Quitting Caffeine

Emilydmo

I've decided to quit my caffeine habit cold turkey beginning tomorrow. Has anyone done this before? I probably drink 4 - 5 cans of diet pepsi a day :noway: but am determined to make a clean break. I've done it once before and it stuck for about 1.5 years, but that time I did it as a gradual decrease (4 cans/day 1 week, 3 cans/day the next, etc). Anyone have any advice or know what to expect if I just quit cold turkey? My plan is to drink LOTS of water, get lots of sleep and keep a bottle of caffeine-free headache reliever nearby just in case... I'm nervous but I remember how good it felt to be off it and I know it'll be worth a week or two of withdrawal!

Romba

You may get headaches...try drinking green tea. Japanese women believe drinking 4-5cups a day helps your metabolism and it gives you energy. Japanese people drink it with no sugar, but I have found that adding a tsp of honey to it makes it awesome. Green tea does have a little caffine, but it is not the same as drinking coffee or pepsi, as tea is natural source of caffine. Mint oil, applied to the temples and wrists will help with your headaches if you get them. Go for it! I quit drinking soda a long time ago and I hate soda now. My vice is coffee, but I commit to drinking 2 cups of tea a day. It is great for relaxation and for your energy level.

lisawest

I don't know how the caffeine compares, but about 10 years ago (YIKES, it really WAS that long ago!) I quit cold turkey. I had a 3 liter a day habit of mt. dew:noway: Needless to say, I quit because I couldn't sleep. I had a withdrawal headache for a month. Good news is, I don't think 4 cans of diet pepsi has nearly as much caffiene, so the headache shouldn't be nearly as bad!:happy: I had to go cold turkey because I wouldn't have the will power to stop at one. To this day I don't do ANY caffeine because I am a recovering caffeinaholic (except chocolate, I can't give that up ).

My biggest tip (that you don't already have covered) is to stay busy. Keep yourself doing things so that you don't have time to think about how much you miss your pepsi. You can find decaf teas. I found those to help me. I really like Twinings' decaf Enlish Breakfast tea.:drinker:

Good luck! Here's to hoping for a speedy recovery!:flowerforyou:

nytashahchavez

I am a major caffeine addict as well and what I've been doing is this: a cup of coffee in the morning and a diet sprite during lunch or dinner. The diet sprite gives me that "coke" feeling and the coffee helps with the killer headaches. I use to drink 5 regular cokes a day, so one cup of coffee and a diet sprite is a MAJOR change for me. Also, keeps some advil on hand! lol.

Iceprincessk25

Prepare for major headaches! Ugh....I get them when I go without caffeine for one day and that's just from 1 diet coke a day. I can't imagine what it would be like for 5 a day.

Emilydmo

Thanks for the advice and support everybody! You all confirmed my suspicious that this will be a difficult task. I had two cans of Cherry coke left in the fridge so I actually poured them down the sink just to prove how serious I am about this!

Ktbell626

I quit drinking pop a week ago, I am still getting those killer head aches but i'm using iced tea to help with those. So I would say go with decaf teas to help you along. Its so hard and I have to take one day at a time, but its worth it. I feel a lot better and I'm proud of myself when I go out to eat and do not get any pop. I also started drinking fruit juice to help with sugar cravings. Good luck with quitting caffeine!