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Life Cold Turkey is the 2nd part of a 3 part series. Go here for Part One.
Life Cold Turkey
So, to review the main points of the first Caffeine post, lack of sleep encourages caffeine addiction. And then the addiction weighs heavily in preventing enough sleep. It’s that old vicious-circle thing. The circle is created and propelled by the understandable desire to quickly exit an early morning depressed state of mind. A cup of Joe instantly accomplishes that. Here in the Northwest, where caffeine is a religious incantation, the alternative to a-cuppa-black is an infinite range of fru-fru drinks each of which contains approximately one railroad car of sugar.
Here’s the goal: Erase the sleep deficit and then do what’s necessary to get enough sleep every night. Protect sleep. Make it priority #1, not just something that happens if there is enough time. Getting enough sleep is the first-defense against the need for caffeine and if we are to be coining new religions, let sleep itself be the new creed.
Some typical sleep-interrupters:
- STRESS
- Caffeine, of course
- A sleeping partner’s snoring
- The dog and/or the cat in the bed. (I don’t get that)
- The new baby in the bed. (that either)
- A bad mattress
- The never-ending damn traffic outside the window
- Awesome late night rock and roll, at home or next door
- Toxic thoughts that get inside the head during the day and refuse to leave at night
- Late night and/or too much screen-time (TV, computer, iPhone, whatever)
- Alcohol, nicotine and just about any other drug
- Sleep apnea
- Lack of exercise or excessive exercise
- Lots of sugar late at night
I could list 100 other interrupters but you get the point and can decipher other examples easily enough (or, get the books No more Sleepless Nights (Hauri and Linde), and/or The Promise of Sleep (Dement). These are older volumes but they’re dead-on. As you can imagine, there is a slew of books on the topic (including the predictable Sleep Disorders for Dummies).
We’ll go into quitting in Part 3 of this series but I’ll mention the key mental posture now: See caffeine for what it really is: A drug, and not some inviolate holy grail.
Here’s what it’s been like for me to be caffeine-free. To be sure, people’s individual reactions vary, so I emphasize this is my experience:
- I sleep longer at night
- There is an element of calmness and control that follows me around. I’m more patient
- Knife-edge decisions are made correctly a larger part of the time (I’ll burrow into this topic in an upcoming post)
- My focus and concentration are more keen
- I find myself girding against interruption by choosing a quiet place to work
- If workable, during the day I take a nap and actually fall asleep thus regaining perspective and energy that carries on into the night. This couldn’t happen with a bellyful of morning coffee
- I’m more often a peace-maker and less often an instigator.
- Anger rarely gets a grip
- It’s enjoyable to have a relaxed conversation with someone, rather than feel the need to rush off to whatever is next
- Late-afternoon nervousness/anxiety is non-existent
- Because I’m less jittery, I eat less sugar
- I’m better at finishing what I start and then cleaning up after myself
- More frequently, strokes of intuition and insight erupt out of nowhere
- On longer-term tasks, it’s easier for me to take patient, thoughtful, incremental steps rather than slam things through
- There is an on-going feeling of flow. I “ride the day,” sensing the energy of the morning and the slower flattening-out of the afternoon. Then, the slight depression of the evening hours followed by the delectable deepness of unadulterated sleep. This grasp of the cycle-of-the-day flat out never occurred when caffeine propelled me
- More of the time I can – pardon the beaten-to-death cliché – stay in the moment. Each slice of day-time slides by fully-addressed and I am there and not wrapped up with the past and/or the future which, BTW, simply don’t exist. (If you haven’t already, read the works of Eckhart Tolle to explore this stunningly profound perspective)
- I negotiate each day “cold-turkey.” As I bail my own self out of inevitable mood downturns without the crutch of a mood-enhancer, I feel more in control of my life. Tony Robbins speaks adamantly about conquering negative emotions without the ingestion of state-changing chemicals
- Emotional highs are longer and more satisfying, while lows are brief annoyances. (When heavily into caffeine, this effect was reversed)
- I have a deeper appreciation of the beauty all around
- I’m just happier
With the above, I risk sounding preachy and oh-so-put together. What I’ve described is the way it is for me most of the time when I’m not under the influence of caffeine. Caffeine or not, my state of mind and demeanor are not always optimal! Just ask my wife Linda, or my office managers. I sometimes still fall short.
Once one quits, does the caffeine-craving go away? Does the immediate desire for a pick-me-up completely evaporate in the face of the above advantages? Yes, but not for months. Caffeine is a powerful drug and so the addiction lingers.
The downside of quitting caffeine? Only one: Getting off the stuff as the emotional and physical selves scream in revolt. The mental depression can be epic; the headaches severe. I used to have mornings where I thought my only two choices were either a cup of coffee or a bullet in the head. That’s not a good way to start the day.
We’ll discuss tactics for dealing with the withdrawal ordeal in Part 3.
One last thing: Do I ever ingest caffeine? Yes, occasionally, maybe 2% of my previous intake; far too small an amount to invoke addiction, but plenty enough to enjoy, with Linda, the occasional Sunday morning cup-a-black, or a cappuccino on that Italian beach.
Next time, Part Three of the caffeine series: You are the Terminator: Kicking Caffeine Addiction
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Hi Sam:
Wonderful, insightful dialogue about the Java in our lives! I’ve tried alternatives and cutting back….. — now I’m on day-3 of being cold turkey from the coffee bean.
Thanks,
mike
Mike! The 3rd day is the WORST. Hang in there; dig deep. I’ll talk about how I quit two posts from now, in about 10 days, but I will tell you now that one has to go through a couple of weeks of hard times, mentally. Much looks black and the defense to that bad frame of mind is to keep reminding yourself that the mental downturn is just a mechanical part of withdrawal. It’s not you, it’s the chemical reaction.
I’ve been off the caffeine habit for several years now, and enjoy many of the same benefits you describe. I’m more in tune with my body’s natural energy levels, and have learned to work around my energy dips instead of paving over them with chemicals. I partake of caffeine occasionally, but not on any regular basis, to avoid getting re-hooked. For me, it is the daily repetition, more than the amount, that leads to addiction.
I’m looking forward to reading your method for kicking caffeine addiction. Having been addicted to caffeine at several points in my life, I’ve found withdrawal headaches to be the most painful headaches I’ve ever experienced.
The withdrawal method that worked best for me was this:
1. Forgo caffeine until a headache starts.
2. Take just enough caffeine to make the headache go away.
3. Repeat until no more headaches.
The headaches occur at longer and longer intervals and eventually stop, which takes a few days to a week. This method can lead to caffeine ingestion at unusual times (e.g., 10pm) if that’s when the headache strikes, but I preferred being awake but pain-free to being kept awake by a horrible headache.
BTW, the researchers at Argonne National Labs who developed the anti-jet-lag diet determined that the one time of day when caffeine does not affect sleep is the middle of one’s waking hours, which for most people is 3 to 5 pm. This explains why millions of Britons take afternoon tea every day without staying up all night.
Janet: Thanks for the good run-down. My quitting technique is more simple than you can imagine and I will get to it in another post, later this week or maybe the week after. Your technique makes sense, though, if the headaches are really bad. When I quit I noticed that asprin didn’t do much for the headaches. I just dealt with it but wonder if tiny doses of NoDoz or something like that would have helped. I found an important part of quitting was to stop drinking caffeine completely, even in small quantities. But, that’s just me. I agree that it’s the daily repetion that ultimately gets one hooked.
After reading your post I just quit caffeine cold turkey last week. Decided to do it when I was a bit under the weather already, and the final nail in the coffin was when I smelled the cold, left-over coffee in my coffee maker: It smells a bit like an ashtray in fact.
Definitely took nearly a week to detox and re-regulate my sleeping patterns (been taking some longish naps in the late afternoon), and things are still continuing to balance themselves out, but I feel A LOT better now. Less hectic somehow.
At this point I think that it’s totally worth it. No point in stressing yourself persistently FROM THE INSIDE OUT with a substance (of course there are other, more psychological factors that can do the same, but until you quit, you’ll never know how much of it was the caffeine, will you?).
The more I’ve been thinking about it, caffeine is probably aging people well before their time. It’s a miracle our tissues find time to regenerate at all given that caffeine permanently gives our mind the “go/alarm” signal.
And how much is this throwing off our natural sympathetic (arousal/stress) functioning potentials? For that reason, it’s probably best to quit ALL stimulants including black tea and mate. Admittedly, I probably cheated a little bit during the detox phase last week with Cliff Protein Bars containing some chocolate. Maybe that’s a useful transition substance?
Thanks for this, Alex. My sentiments exactly. I think there is some value in a “transition” substance and it seems to me chocolate is a good way to go. With the headaches and depression coming on strong after the first few days of quitting, I’ve shied away from attempting to “drink just a small amount” of coffee, or to use decaf: This keeps the habit going. Chocolate is not a drink, it’s solid, so it seems logical. Aspiring and exercise help a lot too!
Sam – I’ve struggled with caffeine addiction and how it makes me feel for many years. The problem is, I find it REALLY hard to quit. I try cold turkey and the headaches drive me back, I try to taper off but never manage to reduce to zero. I’m very much looking forward to hearing how you did it – can you let me/us know when this will be ?
Yes, quitting is killer. I’ll post this “how to” final installment in the Caffeine series in the next 10 days. Thanks Rob.
Sam, thanks – looking forward to it. I’ve struggled with this for a long time and any help you can give would be gratefully received ! Would be great if you could get it uploaded before the end of September as there’s some other stuff going on in my life and it would be great to quit from a new month. I know the date isn’t that important, but it feels neater in my mind as a new start !
Rob: My caffeinet post goes up Saturday but I’m going to send you the rough draft this morning. -sam
Sam – I was so inspired by your book as a whole, but this message really needled me. I kept hearing my inner thought process saying that the systems approach applied to anything but my beloved Coffee! I was the cigarrette and coffee girl – always having one in one hand & one in the other.
This last year I quit cigarrettes for good and I feel great, but I had such a hard time with coffee. After reading your book & receiving the reinforcement from your blog – I decided to just do it! Yesterday was Day One and I made it through with a headache & a bit of nausea – but otherwise okay. One thing I didn’t expect, was to fall asleep on the couch at 8pm!
Thanks so much for your dedication to this project. You have shared a great gift. Personal responsibility is a tough one to swallow, because it means a lot of hard work, but I’m up for it!
Thanks much, Destonie. See part 3 that I just posted. The sleep problem is real and for me it went on for months, especially going to bed early and waking up in the middle of the night. It goes away after a while…and if you can swing it, an occasional nap is delicious. Thanks much for the kind words regarding my book….
I don’t drink caffeine — thank goodness I never got stared!
But I really appreciate your excellent list above of sleep interrupters. Would actually love to see you write a post (or small series) dedicated to sleep interrupters and how to deal with them.
Great blog!
Hey George. Good to hear from you. Never got started? Whoa. I was about 19 when I started, working graveyard shift in a paper mill in upstate New York. Those union guys taught me how to do it although I never got why they used so much sugar.