
Why I Quit Coffee and How That's Been Working Out - hachiya
http://www.humansarenotbroken.com/why-i-quit-coffee-how-thats-been-working-out/
======
dvcc
I really never enjoy anecdote-experiments, there always seems to be too little
information to conclude anything.

Under the takeaways after two weeks, he mentions that it was easier for him to
fall asleep and wake up. But there is no mention on the number of hours
pre/post the experiment and no mention on what times he would drink coffee. If
he stayed awake 18 hours when he drank coffee and only 16 hours when he
didn't, it would make sense he felt more awake in the morning.

I guess I am just annoyed at any of the claimed health benefits through a
small anecdote.

~~~
moonshinefe
I had the same thought. Correlation certainly doesn't equal causation, and
there's really not enough context or info in the post to say it's one or the
other. Anecdotal at best.

------
richardwigley
So the op has stopped drinking coffee and was clear of headaches which he
thinks is due to Dandy Blend.

However, he is still getting a considerable fraction of the caffeine he got
previously, but now from tea. If he is still taking the active drug, Caffeine,
why would he expect any withdrawal?

~~~
draebek
Agreed. I think black tea, in particular, can have like 75% of the caffeine in
the same quantity of coffee. See, for example, the table at
[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Caffeine#Natural_occurrence](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Caffeine#Natural_occurrence)

~~~
wordbank
There's obviously some difference in metabolism of caffeine from coffee and
from tea.

I drink 3-4 huge 0.5L cups of green tea during the day and it has no
energizing effect. I rarely drink coffee but when I do, it energizes me a lot.

------
gz5
Disclaimer, coffee-lover here.

I have extensively researched pros and cons of giving it up, as well as done
experiments on myself (going on and off, changing frequency, changing volume,
changing diet around the coffee, etc.), because I am very health conscious,
and don't like to feel I am "addicted" to any one thing.

So I hope I am not rationalizing based on my bias, but I see a wide
distribution of research results (and anecdotal evidence like this article),
so I think it comes down to the individual.

Certainly lifestyle, diet and health, but quite possibly specific to the
genotype. We now know that specific mutations, alterations and combinations
impact everything from how you digest (or don't) folates, gluten, sugars etc,
and the impacts of all those (and more) on serotonin, dopamine and other
neurotransmitters.

What is the possibility that we find the same for coffee/caffeine - that it
impacts us each differently? Strong, from what I see.

And we know very few things exist as islands or vacuums...what about the
myriad of combinations of genetics, environment, diet/nutrition, exercise,
sleeping habits, type of work, emotional health, sun exposure, etc?

I know the above is not helpful to those of us looking for simple, binary
"answers", but I am not sure those exist for something as powerful as
coffee/caffeine.

If HN folks know of more research that disproves (or is at least evidence
against) that hypothesis, then I would love to read it.

------
joslin01
I just quit coffee last week. Crazy that it's been a week now. I had gotten
sick and didn't have any coffee for 2 days. This prompted me to just go all
the way and stop it altogether.

One big thing I saw drop was my anxiety. Anxiety has been passed down by my
father, and while it's somewhat mild in me, my dad & sister would be having
panic attacks at my age. For me, I never went into a straight panic but it can
be hard for me to feel safe. I'm a very hard worker with a lot of
responsibility, so of course the anxiety has plenty to feed upon ("This isn't
done, gotta do this, gotta do that."). Coffee would fuel that kind of behavior
as if it were some kind of battle and take it all on. Then when the inevitable
crash came, I would have to be looking to supplement it.

Like I said, I'm only a week in but what the OP says about waking up is very
true and probably my favorite aspect of quitting coffee. I'll wake up at 6:30
and wanna just get up. When 11 or 12 rolls around, I fall asleep very
naturally and wouldn't be able to stay awake even if I wanted to. It's worth a
shot for everyone. Unlike the OP, I went completely cold turkey on the
caffeine I should mention.

~~~
cjoelrun
I've had the same experience. I had coffee all through my college years. Had a
few scattered experiences with anxiety attacks, but I always attributed them
to test stress.

After I started working and the responsibility and the need for creativity
grew, I found the anxious episodes start to grow and become quite
debilitating. I started to experiment with different parts of my lifestyle:
sleep, caffeine, exercise, relaxation.

In the end I narrowed it down to caffeine. The anxiety went away. I felt more
awake throughout the day and sleep cycles easier to maintain.

I don't want to claim too much on creativity, but I do feel the ability to
relax and let my mind wander has eased the creative process. Instead of the
laser focus I'd get when on caffeine my mind could calmly move to less
pressing tasks and make those subliminal connections I would have missed if I
was too set on an issue.

That said I do miss the taste of coffee. I'll occasionally sip a decaf or
latte and feel some of those symptoms return slightly, but knowing its cause
has helped a lot.

------
magnifyingglass
I have quit coffee for the last two years, aside from a very rare (once every
four months or so) dessert coffee.

I used to depend on coffee intellectually, I always had to have a cup next to
whatever work I was working on, and a pot brewing to back up the cup when I
was finished.

Quitting was very difficult, but I have learned to appreciate moving through
work slowly, carefully, cautiously, and with regular pacing, that I can meta-
regulate with multiple levels of thought and planning. When I used to drink
coffee, it just felt like all of my attention was superficially and strictly
devoted to whatever work I had to pound out.

I still drink tea, from white tea to oolongs, but this has no where near the
effect coffee has on me. Caffeine from coffee makes me feel like someone has
thread tied into my eyeballs and into the center of the prefrontal cortex of
my brain, and is pulling on it with shaking hands. I assume that is
hypertension. It's the worst 'focused' feeling I know of, and I absolutely can
not get work done in this state any longer.

I really like being able to think slowly, with occasional minor distractions.
It's more reliable, has more coherency, and builds on itself naturally.

------
jtolj
I had to quit coffee about 7 months ago, after to developing a moderate case
of something called chronic prostatitis. Of all the symptoms and things I have
to avoid, coffee is still the thing I miss the most.

It's not just the boost, or the taste and smell, although I do miss all of
those. Mostly it's the ritual in the morning, and the social experience of
"grabbing a cup of coffee" with someone that leaves a big void in my life.
Making my rooibos chai or having cup of herbal tea with someone is just not
the same.

This condition may not ever go away, so I've sort of come to terms that coffee
may have left my life for good, but before I never would have considered
cutting it out completely. I didn't find that it impacted my sleep or
productivity as long as I didn't drink it too late in the day.

Anecdotally, even after 7 months without caffeine, I find that I'm still much
groggier in the morning than I used to be. My sleep at night hasn't improved.

Overall would not recommend ;p.

~~~
boyaka
Can you explain your personal symptoms, experiences, and how you happened upon
discovering your condition? What made you go to the doctor and get diagnosed?
I really dislike looking up medical conditions online.

~~~
jtolj
Not sure this is relevant in a coffee thread, but for me it started with
urinary tract infection symptoms (frequent, burning urination) which is what
brought me to the doctor. I started antibiotics, which improved it slightly
but it didn't go away completely. When it returned and got much worse, the
doctor referred me to a urologist who diagnosed it as prostatitis. After
months of various antibiotics and a half dozen specialist visits at $200/pop I
finally gave up on going to the doctor, as he didn't seem any ideas outside of
pumping me full of more antibiotics.

As fugoogs mentions, non-bacterial chronic prostatitis isn't well understood
and there isn't an effective standard treatment protocol. There are theories
ranging from it being caused by nano-bacteria that do not show up in normal
tests to it being a muscular tension issue that can be resolved with physical
therapy.

~~~
boyaka
Ahh, I mistakenly interpreted your quitting of coffee as coffee being part of
the potential cause, rather than a requirement as part of treatment of
prostatitis (not that coffee absolutely didn't contribute to it, as you say
it's not well understood). I still appreciate learning about your experience
dealing with the condition! Thank you.

------
maccard
I'm young and averaged 3-4 cups a day, along with 3-4 large glasses (500ml) of
water every day for the last 2-3 years or so. I decided to give up coffee at
the start of march, but found it quite difficult. I had none of the "common"
symptoms (headaches, tiredness, etc) - but I found it difficult to get over
not having a cup in my hand. I swapped it out with decaf coffee (which has
more caffeine in it than I thought) and have been much happier with my
temperment and general energy levels.

------
bryanlarsen
Quitting caffeine had been one of the best things I've ever done with my life.
It clears up my frequent headaches, stabilized my sleep patterns and
normalized my energy levels through out the day.

Another important effect is that it allows me to use caffeine as medicine. It
is very effective on its own and in combination with analgesics.

Quitting was a month of torture, but definitely worth it. Do not try and quit
child turkey ; I recommend slow weaning.

------
corbet
"Please enable JavaScript to view this site."

No, I will not. It's really not that hard to make a site readable without
JavaScript; if they can't be bothered, I can't be bothered to read their
stuff.

~~~
nkohari
You can, however, apparently be bothered to comment on HN about it.

------
jglauche
I've stopped drinking coffee after being addicted to it for about 16 years.
First week was terrible, then the withdrawal effects stopped. I pretty much
feel the same now as I was after drinking my first cups of coffee. I've got
more energy over the day because there are no phases of low caffeine anymore.

Also, not being addicted to it makes things like occasional energy drinks in
emergencies really useful. I needed to rescue a lost couchsurfer in the middle
of the night - which I wouldn't have been able to do before. A few sips of
energy drink made me really awake in order to drive safely. There's so much
difference between the the effects on when you are addicted to it and not.

------
jfroma
I really like and enjoy good coffee. I buy roasted beans and I like to grind
myself since I am the only one that drink coffee in home and beans preserve
the taste and smell better.

I can go without coffee for few days, I alternante with "mate" [1]. Mate is
awesome because how it taste, it is very different from one yerba to another
and is awesome because the way of drinking it. I literally can drink 2L of
mate through the morning while working.

[1]:
[http://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mate_(beverage)](http://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mate_\(beverage\))

------
pharke
I quit drinking coffee around the end of last summer and replaced it with
around a litre of green tea mixed into a shake that consists mostly of oat,
nut and seed meal, blueberries, honey, and a few spices which replaces my
breakfast entirely. This generally keeps me fed until lunch or after depending
on my activity level. I don't miss coffee and the most drastic effect has been
an almost complete elimination of heart burn. I do still have the occasional
cup of coffee but find my taste for it has waned.

~~~
nsomaru
would you mind posting your recipe for that? Is it palatable? How much do you
make and how long does it take you to consume it?

~~~
pharke
Sure, I'd compare the taste to a blueberry muffin but, you know, in liquid
form.

1L freshly steeped green tea (2 min, less if you dislike the flavour)

1/2 cup quick oats

1/2 tsp. nutritional yeast

1/2 tsp. flax seed meal, finely ground (use a coffee grinder if too coarse)

pinch of salt

cinnamon to taste

1 to 2 Tbsp. nut butter (I use soy and I've also tried cashew and almond but I
find them too oily, coconut oil is an option too, use whatever you prefer)

1 to 2 Tbsp. of creamed honey, using regular honey will make it much sweeter

1/2 or 1 cup of frozen or fresh blueberries or other fruit

2 or 3 Tbsp. of milk, powdered or fresh

I also add a multivitamin and other supplements but they aren't necessary.

Combine ingredients in a blender and blend for a minute or so until the
oatmeal is reduced to the consistency of a shake. Serve hot or cold.

I usually drink half the mixture immediately and then either save the rest for
a mid-morning snack or continue drinking it while I'm starting my day. I've
experimented with adding other seeds and grains but I find this mixture to be
the most to my liking but it is an adaptable recipe so you can add whatever
you prefer.

------
jimhefferon
I had to quit coffee a decade ago because of a cardiovascular adventure that I
had.

I don't know anything about physical effects such as headaches and weight
gain; I didn't experience any of those and anyway they sound a little like TV
hype to me. But I also have the experience of giving up smoking a couple of
packs a day (gave it up many years before I quit the coffee) and while I never
find myself wanting a cigarette, I'd still love a cup of dark first thing in
the morning. It is a good thing in life.

~~~
coldtea
> _I don 't know anything about physical effects such as headaches and weight
> gain; I didn't experience any of those and anyway they sound a little like
> TV hype to me._

TV hype? Caffeine is a drug. Don't know about weight gain, but headaches and
such as well documented.

------
keerthiko
I have never consumed coffee on a regular basis. I like working out of cafes
(I'm a nomad and working from my hostel room is drab too often a week), so I
often resort to Hot Chocolate or a tea. Sometimes these are overpriced so I
end up going with coffee, but I have about one cup every 2-3 months I would
say.

If you find yourself having to drink coffee a lot outside of a cafe, it may
not even be a caffeine addiction. I think for a lot of people it's just the
feel and action of a coffee cup, something to do with your hands when you're
stuck on that bug or waiting for your code to build/program to launch. I think
a mug of hot water is great in these circumstances. Hot water is also great
for digestion, keeps your mouth (and digestive tract) clean, is pretty much
free, and keeps you warm just as well as anything else in a cold room.

It's a habit I picked up because my mom used to make me drink a big glass of
hot water after I had icecream growing up, and I continued to do that after
cold foods even after leaving home. I can't recommend hot water enough.

~~~
dantillberg
I love me a mug of hot water with a bit of honey mixed in. It's kind of like
drinking tea, except without the actual tea flavor (for which I've never
acquired the taste), and it's super-easy to prepare.

------
krylon
I stopped drinking coffee regularly about half a year ago. Before, I drank
about a liter of fairly strong coffee per day, now I drink one to two liters
of green tea.

Early withdrawal was unpleasant, mainly fatigue and headaches (then again,
I've seen alcoholics detox, caffeine is withdrawal is a walk in the park in
comparison), but that lasted only a couple of days.

My biggest surprise was that the "booster" effect of coffee in the early
morning might have been a pure placebo effect - I am still quite groggy when I
get up in the morning (then again, I get up 05:40 on workdays), but that
clears up by the time I leave for work, plus I do not get the early afternon
crash anymore.

On the other hand, the vegetative effects of coffee were substantial in
retrospect, I now sweat a lot less, and my blood pressure has gone down.

I still do drink coffee on occasion, mainly on weekends, but a) it is not as
strong, b) I drink less.

Also, green tea is an awesome substitute in terms of taste. The coffee I used
to drink tasted like sewage in comparison.

~~~
maaaats
> _My biggest surprise was that the "booster" effect of coffee in the early
> morning might have been a pure placebo effect_

It's not necessarily placebo, but the fact that your body has adjusted to
caffeine, so you need it in the morning to reach "normal" levels.

~~~
jacalata
But he is saying that he experiences the same ramp-up in the mornings without
caffeine, so what he thought was the experience of going from uncaffeinated to
normal appears to have been unrelated to the caffeine and was actually the
experience of going from just-woken-up to awake.

------
__Joker
I kind of had similar experience with my sleep patterns. I used to be kind of
moderate to heavy coffee drinker and suffered from erratic sleep times. I cut
out coffee to single cup in the morning and stopped the bright lights and
monitors at night and effect has been quite amazing. I sleep early now and get
a good night sleep and wake pretty early.

------
zaroth
When Angelo mentioned that Dandy Blend, "an extract of roots and grains"
including barley and rye, was gluten free, that seemed highly dubious. But it
was nice to see such a thorough answer as the #1 FAQ on
dandyblend.com/faq.asp! ... But excuse me while I go pump another shot of
espresso.

------
Cloudy
I really recommend anyone who drinks black coffee try brewing their own loose
leaf tea - greens, blacks, oolong, yerba matte. Start with distilled water and
add honey to taste, maybe even hemp milk (very creamy, nutty flavor, and
omegas!)

Matcha is great and quick also!

------
carld
Similar experiences and I quit coffee ~ 6 months ago. I switched to cacao;
initially ground cacao beans and settled on cacao powder. For ground beans, I
tried Choffy and Crio Bru through a coffee maker and then a french press. I
liked it but wanted a deeper cacao flavor, moving to powder. To drink cacao
with powder, I fill my travel mug with water, pour the water into a single cup
coffee maker (no grounds in the filter) and place 1 1/2 - 2 T of cacao powder
(usually Viva Labs or TruVibe for criollo cacao) into the mug, which mixes
with the dispensed hot water. The cacao provides a boost, in a different way
than coffee, and health benefits.

------
thomasfl
Caffein is the most widespread psychoactive drug by far. It's surprisingly
hard to stop drinking it after twenty years. For many people the body starts
acting like it's been poisened, and you can't sleep a whole night through
without going to the toilet to pee. Quit coffee, and it stops after a few
days.

Politicians that wants to keep up the war on drugs and continue to criminalize
drug use, should try to go for a week without caffeine. I got a problem. I
love coffee, but I have to stop.

------
sergers
I probably drink more coffee than water a day.

Anywhere from 2-3 cups to 10+ cups. I have a super high caffeine tolerance
that I can easily throw back a cup or 2 right before bed.

Getting close to 10 or over probably ly pretty bad. My digestive system is
very quick, all this coffee running through.

Like others posted. I do it for the taste.

Occasionally I switch to teas in between cups of coffee but there are many
days I go without coffee without any noticable effects.

------
owly
I cut way back on coffee as well. I still drink a few cups a week. I've
increased my green tea consumption greatly thanks to
[https://tomotcha.com/en/](https://tomotcha.com/en/) Check it out. High
quality green tea direct from Japan. Some very unique varieties that I don't
regularly see in the states. Cheers!

------
jbrooksuk
I don't drink a lot of coffee, perhaps one or two cups a day - not every day.

Instead I used to drink energy drinks, at one point it was one a day (think
RedBull sized). It's now been almost 6 months. It's so incredibly difficult to
walk by and not feel tempted by their tastes and smells, but I know that if I
were to drink it, it'd make me sick.

------
brianpetro_
Since I quit drinking coffee regularly, over a year ago, I've been all around
more efficient/productive.

No more, "I can't do that until I get my morning coffee." This is important
because I get my highest quality work done in the mornings.

Unlike the author, I've almost been lured back by the idea of "bullet proof
coffee."

------
mindv0rtex
I quit coffee when I started strength training specifically to boost my
workouts. A regular coffee drinker develops a tolerance towards caffeine and
the only benefit that coffee provides at this point is withdrawal suppression.
I now take a 200 mgs caffeine pill 30 mins before a workout and it it a
tremendous training booster.

------
twfarland
I quit coffee two years ago to help curb anxiety problems. I noticed I get
less done, now, but what I do get done is of a higher quality, and I am less
obsessive. It seems that slow, expansive thinking is more useful than
turbocharged, focused thinking for certain kinds of work. Definitely a better
default mode, at least.

------
bitL
Does anyone actually have opposite effect from coffee than expected, i.e.
feeling asleep after having a cup or two? Happens to me all the time, I never
experienced any usual caffeine effects... I can go to sleep normally after
drinking 5 cups of strong coffee... What is wrong with me?

~~~
mueslix
I don't feel sleepy after drinking coffee, I simply don't feel it having any
effects on me whatsoever. That being said, I can't stand the taste of it
either, so I've probably had less cups of coffee in my life than some people
have on a daily basis. Tea though... that's another story ;-)

------
GnarfGnarf
A word of warning from someone who drank 2-3 cups/day of coffee for 50 years:
go easy. Too much coffee will give you gastro-esophageal reflex disease
(GERD), then you can't drink any more coffee, alcohol, or eat chocolate or
vinegar.

I'd start with 3 or 4 cups a week.

------
marchelzo
I don't drink coffee terribly frequently, but I'm still intrigued by this
Dandy Blend drink... has anyone else tried it? Even for the samples, it costs
$11.60 to have it shipped to eastern Canada, so I'm a little hesitant.

~~~
testfiend42
Dandy blend is excellent and comes very close to giving me the "coffee fix"
without the actual coffee.

Is supposedly very healthy as well.

------
jacquesm
[http://www.antipope.org/charlie/blog-
static/fiction/toast/to...](http://www.antipope.org/charlie/blog-
static/fiction/toast/toast.html#club)

------
learnstats2
Counter-point:

I've lived without coffee/caffeine in the past, but I've never felt better and
more productive than now, when I drink 1-2 coffees in the morning & stricly
avoid any more caffeine than that.

It helps to set up a working rhythm for me.

------
cymbalrush
No one cares Why You did anything. These "Why I..." Articles are self-
indulgent narcissistic click-bait. Utter trash that shouldn't be published.

------
lampe3
i drink a lot of loose tea Like Oolong, green tea, yellow tea and black tea.
Matcha and yerba are also good.

there is so much tea in the world that there will be something for everybody.
You just have to learn to brew it correctly. for example most green teas dont
like more then 80C hot water.

Teas like Matcha can have the same effect like coffee but without the sudden
drop of energy after a short time.

------
sz4kerto
The problem is I drink coffee for the taste. If there was decaf without the
bad aftertaste, I'd give up caffeine immediately.

~~~
metabeard
I drink decaf nearly every morning and these have been some of my favorites so
far. Hope you find on you like.

[http://www.vervecoffeeroasters.com/collections/coffee/produc...](http://www.vervecoffeeroasters.com/collections/coffee/products/vancouver-
water-processed-decaf)

[http://shop.parlorcoffee.com/collections/frontpage/products/...](http://shop.parlorcoffee.com/collections/frontpage/products/decaf-
colombia-la-serrania)

[http://bowtruss.com/collections/coffee/products/copy-of-
deca...](http://bowtruss.com/collections/coffee/products/copy-of-decaf-mexico-
altura)

[http://bowtruss.com/collections/coffee/products/decaf-
brazil...](http://bowtruss.com/collections/coffee/products/decaf-brazil-
almendras)

[https://counterculturecoffee.com/store/coffee/slow-
motion](https://counterculturecoffee.com/store/coffee/slow-motion)

~~~
rhodri
Here in the UK I get my decaf coffee through the mail from
[https://www.pactcoffee.com](https://www.pactcoffee.com) – it's bloody
delicious.

------
jokoon
I never started drinking coffee regularly. When I drink some, it makes me talk
and laugh.

------
benihana
I love coffee. I love drinking it and I love the effects it has. I love the
feeling of a waking up with a nice hot cuppa every morning as I read the news.
I love getting a cup in the afternoon after lunch. I love making coffee for my
wife, and I love when she offers to make me a cup when she makes herself a
cup. I love coffee even though since I started lifting weights and eating
well, I don't really need it.

Every comment when I wrote this was about giving up coffee. I wanted to offer
a different perspective.

~~~
chestervonwinch
I used to smoke cigarettes quite a bit for a number of years. If you replaced
everything in your comment about coffee to the corresponding language about
cigarettes, I would've resonated perfectly with your description assuming I
still smoked.

I gave up smoking but continue to drink coffee, so your comment still does
resonate :)

disclaimer: I'm not trying to compare the effects of coffee and nicotine, and
I don't know the first thing about the physiological basis of addiction.

