6 ms·

I am quite addicted to coffee, but I've given it up multiple times for 1-2 months. What I've found is that I can get off of coffee easily by substituting tea fo

I am quite addicted to coffee, but I've given it up multiple times for 1-2 months. What I've found is that I can get off of coffee easily by substituting tea for coffee and then ween myself off tea. I can skip coffee or other forms of caffeine, but I'll get headaches on day 2. What always brings me back to coffee is that I find myself in a generally mild depressive state when I'm not drinking it. Coffee makes me feel happy.

bpodgursky 6y ago
I dropped coffee about two weeks ago, but still drink about a pot of (flavored) decaf a day. Maybe you could get the same mental benefits from the warmth + taste?
- danaris 6y ago
  Just bear in mind that "decaf" coffee does still contain caffeine—roughly 5-10% of the amount in regular coffee, as I understand it.
skillpass 6y ago
I recently noticed the same thing about depression and coffee after trying to quit several times over the past several years. Even months after the headaches ceased, I generally felt more depressive. Upon resumption of drinking, I started feeling more elevated in mood.
- 323454 6y ago
  I had a similar experience but I eventually found that sticking to a consistent 8hr sleep schedule and doing a quick 20-30 minute physical warm up first thing in the morning fixed the problem.
  - skillpass 6y ago
    My first hypothesis was like the others here - that it somehow screws with my brain chemistry to make me permanently dependent on it for my mood. Another possibility is that coffee enforces some level of ritual and regularity into my mornings. Since I have a physical dependency on it, I'll go out of my way each morning to get caffeine and usually induce some tangential benefit, whether that be by brewing some coffee (benefit - I usually make breakfast while waiting on it to brew), by going to a coffee shop (benefit - I go for a walk), or by taking preworkout (benefit - I get a workout in). So I guess if I was able to be super consistent about some alternative positive morning ritual (like a physical warm up) maybe it would fix the problem of feeling more depressed when not drinking it.
robotnikman 6y ago
I feel the same way with coffee. As far as caffeinated beverages go, coffee is probably the least worrisome.
- astrange 6y ago
  Coffee is fairly oily and IIRC some of those oils are not good for your heart (although caffeine itself isn't bad for it.) You can make up for this with thicker paper filters but tea is a little healthier.
  - throwanem 6y ago
    Any paper filter is fine. The lack of one is what will really do you in. Following the irreparable failure of my poorly designed and manufactured drip coffee machine, I tried the French press and kettle I'd bought for a camping trip years back and, after that trip fell through, never found occasion to use. The coffee was much better, with a creamy taste and mouthfeel that I'd never experienced before in the beverage, so I didn't bother replacing the drip machine. About a month later, I had my first gallstone. Since then, I've been using a paper filter - the same cheap recycled ones I used in the drip machine - along with the mesh and plate filters that come with the press. It cost me the creaminess that came with the oils which a paper filter removes, but that first gallstone has also so far been my last, so it's a trade I'm happy to make. Kidney stones are much worse, as I have also had the misfortune to learn, but that doesn't make gallstones pleasant. That said, even with the paper filter, the coffee's still quite a bit better. Between that, my newfound mistrust of drip machine engineering, and the pleasant physicality that assembling, using, and cleaning the press provides in my morning routine, I expect to stick with it indefinitely. (You can see the difference between filtered and unfiltered coffee. Unfiltered, it has a deep golden sheen caused by light reflecting from tiny droplets of oil emulsified throughout the liquid. Quite lovely to look at, and very pleasant to drink - until one or another of your organs packs up under the load. Given how easy it would seem for oils already so dispersed to enter the bloodstream, I suppose I'm lucky it was just my gallbladder complaining, and not my heart...)
    - 6y ago
spookybones 6y ago
Mild depression w/o it for me too. The other reason I tend to get back on it is if I'm hungover. But, I don't drink alcohol often. Tea doesn't seem to help with hangovers. I've considered experimenting more with matcha and yerba mate.
- disgruntledphd2 6y ago
  Black tea with milk is a saviour for hangovers. Mind you, I guess this could be conditioning based on my environment (I'm Irish).
dr_dshiv 6y ago
Hmm, tea isn't strong enough for me. Perhaps I could replace coffee with methamphetamine, if it comes down to it. Sticking with coffee — for now.
- murrkeys 6y ago
  I drink Yerba Mate tea as a substitute. It contains more caffeine than other teas, plus you can drink it out of a cool gourd. Might be worth giving a try!
- Dumblydorr 6y ago
  Tea has fractions of the mg caffeine that coffee does. It makes sense pharmacologically that you have a higher tolerance than only tea drinkers. I wouldn't recommend using methamphetamine, it is a prescription for ADHD, taking it lightly is not advisable. You can use tea as a tolerance reducer instead, take it on off days instead of coffee.
  - nullsense 6y ago
    Methamphetamine is not a prescription for ADHD. Dextroamphetamine, amphetamine, and Methylphenidate are. They also have controlled release mechanisms and are available in therapeutic doses. It is not the same thing as buying however much you want of a significantly stronger stimulant and taking and instant hit. And to anyone not prescribed those medications that are obtaining them for recreational usage, you make an already difficult life of ADHDers much worse, as some are denied an effective, life-changing treatment because of this.
    - namibj 6y ago
      It also has the unfortunate side effect of being neurotoxic, which is why only the other amphetamines are used therapeutically.
      - bunfunton 6y ago
        Neurotoxic at high doses that is. Meth is FDA approved for ADHD and used therapeutically, I take it. It’s certainly the cleanest smoothest gentlest and most effective thing I’ve tried and I’ve tried it all.
foobiekr 6y ago
I go totally cold turkey every year for ~2 months and have for years (more than a decade). It's a fascinating experience each time, as close to a reset as I think you can get without hard drugs. I sleep better but feel more weary and tired without coffee. I no longer get serious withdrawal when I stop drinking it. The happy medium for me, and YMMV, but I find now that half-caf is quite satisfying and less sleep-disruptive.
nlh 6y ago
I'm totally with you. I drink 1 (sometimes, but rarely, 2) espresso drinks every morning, and it's just joyful. I'd say 80% is the routine/experience, 20% is the actual caffeine. It's just a nice way to start the day.
- hyperbovine 6y ago
  You could even say it’s the best part of waking up...
doodlebugging 6y ago
I have been drinking coffee for decades and usually drink about 6 - 8 oz cups a day though sometimes I drink more. That is less than the amount I drank while in college. Back then I would drink 2 or 3 12-cup carafes a day. I like my coffee black and full of flavor. Working in the oilfield, I discovered Community Coffee's New Orleans blend of coffee with chicory. Chicory was used as a coffee substitute back in the day though it has no caffeine. It does have flavor. You can buy that from Community Coffee company and give it a taste. If you live in the US and want to try something domestic that you may be able to grow yourself then go to your garden supply and buy a yaupon holly. Don't get the dwarf yaupon unless you want to landscape. Get the standard yaupon bush/tree. It is the only plant native to North America that produces caffeine. It is dead simple to dry the leaves and make a caffeinated tea. It is also evergreen so you can have fresh tea leaves year round though after this year's hard freeze, the trees I have are setting new leaves since the old ones were frozen and dead. There also vendors selling yaupon tea leaves online if you wanted to try before you buy. I sometimes trade my cuppa Joe for a cuppa Joe-Bob (the natural name for a coffee substitute that grows in the southern US along the Gulf Coast.)
deleted 6y ago
[deleted]
itsmeamario 6y ago
I've been drinking a large cup when I wake up and another cup at 3pm for 6 years straight. I fear it's already too late for me.
bunfunton 6y ago
People are so different. Coffee and even a cup of tea will turn me into a raging asshole.

bpodgursky 6y ago

I dropped coffee about two weeks ago, but still drink about a pot of (flavored) decaf a day. Maybe you could get the same mental benefits from the warmth + taste?

danaris 6y ago
Just bear in mind that "decaf" coffee does still contain caffeine—roughly 5-10% of the amount in regular coffee, as I understand it.

skillpass 6y ago

I recently noticed the same thing about depression and coffee after trying to quit several times over the past several years. Even months after the headaches ceased, I generally felt more depressive. Upon resumption of drinking, I started feeling more elevated in mood.

323454 6y ago
I had a similar experience but I eventually found that sticking to a consistent 8hr sleep schedule and doing a quick 20-30 minute physical warm up first thing in the morning fixed the problem.
- skillpass 6y ago
  My first hypothesis was like the others here - that it somehow screws with my brain chemistry to make me permanently dependent on it for my mood. Another possibility is that coffee enforces some level of ritual and regularity into my mornings. Since I have a physical dependency on it, I'll go out of my way each morning to get caffeine and usually induce some tangential benefit, whether that be by brewing some coffee (benefit - I usually make breakfast while waiting on it to brew), by going to a coffee shop (benefit - I go for a walk), or by taking preworkout (benefit - I get a workout in). So I guess if I was able to be super consistent about some alternative positive morning ritual (like a physical warm up) maybe it would fix the problem of feeling more depressed when not drinking it.

robotnikman 6y ago

I feel the same way with coffee. As far as caffeinated beverages go, coffee is probably the least worrisome.

astrange 6y ago
Coffee is fairly oily and IIRC some of those oils are not good for your heart (although caffeine itself isn't bad for it.) You can make up for this with thicker paper filters but tea is a little healthier.
- throwanem 6y ago
  Any paper filter is fine. The lack of one is what will really do you in. Following the irreparable failure of my poorly designed and manufactured drip coffee machine, I tried the French press and kettle I'd bought for a camping trip years back and, after that trip fell through, never found occasion to use. The coffee was much better, with a creamy taste and mouthfeel that I'd never experienced before in the beverage, so I didn't bother replacing the drip machine. About a month later, I had my first gallstone. Since then, I've been using a paper filter - the same cheap recycled ones I used in the drip machine - along with the mesh and plate filters that come with the press. It cost me the creaminess that came with the oils which a paper filter removes, but that first gallstone has also so far been my last, so it's a trade I'm happy to make. Kidney stones are much worse, as I have also had the misfortune to learn, but that doesn't make gallstones pleasant. That said, even with the paper filter, the coffee's still quite a bit better. Between that, my newfound mistrust of drip machine engineering, and the pleasant physicality that assembling, using, and cleaning the press provides in my morning routine, I expect to stick with it indefinitely. (You can see the difference between filtered and unfiltered coffee. Unfiltered, it has a deep golden sheen caused by light reflecting from tiny droplets of oil emulsified throughout the liquid. Quite lovely to look at, and very pleasant to drink - until one or another of your organs packs up under the load. Given how easy it would seem for oils already so dispersed to enter the bloodstream, I suppose I'm lucky it was just my gallbladder complaining, and not my heart...)
  - 6y ago

spookybones 6y ago

Mild depression w/o it for me too. The other reason I tend to get back on it is if I'm hungover. But, I don't drink alcohol often. Tea doesn't seem to help with hangovers. I've considered experimenting more with matcha and yerba mate.

disgruntledphd2 6y ago
Black tea with milk is a saviour for hangovers. Mind you, I guess this could be conditioning based on my environment (I'm Irish).

dr_dshiv 6y ago

Hmm, tea isn't strong enough for me. Perhaps I could replace coffee with methamphetamine, if it comes down to it. Sticking with coffee — for now.

murrkeys 6y ago
I drink Yerba Mate tea as a substitute. It contains more caffeine than other teas, plus you can drink it out of a cool gourd. Might be worth giving a try!
Dumblydorr 6y ago
Tea has fractions of the mg caffeine that coffee does. It makes sense pharmacologically that you have a higher tolerance than only tea drinkers. I wouldn't recommend using methamphetamine, it is a prescription for ADHD, taking it lightly is not advisable. You can use tea as a tolerance reducer instead, take it on off days instead of coffee.
- nullsense 6y ago
  Methamphetamine is not a prescription for ADHD. Dextroamphetamine, amphetamine, and Methylphenidate are. They also have controlled release mechanisms and are available in therapeutic doses. It is not the same thing as buying however much you want of a significantly stronger stimulant and taking and instant hit. And to anyone not prescribed those medications that are obtaining them for recreational usage, you make an already difficult life of ADHDers much worse, as some are denied an effective, life-changing treatment because of this.
  - namibj 6y ago
    It also has the unfortunate side effect of being neurotoxic, which is why only the other amphetamines are used therapeutically.
    - bunfunton 6y ago
      Neurotoxic at high doses that is. Meth is FDA approved for ADHD and used therapeutically, I take it. It’s certainly the cleanest smoothest gentlest and most effective thing I’ve tried and I’ve tried it all.

foobiekr 6y ago

I go totally cold turkey every year for ~2 months and have for years (more than a decade). It's a fascinating experience each time, as close to a reset as I think you can get without hard drugs. I sleep better but feel more weary and tired without coffee. I no longer get serious withdrawal when I stop drinking it. The happy medium for me, and YMMV, but I find now that half-caf is quite satisfying and less sleep-disruptive.

nlh 6y ago

I'm totally with you. I drink 1 (sometimes, but rarely, 2) espresso drinks every morning, and it's just joyful. I'd say 80% is the routine/experience, 20% is the actual caffeine. It's just a nice way to start the day.

hyperbovine 6y ago
You could even say it’s the best part of waking up...

doodlebugging 6y ago

I have been drinking coffee for decades and usually drink about 6 - 8 oz cups a day though sometimes I drink more. That is less than the amount I drank while in college. Back then I would drink 2 or 3 12-cup carafes a day. I like my coffee black and full of flavor. Working in the oilfield, I discovered Community Coffee's New Orleans blend of coffee with chicory. Chicory was used as a coffee substitute back in the day though it has no caffeine. It does have flavor. You can buy that from Community Coffee company and give it a taste. If you live in the US and want to try something domestic that you may be able to grow yourself then go to your garden supply and buy a yaupon holly. Don't get the dwarf yaupon unless you want to landscape. Get the standard yaupon bush/tree. It is the only plant native to North America that produces caffeine. It is dead simple to dry the leaves and make a caffeinated tea. It is also evergreen so you can have fresh tea leaves year round though after this year's hard freeze, the trees I have are setting new leaves since the old ones were frozen and dead. There also vendors selling yaupon tea leaves online if you wanted to try before you buy. I sometimes trade my cuppa Joe for a cuppa Joe-Bob (the natural name for a coffee substitute that grows in the southern US along the Gulf Coast.)

deleted 6y ago

[deleted]

itsmeamario 6y ago

I've been drinking a large cup when I wake up and another cup at 3pm for 6 years straight. I fear it's already too late for me.

bunfunton 6y ago

People are so different. Coffee and even a cup of tea will turn me into a raging asshole.