My Caffeine Detox
Ok, I feel lousy.
I’m tired, unmotivated, my head’s foggy, I have half a headache, and I’m cranky. Why? Well, thanks for asking. Yesterday I decided to start a caffeine detox.
For several weeks I’ve felt the need to reset my “caffeine clock”. If you’re not sure what I’m talking about, its the time before I had such a tolerance of caffeine. A wonderful time where one coffee would bring feelings of elation and joy, leaving me ready to take on whatever task was before me.
Unfortunately, the occasional coffee turned into one a day, then two a day, then mixed with energy drinks and chocolate covered espresso beans..Wham, I was hooked. I soon noticed that I wasn’t really getting the benefits of caffeine anymore and really just needed it to maintain a normal level of tiredness so I decided to detox.
Yesterday I cut back to one coffee when I woke up and Its been over 24 hours without any caffeine. The withdrawal symptoms that I opened this article with are making it very hard to get my work done today, but I’m plugging on as the receptors in my brain learn to readjust from their caffeine fed state.
Caffeine Detox isn’t as easy as one would think and I can definitly see the ties to addiction caffeine possesses, along with that little voice that keeps telling me to make a pot of coffee and all of this will go away. However, I’m listening to the bigger voice telling me how great a cup of coffee will be at the end of my two week detox from caffeine.
17 Comments
I went through a sort of accidental caffeine detox earlier this semester.
I’m on my own for the first time, and trying to be somewhat healthy. So for about a month, I didn’t touch soda (and I don’t drink coffee).
Then I split a two-liter of Coke with a friend, and couldn’t sleep. Just couldn’t sleep. I went from not feeling the effects of Coke AT ALL to an all-nighter from just a few cups.
It’s a bizarre moment, when that happpens. I’m back on soda, but my tolerance is still low, so I really feel it more than I used to.
I hear ya, 48hrs and my headache’s gone, yay! Now the task of staying awake at work today?
i know, caffeine withdrawal is the worst… I tried a half year ago in school, after the first day i slept thru the whole school day, and stayed that way the next few days. After that i gave up and drank a couple cans of NOS. I’m trying again now, but gradual withdrawal is so much easier than cold turkey, going from 2 cans of ripit to one to a couple bottles of dew, etc.. makes it so much easier
I doubt ill stay off, cuz itll help me stay awake anyways, atleast ill be in a real good mood when i get back on NOS next week
so good luck to everyone tying o get off caffeine!
I’m curious to see the results, or any updates at all. The longest I think I’ve gone (in my memory, which isn’t great) without caffeine is about 24 hours. That was a terrible day for me, I will say. Two weeks seems a little out there, but I hope you can get through it. Hell just thinking about it is giving me a headache.
72 hours and counting, last night I was hungry and withdrawaling, it wasn’t a pretty picture for my friends…I was very edgy. Today’s a new day and hopefully I’ll feel better.
I do miss the effects of caffeine with a low tolerance, but going through the withdrawal doesn’t seem worth it. Right now I need my half pot of coffee in the morning just to function normally in school, then I have another cup of coffee or some high caffeine soda later in the day. Maybe I’ll try to cut back over a break, so I don’t have the withdrawal symptoms on top of an extreme lack of sleep.
I’m in the same boat as Evan…the tweaked-out rush, pacing the floor, and talking really fast after drinking two RedLines is nothing but a fond memory now…but I wouldn’t want to go through the headaches and fatigue to get my tolerance back to baseline again. I do seem to have reached a plateau, however, where the amount I need to get the same effect hasn’t risen in a while.
I’m currently on a caffeine fast, because I was at the point about a month ago where I could drink three Spikes and not feel much (aside from a little queasiness)
Currently going though a caffeine fast, cause my dad’s in the hospital, and spending hours and hours and hours in a waiting room is boring and long enough without being hopped up on caffeine. Having lots and lots and lots of headaches and bitchiness. Been a week or so, so far.
I think I may need to do a little caffeine fast myself.
I signed up for a free trial of these energy mints called Foosh and I’m hooked on them. I used to start my day with a couple of coffees and usually an energy drink or 2 in the afternoon. Now, I eat about a pack of these day (and still start my day with a cup of coffee).
The good news is I always have minty fresh breath and I’m not spending anywhere near as much money, but 800 mg of caffeine a day seems a little excessive.
I must say though, I’m quite scared to try. I may have to wait till I’m through the tray I’m working on now, so the temptation isn’t so close at hand.
I’ve been forced to go on a caffeine detox.
it wasn’t fun.
and I wasn’t willing…
my addiction to Monster (especially Import) got so bad, I went to the doctor.
they said I’m consuming too much caffeine. (probably because they couldn’t find anything else wrong)
so I trade pain in the stomach, for pain in the brain.
…but I still sneak in an energy drink every other day or so.
hey Chris….hang in there, you really should go at least two weeks to get your body back to normal, then you can have the occasional Monster… It will work awesome and you won’t get a withdrawal headache…..good luck!
I went from getting a rush off of 1 redbull to 1 monster to usually taking 2 monsters or a monster and a red rocket a day after reading rthat you can lower your tolerance I may try it but not wanting to feel the effects of withdrawl
@jason- trust me it’s worth the couple days of feeling lousy… now I have caffeine on Mondays and Fridays and it really works! Great to have that feeling back again…
Ehh my wrestling coach is making me detox over the break and ive been drinkin 2-3 Kroniks a monster and maybe a venom not including a bunch of sodas but i weigh 235 lbs. so it didnt really affect me too much so far been 3 days no caffiene just lemonade lol
@ Austin, so is he making you detox because of all the Calories or because of the caffeine?
It is really hard to go through Caffeine Detox, I tried to do it during the school year. On day 3 it was so bad, I could hardly handle my migraine when I was outside, the sun reflecting off the snow is like a laser pointer in the eye. The grocery store next to my school had Lost for 50 cents, it’s like a force was telling me to stop doing this to myself. I gave in
probably a good thing at the time, I couldn’t pay attention in class. It’s amazing how fast a withdrawal headache goes away after having even a little caffeine.