Mugshot Monday - “Happy Face” mug with Twin Cities Blend by Peace Coffee
That smile on my face -- and on my mug -- is because I’m so happy to be drinking coffee again!
I went the last 5 weeks without coffee and the last 4 weeks without caffeine.
“Why the hell would you want to do that?” asked everyone I mentioned it to.
I’ve been fully caffeinated for the last 20+ years and wanted to see what it felt like to give my body a break from processing coffee beans and caffeine. Plus I was drinking 3 to 4 mugs of coffee every day which seemed like too much.
I was worried about sleep deprivation and not being able to function while going caffeine-free. I was dead wrong about that. Here are some things I noticed during the experiment:
I slept better. Not a surprise, but cool to confirm.
After week one of no caffeine, it was easier to wake up. I was more alert. I could not believe it! This. Did. Not. Make. Sense.
The “quitting caffeine” headaches are real. They only lasted 48 hours for me, but it felt like I was wearing a brick bandana on my head. I weaned myself: Went from 4 mugs per day to 1 mug per day for one week, and then green tea for one week before going totally caffeine-free. That worked great.
I enjoyed exploring new flavors of caffeine-free tea.
Montana Gold by Tea Source was my favorite morning tea. Something about the spicy cinnamon helped me start my mornings the best.
The Turmeric Ginger tea at Peace Coffee Shop was my favorite afternoon tea. Smooth and comforting, yet spicy.
Drinking booze the night before made me want coffee and caffeine more severely in the morning. So, I stopped drinking booze the night before.
By the final week, I was missing the taste of coffee more than the effects of caffeine.
I got a very familiar and satisfying feeling sipping hot caffeine-free drinks. I think it wasn’t just the caffeine I was craving, it was the ritual.
My conclusion is pretty damning: I thought I needed caffeine to stay awake and be alert, but I didn’t. In fact, I felt more alert for longer periods of time than when I was using caffeine, probably because I didn’t have the crashes.
ALSO: I AM FREAKING LIT UP on this one cup of coffee right now!
It’s painfully obvious that I don’t need 4 mugs of coffee per day. I needed to get caffeine out of my system first to discover that. I fully intend to keep drinking delicious coffee in the future, but now I physically don’t need as much to get that morning kickstart if I want it.
Thanks to all my friends who convinced me NOT to quit caffeine cold turkey. Many of you warned me from your own personal experiences and I’m convinced I would have given up if my headaches had been more severe and lasted longer.
This was truly an eye opening experience. I’m so glad I did it.
Thanks to my friend Brian who lent me his super smiley happy face mug! Cheers!
See also my 400+ photos from the Mugshot Monday project here: www.MugshotMonday.com – Every Mug Has A Story