I also went cold turkey and the headaches lasted until the 3rd day. After that I had a one week period of “perceived” lethargy…not sure if it was just in my head due to having read about it. Thereafter my energy levels were definitely flatter…no spikes but I do feel the afternoon slump now. I used to have about 4 cups per day. I’m happy without the coffee as I prefer the calmness…I am very caffeine sensitive.
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To be fair, I haven’t heard of anyone else who had it for that long.
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Yeah I went cold turkey for a year! Was great actually, clearer skin and mellowed energy all day. Mind you tho, I intentionally slept ALOT for first 3 days to avoid any such “withdrawals”… also dropped coca cola and alcohol same time haha.
And also replaced my morning coffee with rich green shakes and juices soon as i stopped too. Honestly do believed they helped a lot. And just keep moving! Generate your own energy. Do something that keeps you busy it doesn’t make you think about coffee 
fast forward couple years… I love my morning coffees again haha 
and don’t have a hard time going a few days without, busy enough not to notice honestly!
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Been advised to quit caffeine for migraines also, haven’t done it completely but now restrict myself throughout the week, and no zero sugar 500ml energy drinks, they’re evil. Tasty low calorie evil.
Don’t have to quit coffee completely, but a reduction can have significant benefits.
And when you do have a strong one it will blow your mind
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If it reduces the migraines its got to be worth it. Once my migraines stopped giving up caffeine was very easy.
I quit drinking caffeinated coffee this winter with the specific reason to get rid of the caffeine resistance that I had from drinking 2-3 cups a day. I had a headache for a good week while going cold turkey (switched to decaffeinated)
Now I use caffeine on race day, works like a charm. I still drink 2-3 cups a day, but sans caffeine, works for me!
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I can not quit coffee ever !! I love to drink coffee ,even sometimes on weekends I drink 3-4 cup of coffee easily …
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We did cold turkey once. Just stopped after the last of the regular coffee ran out and switched to decaf. Shittiest 3 days of my life with severe headaches. Ended up going back on regular coffee since it was almost impossible to get a decent cup of decaf anywhere and there were a few “incidents” where got regular coffee instead of decaf and it wasn’t pleasant. I just drink less now 1-2 cups a day.
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One post recently where someone stopped drinking alcohol, now this where someone is quitting coffee 
Lost for words 
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The general trend on the forum is hilarious,
Quit alcohol - yeah, go for it, no resistance etc
Eat healthy - that’s why you’re here isn’t it
Go vegan - loads of support
Give up coffee…WTF!!!
Are you mad?
Don’t be insane
It will be cake next!
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Quit coffee years ago - before I started cycling. Was on 4-5 cups a day just to get through the day
Life is better without the caffeine dependency - although I do miss the flavor
Definitely feel that I sleep more and better than the average office drone, but who knows how much of that is attributed to the caffeine
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Forgot about this thread!
Well back in May shortly after making this thread I ended up cutting down, kinda…
Lasted for a week or so, but then gradually just kept upping the intake again.
In August the missus was on holiday visiting family and friends and she went to her doctor for an overall checkup as she was having bad stomach issues for months (which I put down to stress), and to do one of those fertility MOTs.
After she got her tests she had a review with the doc who brought up a bunch of issues, but nothing serious. Seems the stomach issues were related to spicy food and black coffee, so doctor gave her a prescription and told her to lay off the caffeine if she’s looking to get pregnant.
Missus was already nearly a day fasted and hadn’t drank any coffee that day to do the tests so she figured she’d just try quitting coffee there and then. She messages me and fills me in and I said I’d have a go with her too.
So we both went cold coffee that day in August. Have to say at this point that there was zero chance in hell I thought she could genuinely quit coffee. Work culture and socialising here is all about coffee. I’m not a coffee lover, I didn’t even drink coffee really until I met the missus. Just not something I needed, always had loads of energy and was mentally sharp, and the more coffee got popular, the more I thought people were just being crap and I was naturally just a fitter person. That was until I got hooked on the stuff and fell into the routine myself. Missus had been drinking coffee since she was 15 and is a total grump without it, which is why I didn’t think she could do it. Even suggesting to her to quit earlier in the year was met with utter disdain.
Both of us logged the 2 weeks quitting and I’m going to be honest. It was absolutely miserable. Genuinely rough. The worst mood swings and irritation imaginable. Eyes feel like they’ll explode from tension. That’s the first few days mostly. I reckon loads of people wouldn’t make it past that if they’re heavy coffee drinkers.
After that comes the lethargy. You just don’t want to be anywhere except in bed. There is not an iota of motivation in any cell within you, you’re just a depressed slob. I did force myself to do a ride on day 4 and that helped a bit, but very temporarily.
It wasn’t until around day 7 to 9 I think that we both sort of picked up, and it wasn’t until a few weeks later that I’d say I was over the physical effects. There is a habitual thing that lingers though, like a long drive and you’re getting petrol… feels natural to get a coffee. That situation tags me harder than the daily grind, because you quickly change habits with stuff you do daily. But there’s something that stays with you like when you’re tired about a long effort or travel that coffee is the solution. Not a huge deal but I was travelling a lot around that time and it was always on my mind to stop off for a coffee.
Anyway nearly October! I drink decaf tea now and sometimes I’ll test myself by going all day without one to see if I’m hooked on caffeine a bit again… seems that it’s so weak that I can take it or leave it with no effect. Which is great as I have a comfort drink that tastes as good if not better and it’s not messing with me.
So if you’ve made it this far through the essay (and trust me this has been the short version, you really don’t want to know more about the misery of the first week), you’re wondering was it worth it?
Well the most obvious change, and it’s a massive one for me, is that my sleeping has totally changed. I would sleep around 10pm, and that was my routine for years. I’d wake up regularly in the middle of the night and I would be able to just get up at 5am and do whatever I wanted. Used to think that made me a boss, being able to rise naturally at 5 and do anything, fully motivated.
Now I get sleepy around 11am and the next thing I know it’s 6.30 to 7am and I’m feeling a bit sluggish. Takes me about half an hour to naturally come round, but when I do I’m spot on. I sleep all the way through, uninterrupted. Haven’t done that for maybe 8 years or more…
I’m way less stressed and anxious in general too, and I don’t have crashes and mood swings either. Just a more stable sort of mindset. It’s hugely noticeable. You still get stressed when you’re under it, but it’s more muted.
Now my biggest fear was cycling. Have to admit, I use caffeine for cycling, and have done since day one on the bike. I really thought this would hurt my ability to go hard or feel like smashing it. That was misguided. Doesn’t affect me either way one iota. Might actually be a little better at keeping the HR down, especially when it’s hot indoors.
tl;dr don’t miss it, and glad to see the back of it. Feeling better, but it was definitely rough. Hope anyone else quitting doesn’t have it as bad, but be prepared for it if you’re working, especially if it’s with clients. Team mates might shrug off your attitude but you might struggle to hide your irritability from people you don’t see often so it’s best to quit over a holiday break IMO.
Okay so that wasn’t much of a tl;dr. Sue me 
Also think I made a thread about fasting and cycling earlier in the year. Been playing with that since last week too with some interesting results. Will update that also once I’m further down the road, but so far, surprisingly good!
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Yeah, this. And if I’m not getting PAID to ride my bike I’m not over-thinking the benefits or side-effects of coffee. Life is wayyyyyyy too short.
I’ve been without coffee and caffeine now for two months. Counter-intuitively, I’m less tired during the day when I’m not having any caffeine (after the withdrawal symptoms have passed). I suppose that’s because of improved sleep quality and quantity, which is a huge thing. Even after a poorly slept night or two, I feel less tired on average during the day than when I was using coffee to stay awake.
I do miss drinking coffee though as I really like the taste and I even used to roast my own beans for espresso sometimes. I can feel the effects of caffeine even with decaf so I try to stay off it as well. It’s particularly hard if I get poor sleep for several consecutive nights and have a lot of work stress. Those times it’s so easy to slip and have a cup of coffee… which leads to even worse sleep and increased need for coffee. And if you have already had one cup, why not have another? That’s why my previous attempts to quit have failed and this one will fail eventually as well. 
If you want to quit, I also recommend doing it gradually to avoid the awful headaches. Also, give it a month or more, to get rid of all the withdrawal symptoms even when you don’t really notice them anymore. It really takes time to get back to a normal state if you have been regularly having coffee for years or decades. Once you are clean and have a cup again, you can really feel how potent stimulant the coffee really is. At least if you are as sensitive to it as I am.
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@Shrike I think if you are curious you owe it to yourself to give it a try. Let us know how it goes! I bet it will be no problem for you at all. Heck, if it makes you happier? That’s a big win, there.
I’ve drank coffee only twice in my life. Once to try it & once because I thought it was tea. So you can get along without it.
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I had the opportunity to borrow my wife’s Fitbit to track sleep. It’s not real accurate, but over several nights showed very poor sleep with a near total absence of deep sleep. Having read Matthew Walker’s book “Why We Sleep”, I started looking at things affecting my sleep. Decided to give up all caffeine, and have noted marked improvement in sleep. My former habit was one cup in the morning and sometimes one at noon. I didn’t go through significant withdrawal, just headaches for a couple of days. I would like to be able to have a cup occasionally, but the benefits of not are too great.
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Posted an update today, few posts up!
Agree with you, I don’t even think about it now, it’s no longer a thing. Looking back after typing the post earlier I’m like, seriously what’s the big deal. Seems pathetic that I was slaved to something like that. Bit sad to need to have something like a stimulant or else you feel low, or dulled.
Good on you for never getting sucked in though, quite rare to meet a non-coffee drinker. I only know one couple, who’re close friends of ours which don’t drink coffee.
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I gave up caffeine for about 9 months. I was never really a heavy coffee drinker and never drank energy drinks. I brewed it at home to save money or drank the free stuff at work. I started noticing I was having major problems with my sleep. After giving it up, I saw no improvement to my life. My sleep was the same and my overall drowsiness was the same. I had some withdrawals from it but nothing too major.
I really enjoy coffee. I like the taste of it and I like the social connection that it brings my life. I drink it now in the morning but no caffeine after lunch. My sleep is the same but I’ve gained the social aspect back.
Much like anything else, everything in moderation. The point at which you become a slave to it, you have an issue. To each their own. I saw no improvement from giving it up.
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Just made it to the end of the thread and read your last update. Sounds awesome.
From a financial point of view, do you think coffee avoidance saves you money? I once heard the story from a teammate that giving up starbuck’s twice a day for a year was enough to purchase a Trek Madone SLR. That sounds like a lot to me…
I quit coffee about a year ago and have went on to espressos 
2 years ago I quit going to Starbucks, spent a ton on an espresso maker and now make my own lattes. According to my wife, they’re 5x better than Starbucks.
The bad part is I can make em whenever, so an afternoon pre ride ‘bump’ isn’t uncommon.
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