Source
r/decaf•
maxm

9 months in - not much has changed

Caffeine-Free

Got heart palpatations.

Traced it down to caffeine. Stopped drinking about 1 litre / 1 quart a day in the morning. Got some withdrawal symptoms, like tiredness and a few days of mild to medium headaches.

First months I had nothing with caffeine in it. Now I eat chocolate moderately daily and drink 1 cup of decaf in the morning. I like the tradition. And I have 1-3 cans of cola perhaps once a month.

There has been no great awakening. I am not more or less productive. I sleep about the same. Which is very well. It probably helped that I only drank coffee in the morning.

So basically nothing much has changed.

My dreams a lot more vivid though. Which is both bad and good.

The palpatations are gone though. That is enough for me to keep sticking to decaf. They were very unpleasant.

And probably caused by me drinking all my coffee in a short period of time and overdosing on it.

So I am good. Don't miss drinking coffee. Don't feel any better, except for the one thing that mattered.

Posted Dec 5, 2023, 3:00 PM UTC

68
DadForLiberty•

You posted this thread 12 times lol. Congratulations though. 9 months is pretty good. I’m on day 9 with really bad anxiety, I think the lack of caffeine is affecting my brain chemistry.

7
maxmOP•

Oh thanks. I got an error message every time I tried to post. So a reddit bug.

2
Onzalimey•

I doubt nothing has changed it’s just all subtle stuff you need to be aware of to notice. If you went back to caffeine and tried to be super aware of how you felt you’ll notice the differences. I don’t think it’s huge changes just subtle things

7
PumpkinFantastic5498•

Good point, this just opened the doors for additional self improvement which allows us to slowly drift back to our original baseline states… we weren’t enlightened then and wouldn’t be now just because we no longer drink coffee, but the difference is undeniable when compared to getting back on the stuff

1
QuietWishing55 days•

very glad your palpitations resolved. Looks like you have found a balance!

3
aniccaanattadukkha135 days•

I had a small relapse actually where I drunk coffee for a few days, but quickly realized it actually is very bad for me. Got way more irritated, more restlessness and I could not fall asleep as easily. I stopped after these few days and had withdrawal systems again! Two days of headache and cold shivers... Now stopped for good. (Have not reset my counter because I told myself I don't have to if I stop again after the short relapse.)

I think I am saying that you might not notice how much calmer your life is without it. I got a reminder for a few days, thought it was fine to have a few and then was back to a habit, but should not have tried.

1
Content-Eyer•

You’re still consuming caffeine?

1
maxmOP•

Whatever is in my morning decaf, in my chocolate, and the very occasional can(s) of soda. But no coffee and no tea.

1
ClassyPen•

A bar of chocolate contains the same amount caffeine as 100 grams of coffee. Decaf is not a saint ether. And 3 cans of coke puts at over 100mgs of caffeine. That's enough to disrupt a night of sleep and put you back into cravings.

I fail to see how you are "9 months in". 9 months into what exactly?

1