first started drinking coffee regularly, probably 1985. http://www.squidoo.com/CoffeeHarmA few cups per day are fine judging by the research, however I've been consuming probably 3-4 per day for a long time, and want to cut it out. Coffee is particularly bad for your kidneys - along with red wine, another of my favourite vices I need to cut back on I've read that caffeine is the main ingredient in coffee to do harm, particularly to the nervous system, however decaf isn't that much better from the looks of things: http://www.buzzle.com/articles/is-decaffeinated-coffee-bad-for-you.html (and it still contains up to 3% of the caffeine). A friend of mine did it successfully and stayed off coffee for months and months. One day she had a cup of caffeinated coffee served to her by accident, and said she was shaking at the end of it. Has anyone tried to do this themselves? How's it going? : )
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Rank: Matriarch
Joined: 12/6/2006
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myself wrote:How's it going? : ) The decaf just isn't doing it for me...but it's helping a little. It's early days!
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Rank: Lurker
Joined: 11/30/2006
Posts: 327,178
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I suggest taking it down by a cup a day so if you are having 4 then 3 for a week. Then lessen it until you can have one cup every other day and slowly wean yourself off. I found tea really helped me.I had to cut down because the coffee was giving me really bad headaches. So slowly not cold turkey because like most things if you just cut it out you might get headaches and other craving symptoms.
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Rank: Lurker
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Good point Lois. Some people can't do cold turkey in quitting things.
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nicola wrote:The decaf just isn't doing it for me...but it's helping a little. It's early days! It's tough to go cold turkey. I'd try mixing decaf and regular for a while, little by little increasing the ratio of decaf to regular until you're drinking straight decaf. Then you should be able to give it up completely with no adverse side effects. Actually, most of the articles I've read about coffee in the past year are about its health benefits, not risks. I understand if you need to give it up, though; my husband can't drink coffee at all, even decaf, because of stomach problems.
Maggie Rascal(Please note, I am no longer active on Lush and will not be responding to messages or friend requests.)
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Rank: Divine Rapscallion
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Loislane wrote:I suggest taking it down by a cup a day so if you are having 4 then 3 for a week. Then lessen it until you can have one cup every other day and slowly wean yourself off. I found tea really helped me.I had to cut down because the coffee was giving me really bad headaches. So slowly not cold turkey because like most things if you just cut it out you might get headaches and other craving symptoms. LOL - I was typing my reply as you posted this. Stepping down is a good idea, however it's done, I think.
Maggie Rascal(Please note, I am no longer active on Lush and will not be responding to messages or friend requests.)
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Rank: Lurker
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I love coffee but have always been more of a tea drinker so to give up coffee probs wouldn't change me that much :p
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Rank: Lurker
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WHAT??!! Give up coffee??? ...somebody better have a set of jumper cables and a damn strong battery at the ready. I kick-start my day (actually - body) with a strong cup every morning and couldn't imagine starting without it. It's become the norm. And as for going cold turkey - good luck Nicola - may the force be with you luv - LOL - good luck
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First up, let me say that I was drinking up to 10-12 mugs of coffee a day and it was all down to my profession. I never knew how 'addicted' to caffeine my body was until I read an article on the damaging effects of too much coffee about 5 or 6 years ago so decided to go 'cold turkey'.
OMG - what was I thinking!! I had the shakes, intense migraines, the works for about 2 weeks as my body cleansed itself. Don't even kid yourself that decaf works, it didn't.
Anyway, I still drink coffee, but deliberately limit myself to one, possibly two in the morning. That leaves me free to enjoy a cuppa tea at around 3pm.
Best of luck Nic.
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Day 3: 
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one day at a time
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Good luck to ya, Nicola.
I know it can be difficult, even though I've never been a fan of coffee (maybe drank the stuff twice in my lifetime), my hubby was a big time coffee drinker and favored the Columbian dark roast stuff. Almost a pot he would go through every morning for quite a few years. He started having bad stomach troubles and figured out it was from drinking so much coffee for so many years. He didn't quit cold turkey but weaned himself off pretty much over the course of a couple of weeks and then was done with it for good. He was still a bear to deal with some mornings for a while lol. That was a couple of years ago. The stomach problems lessened dramatically, he still gets a caffeine fix with tea or soda here and there...but he says he doesn't miss the coffee at all anymore.
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Aww Good Luck with this venture! *hugs*
I hope it is something you can achieve, and I'm sure with all this support you will do just fine :) I can't say I've ever been in the same position - I just love Hot Chocolate and Squash buy the bottles :P You should make a diary or something to help with your thoughts/frustrations and you'll look back and giggle at them ;)
SM x
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