Help!!! How do I get off coffee?

[leeleelocs]

I can go raw and stay off coffee. But if I start back drinking cofee it knocks me back into craving cooked food. Help I got to get off this stuff. I have tried teas and mikye, green smooties ect... but the cravings always come back. Help.:eek:

[DebB]

My husband ditched his life long coffee habit by drinking Celestial Seasoning's Roastaroma. He just loves it. He was a serious coffee drinker (full caffeine and some times decaf). The other day he said he likes it better than he did coffee - I was shocked.. *Ü*

We get it through iHerb: http://www.iherb.com/Celestial-Seasonings-Roastaroma-Caffeine-Free-Herbal-Tea-20-Tea-Bags-3-2-oz-92-g/14851?at=0

But you can probably find it locally too.

[mamabird1953]

Hi there, I've been off coffee going on 4 weeks now. It wasn't easy but you just have to make the the decision to do it. I was so desperate that I took only one week to get off. I had cut down to about 3 or 4 cups but when I decided to get off, I cut it down by a half a cup a day. I did get really weak and had some headaches but now I feel pretty great. It's nice to feel my natural energy again after all these years. I felt I could never be 100% raw because of coffee. Now I am commited to my health totally. So, you can do it. Just be willing to feel a little uncomfortable for about a week. Hope this helps you. Mamabird

[spicyfull]

I stopped Coffee even before RAW. I still like the Smell of Coffee, I even inhale the coffee isle whenever I'm in the Grocery Store. I just stopped drinking because the caffine began to make me jittery.

[laserlipo]

hello......all
When you give up caffeine, you’re likely to experience withdrawal symptoms, such as headaches and backaches, and generally emotions are out of whack for several days.....

[T-Bird]

I've been drinking coffee since age 11!

I've kicked the habit on several occasions - always went back.

I've done it cold turkey on a number of occasions - once going from 20+ cups a day to nothing after finals.......had a headache for over 2 solid weeks. Wasted my christmas break. Went back on the coffee early the next semester.

After that hellish experience, and at the suggestion of a friend, I've favored a gradual step down approach, as mamabird suggested.

Things that helped me to get over the hump. I love coffee with <silk non dairy> creamer. So I found switching to black really helps me to cut down. After using that technique a little too many times - I actually began to enjoy the taste of black coffee:eek: and started drinking more of it black.

I have a super hectic life: - Single mom, 1 kid has mental health issues, professional career that requires travel, bought a too big house/too big yard that's 100 years old and too much work, and aging parents that need my help and can't drive, one can't walk very well, the other is legally blind.

So "down time" recovering is not an option most of the time. Even weekend days jam packed with "must do" and sometimes I have to work on the weekends as well.

Anyhoo - I've found that after you cut down, getting to the end of it, 3 cups for 3-4 days, 2 cups for 3-4 days, 1 cups, then a 1/2 cup.

Then your first day w/o - and you can do it.

But the 2nd day - you're dragging bad. Just a half cup, and the 2nd day is fine, and you can go on with zero coffee from there.

Like I said - I can't have a wasted day - so these are my experiences, if they're helpful.

One thing I've always done is try to quit the coffee before getting raw or other healthy changes. This time - since I didn't plan on going raw (just ate a meal at a raw food restaurant and said - yep - I don't want to go back) I was still in coffee land. I eased off over the next week and it was much easier to let go on the 100% raw routine.

Good Luck! And you can do it!

[JennaBoBenna]

I am a coffee addict. Ever since I was a little kid, I would ride my bike to the nearest Chevron and buy myself some bottled Frappuchinos!

I haven't had coffee since 2006 when I worked at a gym and we made coffee daily. I was having a cup, and I realized what I was drinking and how it made me feel. I threw out the cup and no longer considered coffee as an option for me to drink.

I almost indulged yesterday at Cafe Soulstice. Hoping that their coffee is cold-processed, I talked it over and over in my head about how much I wanted a mocha. I ended up deciding not to get it. It felt really good to say no. I love the smell of coffee, anyway, so sometimes smelling it is just as good.

[asecretchord]

I'm struggling with the same thing. What I'm doing is gradually decreasing my consumption. I used to drink about 4 cups a day. Now I'm down to 2. Eventually I will replace one cup of my coffee with a cup of tea. And hopefully be done soon. It's so addicting.

[Lindsey]

I have been off coffee for almost 6 weeks now!
I also realized that why I liked the coffee so much was the experience of it, something warm in my cup, adding some almond milk, stirring...once I realized that my subconscious seemed happy with tea as a replacement for the experience it was a little bit easier. Plus - it is finally getting warmer out so maybe that will help you too!
I definitely do still indulge in the occasional big whiff in the coffee aisle or the bag when I'm brewing some for the hubby :D
You can do it!! Maybe you can post in your blog every time you feel a craving, that way you are getting it out on "paper" which may help you realize that you don't REALLY want coffee.

: )

[RawSar]

Congrats to those of you when never went back ! !
I'm an on and off coffee drinker. Right now I am on.
For me its become a comfort drink during rough times. Once things get better I won't need coffee to help cheer me up. :)

[banana shake]

You know, my problem, besides the whole withdrawal thing (and I'm only at one cup per day), is that I really, really like the taste of it. And there isn't anything out there that quite compares.

I noticed that the Sweet Gratitude dessert cookbook has several recipes that contain cold pressed coffee/espresso, but it seems to be cold-brewed from roasted beans. Huh? Am I just not reading that right? Because if there is a way to have really raw coffee, count me in!

[sozei]

I 've been working for Starbucks for 12 years and I stopped drinking coffee and caffeine a year ago. :D

..and this coming from somebody that drank coffee bev's for free for years and i get a pound free a week.....i just don't NEED it any longer. I believe if you really want to quit , it is not that hard.

[appifanie]

i quit coffee about 6-8 weeks ago. i wasn't actually going to do it, but i wanted to quit refined sugar, and no way was i drinking my coffee black :) so i just stopped. it's sad, and i miss it, and i think of it fondly quite frequently. i'm not even sure i'll stay quit, but i also wanted to see if it helped my migraines (i quit caffeine for years before i went back to help w/ migraines) and if cutting out the sugar helped w/ weight loss. not a lot of help w/ either problem, but ah well.

[Everchanging]

I am quitting as of today following the teeccino 2 week gradual replacement protocol they have on their website. It's time to do this! I don't think I'll ever feel like I have genuine energy without ridding myself of this dependency. My poor adrenals! Lots of people on here seem to be going through this right now. We can do it!:D

[Lavendula]

But consider the adrenals, the kidneys, and all the other ways it messes w/ your body. I love the smell, the taste, the Comfort Cup that nothing else gives. I didn't drink it for years, except on occassion with a dessert, and I just flavored hot water w/ a little coffee. I didn't become an addict until I started w/organic fair trade coffee. I really fried the adrenals, and it really affects my fibrocystic breast disease and arthritis. I am just very sensitive to the caffeine, and the oils. I don't drink it unless I make it at home, what a snob. I am down to 1 or 2 cups every week or so, as a treat. Sometimes I can go for a few months, if I don't get ahold of the beans. Decide it's poison for you, and your life and health depend on not drinking it. I know this but, I love the bean!

[solarliving]

I agree with MamaBird. Making the decision to do it is the first step. Switching to Green tea for a week, then hot water with lemon ginger will prevent the headache.

[Stina]

Accountability!

I quit for good.

If you need a buddy to ride you for your own good, you can e-mail me and say Hi. We can even exchange phone numbers. You'd be amazed at how one friendship like that can really get you over the hump!!

Whatever happens, keep telling us! We will love you until you love yourself. Then we will pick on you, because we are raw vegans!!!:p

[Colorawdo girl]

Teechino is a transition drink. I like it. I have hazelnut right now. Put almond mylk in it n honey...good.

[Dimond]

If it's for energy, you can switch to more natural forms of caffeine or energy boosts such as kola nut powder, kava kava, yerba mate, green tea powder, bee pollen. One of the better ones is maca & I've heard you can combine it with kola nut powder for an even more powerful effect. But be careful to try that in tiny doses because it can be strong for some people.