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So a few days ago I got busy doing something (what it was is immaterial to the story). That night I realized that I'd only had 1 soda that entire day. The next day I consciously decided to drink juice/Sprite/root beer. Yesterday I again went without caffeine. Today is the third full day without it and really the fourth as the single soda I had was a Mr. Pibb (which has 40.8 mg of caffeine).

This morning the headaches began. My brain is inside my skull attempting to tunnel out & run for it. Stupid thing should just ooze out of my ears but instead is trying to go right out the front right above my eyes. I would take some pain medication, but all I have is Excedrin. Active ingredient? Caffeine.

Yeah, I tried doing that once and by day 2 my head was pounding so hard I thought my brain had a hammer. Because I have terrible will power, I gave in and had a soda. I did switch to diet sodas and that helped me lose weight at least.

I'm down to 2 cans of Dr. Pepper a day, but when I worked at the factory it was more like 3 20 oz bottles.Still, going without those two cans is a bitch, and if I am out of soda before the next shopping day I'll drink a ton of chai tea to compensate.

I'm with ya Dave, those caffeine headaches suck balls.

I've stopped drinking my Monster drinks and have cut back to just diet soda. Mostly Coke Zero and Diet Dr.Pepper. Going to be weening off that using "Energy" water packets (zero sugar).

I go through cycles of ingesting less caffeine. When I want to cut back for a while, I make myself a small pot of weak coffee and drink about 3-4 ounces in the middle of the day. It's not enough caffeine to affect me, but it pacifies me somehow. It's probably mostly the flavor of the coffee.

I run a coffee shop. I drink a hell of a lot of coffee. And no one can stop me!

But seriously Dave, have you thought about switching to black tea? Much lower dose of caffeine. Might help your body accept you easing off caffeine.

I really put no planning into this. I just realized that I'd had almost 0 caffeine and felt okay, so I thought I'd take it a step further. I am starting to doubt my decision.

I successfully managed to cut caffeine out of my diet about a year and a half ago.

Hylian said:

I successfully managed to cut caffeine out of my diet about a year and a half ago.

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How hard was it and what was your reason? I'm curious.

Dave said:

How hard was it and what was your reason? I'm curious.

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I had several reasons for doing it but the main reason was for my health. I didn't drink coffee but I did drink soda and energy drinks all the time. Now I am not a huge fan of real sweet stuff and eventually the question arose of "why am I doing this?".

I knew I needed to lose some weight and I was concerned about my blood pressure/heart rate since high blood pressure runs in the family. So I decided to knock out sodas and most sweets except for on rare occasions. I went into it rather slowly. At first I cut back on the sodas I drank and after awhile I moved onto drinking club soda cause despite not liking how sweet the sodas are I really did enjoy the carbonation. I would mix in some lemon juice or some other flavoring to the club soda at first and eventually I stopped adding any additives.


I still drink club soda cause as I mentioned earlier I enjoy the carbonation but I don't miss soda/energy drinks at all. As far as side effects I didn't really notice to much. I remember being really tired and I had some mild headaches but nothing to major. After awhile I just felt normal but it did take a little bit. I will say that I do miss the caffeine every now and than just cause sometimes I wake up after only 3 hours of sleep and realize I have the whole day in front of me but overall I don't regret my decision.

"I can't live - if livin' is without you." I love you, coffee! I don't need soda or energy drinks. Just you and your creamy, yet bold, deliciousness. I have tried giving you up, but my life was incomplete. I'll never leave you, baby, I promise.

See, Dave, caffeine isn't your nemesis. It could easily make the pain go away. Caffeine-lessness is your nemesis.

I probably ingest just under the minimum lethal dose of caffeine in a day, moreso if it's a night shift. I don't even want to think about the withdrawal pains I would go through quitting it.

I was put on a mixture of Coke and water when I was an infant because I was allergic to all forms of milk (including my mum) and the doctor wanted to get calories into me. Remember, this was back in the dark ages when we were still using leeches.

So I've been drinking the shite since I was 6 months old. I'm not about to stop now. I think my head would implode.

I used to drink a lot of soda in high school, then my best friend had neck surgery and had to stop drinking soda, so I stopped too to make things easier. After everything was better, I just never started drinking much soda again. I still enjoy a can of soda here and there (still best from a can!!) but sometimes I get through half a can and forget about it.

I do, however, drink A LOT of coffee. Didn't drink much of it until probably 2 years ago... now it is just <3. Doesn't really give me a kick start in the morning or keep me awake longer if I drink it late. I just love the taste of it and it just makes my day that much better.
I'll drink before bed and sleep right after, actually. Some days I enjoy a whole pot of coffee to myself and then share another pot of coffee with Mike. But then there are some days I don't drink any coffee and I'm a-okay. But if I go without coffee for 3-4 days I may get a small headache and wonder where the hell it came from and sleep it off.

Anyway, this post was not helpful.

There is no such thing as "too much" caffeine. I will not hear any more of this vile heresy.

Dave said:

How hard was it and what was your reason? I'm curious.

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Remember he's half your age, and was likely hooked on caffeine for 3 years tops... not 23 years...

I've been drinking coffee since I was 10.

How many cups a day, and I mean cups of actual coffee, not milk and sugar?

Gusto said:

I've been drinking coffee since I was 10.

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Me too. I used to drink it black with a teaspoon of sugar. Now I drink one cup in the morning with half & half, no sugar and one in the afternoon, black.

Need that cup of coffee to start the day and I'll usually have a soda at some point, otherwise my skull detonates. Feed the addicttion Dave! Wash that excedrin down with a coke and a shot of espresso and you should start to feel better. Black coffee Wasabi? You're drinking that stuff for taste?

heatherling said:

I still enjoy a can of soda here and there (still best from a can!!)

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soda is not best from a can.
It is best from a glass bottle.

Definitely glass bottle.

Don't tell me we are going to have a steak discussion about caffeinated, sugar water...

Well, it's now nearly 4 pm (my time) and the headache is gone and I actually feel fine. I'm still dragging ass a bit (insert old droopy guy joke here) but maybe I'm over the metaphoric hump...

Disconnected said:

soda is not best from a can.
It is best from a glass bottle.

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Actually, that's true. I fail. D:
Wish the glass bottles were cheaper!!

Neon Pirate said:

Black coffee Wasabi? You're drinking that stuff for taste?

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What can I say. I embrace my addiction.

Never drank coffee and had caffeine free diet coke forced on us as children. Also my favourite soft drink is Root beer...no caffeine.

The side effect of this is that if I drink anything with caffeine after 5PM, I'm wired all night long.

Officer_Charon said:

There is no such thing as "too much" caffeine. I will not hear any more of this vile heresy.

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I like your way of thinking and wish to subscribe to your newsletter.

Hahaha! I ran an HPLC lab with my students today. They had to ID and quantify... caffeine! I love that little molecule! My old LC/MS system used a caffeine peak to calibrate the instrument.

Here's to you, Caffeine!
Added at: 18:24

Adammon said:

Never drank coffee and had caffeine free diet coke forced on us as children. Also my favourite soft drink is Root beer...no caffeine.

The side effect of this is that if I drink anything with caffeine after 5PM, I'm wired all night long.

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Same. I barely drink any coffee ever. And I usually do root beer, or like a can of diet Coke. If I have one cup of coffee in the morning, I'm wired that whole day and night.

I assume you've seen these already, Mathias, but if not, here ya go:
http://www.thinkgeek.com/caffeine/accessories/3820/
http://www.thinkgeek.com/caffeine/accessories/2a01/
http://www.thinkgeek.com/caffeine/accessories/2891/
http://www.thinkgeek.com/caffeine/accessories/5837/

Mathias said:

Same. I barely drink any coffee ever. And I usually do root beer, or like a can of diet Coke. If I have one cup of coffee in the morning, I'm wired that whole day and night.

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I will say I did Vodka and Red Bull pretty constantly while I was in Vegas the second time last year. Sometimes you want to be awake at 4AM!

Well, I lapsed. I am currently drinking a Mr. Pibb (Pibb Xtra) while eating burgers at home. It was this or water and I HATE drinking water with my meal. So I'm not cold turkey.

Yessssss..... let the caffeine flow...

Dave said:

Well, I lapsed. I am currently drinking a Mr. Pibb (Pibb Xtra) while eating burgers at home. It was this or water and I HATE drinking water with my meal. So I'm not cold turkey.

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Did they have any soda water/club soda? Or does that count as "water" in your book?

By "they" you mean his refrigerator?

Officer_Charon said:

Yessssss..... let the caffeine flow...

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He who controls the caffeine controls the universe!

General Specific said:

By "they" you mean his refrigerator?

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The peasants and such, you know...

Officer_Charon said:

The peasants and such, you know...

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You guys have peasants?

Man, I want to be part of the landed gentry, so many perks!

General Specific said:

You guys have peasants?

Man, I want to be part of the landed gentry, so many perks!

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Yes, but you have to keep the serfs ignorant of the printed word, otherwise they may rise against you. Which is why Republicans are so against funding education.

Dave, it's a lot easier to quit stuff when you're young. When I was 17 I gave up caffeine, cake, cookies, pizza, and candy. You should try to improve your health before you get too old and--

...oh. Oh, right.

I'm almost to the point where I can tell you to the mg how much caffeine I'm ingesting per day. 2 10oz cups of coffee from the Keurig machine at breakfast, and 2 16.9oz diet cokes or coke zeros during the course of an 8-hour overnight shift.

Doctor says ditch the sodas, but to what? I'm sure not gonna switch to just water.

Why is everyone all or nothing on this? You just need to get it down to manageable level, not cut it out entirely. Personally, I drink water nearly all of the time, but even I'm willing to get a 4-pack or 8-pack of Jones Soda (mmm.. Berry Lemonade...) every few weeks. I rarely drink Coke or Pepsi anymore though... I swear there is something in those that makes the withdrawal even worse than normal (Maybe it's the HFCS?).

It's really just like drinking alcohol: You need to keep it in moderation. A little caffeine isn't going to hurt you, but if your getting serious headaches after just a few days of not drinking it, you probably needed to start drinking less anyway. Besides, once you stop drinking it all the time, you won't miss it and you'll learn to enjoy it more when you do drink it.

DarkAudit said:

Doctor says ditch the sodas, but to what? I'm sure not gonna switch to just water.

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I started mixing in drink mixes into my water to help with it. You can buy all kinds of them at dollar stores or convenience stores, with brands stretching from Hawaiian Punch! to Lipton Iced Tea to Snapple. It really makes you feel like your not drinking water and most of them are only like 5 calories.

After you've done that for a month or two, you can start phasing to just water if you want. At that point you'll be ready for it (or at least I was).

I'm on pot number 2!

General Specific said:

I assume you've seen these already, Mathias, but if not, here ya go:
http://www.thinkgeek.com/caffeine/accessories/3820/
http://www.thinkgeek.com/caffeine/accessories/2a01/
http://www.thinkgeek.com/caffeine/accessories/2891/
http://www.thinkgeek.com/caffeine/accessories/5837/

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Yes sir! I actually bought a beaker mug, though.

Frankie Williamson said:

I probably ingest just under the minimum lethal dose of caffeine in a day, moreso if it's a night shift. I don't even want to think about the withdrawal pains I would go through quitting it.

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If there was an "I respect this" button, I would click it for this post.

J'adore caffeine.

sixpackshaker said:

How many cups a day, and I mean cups of actual coffee, not milk and sugar?

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At age 10? 1-2 mugs a day, one milk and one sugar.

DarkAudit said:

Doctor says ditch the sodas, but to what? I'm sure not gonna switch to just water.

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Water's good for you. Just do it.

DarkAudit said:

Doctor says ditch the sodas, but to what? I'm sure not gonna switch to just water.

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Milk, fruit juice, tea (fruit flavored rooibos has served me well). It's hard to switch to just water, but once you do you really don't miss all the sugary drinks that much.

Null said:

Yes, but you have to keep the serfs ignorant of the printed word, otherwise they may rise against you. Which is why Republicans are so against funding education.

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Or why Democrat leadership refused to read bills they were voting on, saying that we would find out what was in there after it was passed. Among the many reasons I refuse to be associated with either major party and the brainless blind-faith zealots on either extreme.

Wasabi Poptart said:

What can I say. I embrace my addiction.

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Your conviction I admire!

escushion said:

Water's good for you. Just do it.

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Water and OJ are part of the daily routine, too.

I know it seems counter intuitive but if you want to increase your energy levels through out the day, exercising in the morning when you first wake up will help you. The only caffeine I have is a cup of coffee and that is if I am going out on a mission that is going to keep me up all night.

I went cold turkey off caffeine a couple years ago. Worst week of my life. Was caffeine-free for about a year after that... now I'm up to about a liter of soda a week.

People tell me that I became a great deal less of an asshole after I stopped drinking caffeine. But I feel a lot less smart too. My comebacks and anecdotes aren't as quick nor clever. I feel slow and sluggish even to this day.

Maybe that's because before I quit, I was drinking more than 2 liters per day.

Forget the headaches, I've gotten the shakes for skipping my morning coffee.

what's sad is I only really drink about 16oz of coffee a day, and a glass of sweet tea if I go out. (Sweet tea being awesome and the only way one should drink cold tea).

Dave you want a cheap non-soda substitute you can drink at home instead of water? Pick up some kool-aid.

Sheesh, you guys drink a LOT of soda! I have maybe 1-4 a month. I love water. You know what makes it taste even better? Thinking about some cold mountain stream just before drinking it. My mouth is watering just thinking about it.

I do like coffee. I can't quite understand the modern push to give up caffeine. All in moderation, right?

fade said:

Sheesh, you guys drink a LOT of soda! I have maybe 1-4 a month. I love water. You know what makes it taste even better? Thinking about some cold mountain stream just before drinking it. My mouth is watering just thinking about it.

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For some reason, I read this in the voice of David Van Driessen, nkay?

Hardee har har.

I'm with Fade.

fade said:

Sheesh, you guys drink a LOT of soda! I have maybe 1-4 a month. I love water. You know what makes it taste even better? Thinking about some cold mountain stream just before drinking it. My mouth is watering just thinking about it.

I do like coffee. I can't quite understand the modern push to give up caffeine. All in moderation, right?

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I'm with you. I loooooove water. It gets DAMN hot down here, and there's nothing more refreshing than a tall glass of water with tons of ice. Nothing else really quenches my thirst. Soda or anything sweet just makes me more thirsty.

GasBandit said:

For some reason, I read this in the voice of David Van Driessen, nkay?

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I pictured Wilford Brimley myself.

I am trying to cut pop out of my diet to help me lose weight, but I am supplementing the caffeine loss and totally defeating the point of not drinking pop by going to Starbucks. CURSE YOU WHITE CHOCOLATE MOCHA.

Not drinking pop gets pretty hard for me as I start craving the sweetness of it way more than the caffeine. I totally blame the HFCS, even though we've been buying the stuff made with sugar more and more (I am only buying 1 2L a week now, and most of the time it's something my husband likes instead of me, to help me along )