How do I get off of caffeine?

[Toby]

For any function that includes food and drinks. Like for Halloween our ward has "Trunk or treat" when the kids go from trunk to trunk there is no chocolate allowed. I don't know why. I figure it was the Word of Wisdom.

My dentist has always told my kids if you have to eat candy eat chocolate because it doesn't stick to your teeth.

[Toby]

The hardest thing for me to quite is my tea.

[Vort]

For any function that includes food and drinks. Like for Halloween our ward has "Trunk or treat" when the kids go from trunk to trunk there is no chocolate allowed. I don't know why. I figure it was the Word of Wisdom.

My dentist has always told my kids if you have to eat candy eat chocolate because it doesn't stick to your teeth.

We have trunk-or-treat, too. And it's almost nothing BUT chocolate.

For the record, chocolate contains little or no caffeine. It contains mostly theobromine and also xanthine, substances which are chemically related to but not the same as caffeine.

[Bini]

O my goodness! Coffee does NOT smell like poo! -faints-

It smells delish and it tastes delish. It was really hard for me to give up coffee because it's just so yummy all around but I did :]

[applepansy]

No, decaf coffee and decaf tea isn't abiding by the WoW. Hot drinks was defined as coffee and tea--so, any version of those isn't acceptable.

Herbal teas are ok.

[beefche]

Herbal teas are ok.

That's because they aren't "tea." We just like to call them tea for convenience sake. They are actually herbal infusions. Herbal tea doesn't contain "tea."

[beefche]

For any function that includes food and drinks. Like for Halloween our ward has "Trunk or treat" when the kids go from trunk to trunk there is no chocolate allowed. I don't know why. I figure it was the Word of Wisdom.

My dentist has always told my kids if you have to eat candy eat chocolate because it doesn't stick to your teeth.

The no caffeine thing could be due to the fact that BYU doesn't serve caffeinated drinks and BYU is the ultimate standard. Or it could be that parents don't want their kids hyped on sugar AND caffeine an hour before bedtime.

The no chocolate could be that kids can make a chocolate mess.

The best way to find out the why behind it all is to ask someone.

[beefche]

O my goodness! Coffee does NOT smell like poo! -faints-

It smells delish and it tastes delish. It was really hard for me to give up coffee because it's just so yummy all around but I did :]

Come on, Bini. Admit it, your coffee was one of those froo-froo drinks with milk, sugar, whipped cream, and a splash of coffee.

[beefche]

The hardest thing for me to quite is my tea.

I love sweet tea. You know the Southern kind that has such yummy flavor? Yeah, it's been over 25 years since I've had that and I still miss it sometimes. I have to remind myself that it isn't THAT much to give up for the Lord.....but sometimes it sure feels that way!

[Rapidmc]

If caffeine is not against the WoW where did the idea of no caffeine come from? Or, why do so many mormons abstain from caffinated drinks?

[Vort]

If caffeine is not against the WoW where did the idea of no caffeine come from? Or, why do so many mormons abstain from caffinated drinks?

Because "hot drinks", interpreted as coffee and tea (at any temperature), are proscribed, and they share caffeine content in common.

[Guest]

I love the smell of coffee. I've never had it, but I adore mocha ice cream and Pero/Postum. With sugar. :)

But the reason I actually wanted to post is related to the withdrawal effects of getting off of such things. This week I started a clean-eating, extremely restrictive, low-carb cleanse. For the first day, I had a headache that was almost as painful as my migraines. Every day since has gotten better. Today I haven't had a headache, yet. Unfortunately I think you just have to power through and get through those days. I'm feeling better every day and I've already dropped a couple of pounds.

[annewandering]

Great Job, Eowyn! I think you are right about just powering through it. My kids were gone so I did sleep it off a lot of the week. Isnt it just wonderful to wake up and not have the headache?

[Rapidmc]

Went cold turkey today. I have had a headache all day that I can't get rid of but otherwise ok. Good thing I did this on a three day weekend. Does andyone know how long the headaches last? I hope they are gone by Monday.

[Bini]

Come on, Bini. Admit it, your coffee was one of those froo-froo drinks with milk, sugar, whipped cream, and a splash of coffee.

Haha. I do admit that I LOVE fraps but I actually really do prefer my coffee just plain black and that's it :]

[applepansy]

That's because they aren't "tea." We just like to call them tea for convenience sake. They are actually herbal infusions. Herbal tea doesn't contain "tea."

:) In our society tea means anything steeped in water (infusion). To avoid confusion the distinction needed to be made.

[Saldrin]

Worked for me in quitting caffeine. You feel awful for a day or three, but within a week or less your body adapts and you're fine. Just don't start up again once you've gone through withdrawals.

Took me about two weeks.

[annewandering]

took me a bit too but it was so worth it.

[Rapidmc]

I am on my third day of going cold turkey. No problem. I have a slight headache but a couple of ibuprofin is enough to take care of it. It has been a lot easier than I thouht it would be. I'm glad I did it and am looking forward to the benefits of being caffeine free.

[kevmatt78]

for several years if i was awake i had a pibb in my hand. no exaggeration-from waking up til going to sleep. begining in may i started cutting back. my issue hasn't been headaches, but keeping myself awake. the bad part of this withdrawal symptom is that the only thing over the counter to stay awake is caffiene.

[Syd0n]

Try a combo of 500mg eleuthro (siberian ginseng) and 1200mg rhodiola (rosea) in the morning and in the afternoon. This stuff works wonders when trying to get off of caffeine. It helps you stay awake and focus. But, it's natural, non-addictive, and very mild. Liquid works best and is very fast-acting. You may not find them in those exact doses. But just take extra to hit your dosage.

[Syd0n]

I neglected to mention in the last post...take 500-1000mg of vitamin C 3x a day while trying to quit. This is perfectly safe and to my knowledge doesn't interact with any medications or supplements. The worst thing that can happen with high-dose vitamin c is diarrhea and stomach upset. I STRONGLY recommend using Ester-C as this form of Vitamin C will eliminate any stomach upset for most everyone. If you experience diarrhea, then lower your dosage.

This will help your adrenal glands and more importantly help clear the caffeine out of your bodily tissues much more quickly and alleviate withdrawal symptoms much more quickly. The same thing is used in the "LDS Stop Smoking" program to cleanse the body of nicotine in approximately 1 week.

Edited July 31, 2012 by Syd0n

[Syd0n]

I also recommend doing a taper for a about a week (or shorter) using Yerba Mate if headaches are a problem. Yerba Mate is an herb...NOT TEA. It has a moderate amount of caffeine, is very high in antioxidants, and has no artificial or extraneous substances that are hazardous to your health. In addition, the caffeine "buzz" your get is extremely mild, meaning kinder to your adrenal glands as they try to recover.

I specifically recommend Guayaki (brand) Chai Spice Mate, Mate Chocolatte, or the Pure Endurance Mate (This is the best caffeine cessation IMO.) The each have about 20mg of caffeine per cup, making them perfect for addressing withdrawal headaches. Be careful...there are brands that mix tea with the mate and regular mate is much higher in caffeine (about 60mg per cup).

I've struggled with giving up almost every vice in the book since becoming a convert. These are the things my research yielded and what I personally have used to quit caffeine successfully.

I hope the info on the last 3 posts will help someone.

[pianist87]

This has to be a slow process so you avoid headaches. If you started out with 3-4 cups per day, how about drinking no more than 3 cups for a few weeks. Then after that decrease to 2 for a few weeks, etc.

[Syd0n]

You could do a really slow taper. But, you wouldn't need to go quite that slow to avoid headaches. The vitamin c also expedites the process. What I found worked best for me was simply waiting until a headache just started coming on and then drinking about 20mg of caffeine. It takes a very small amount to make a withdrawal headache subside even for a really large consumer. It can take up to 45 minutes to kick in though. So if you just keep drinking until it stops then you can take in more than you actually need to rid yourself of the headache.

It went something like this for me (I consumed 500mg + daily) At first headaches were more frequent...maybe three times a day for 3 days. Then it was 1-2 a day for 2-3 days and then they stopped. But, even at that...I was only consuming 60-80mg per day to avoid symptoms.

That said...mileage may vary. A good tactic is to just listen to your body. If you feel a headache starting to come, then drink enough to make it stop and try not to overdo it. It may be that you need 40mg to take a headache out. Or you could try ibuprofen and 20mg. Peppermint (not spearmint) herbal tea works wonders for headaches. A person could try experimenting with all of this to find what works before officially embarking on the path to quitting. Many may find a slow and steady route best.