I usually only have one cup of caffeinated coffee or tea in the morning. However, if it’s late, and I crave a coffee, I keep some decaf on hand. There’s something about the way coffee smells and tastes that gets me in a certain mood. Herbal tea is nice, but there’s something richer about coffee that I really enjoy. I know decaf still has a little caffeine in there, but I wish it didn’t have such negative connotations. You’re almost guaranteed to be made fun of for ordering it, but shoot, it keeps me from staring at the ceiling all night if I have a late cup.

Caffeine withdrawal sucks, I've gone through this pattern of drinking lots of coffee, weaning myself off, slowly ramping back up consumption, repeat.

I realized my problem is I actually just really enjoy the flavor of good coffee. Now I'm on decaf and I've been "coffee free" for much longer than a month since that switch.

It's kind of hard to find really good decaf unfortunately. Way less variety than caffeinated coffee.

I kicked caffeinated coffee a couple of years ago, and the disappearance of decaf coffees from grocery aisles was pretty surprising.

Starbucks doesn't even brew it anymore, though they'll make it on demand.

We stockpile Peet's decafs as we find them in the big chain grocery stores, but I've just taken to paying for a Peet's decaf subscription delivery. 2 bags show up on the regular, it's a bit more expensive, but it fits our schedule.

What brand do you recommend. Assuming you are in the US.

In my experience, caffeine tolerance is dependent on how much you regularly intake. I switched to decaf about a year ago (which still has a not-insignificant amount of caffeine in it) and I get the boost I normally would from a fully caffeinated cup once my body adjusted (a month or a so). I have to go out of my way to find good whole bean decaf but the taste is great, the effect is very similar, and the headaches I get on the weekend when I don’t drink any are far more mild. Highly recommend switching to exclusively decaf.

I've done it multiple times, fairly easily. I think the hardest has actually been after having something sweet, wanting to balance it out with a nice cup of black coffee. Fortunately there's decaf for that.

Yes. I stopped drinking coffee around a month ago. First week my withdrawal symptoms were pretty bad, but now I'm feeling good. I miss the taste though. I stopped drinking coffee as a sort of experiment and to reset my relationship with it, but right now I don't experience a real want to drink. Perhaps down the line I'll start drinking regularly again or a coffee here and there will be fine. We'll see how it goes.

I really enjoy the energizing feeling of coffee (caffeine), but after months of drinking several cups a day I don’t get it anymore.

At this point I’ll usually go off coffee for a couple weeks to reduce my tolerance, then after that I’ll ramp up again.

Side effects during the first week are headaches and feeling somewhat tired, but not too bad.

After hearing Michael Pollan's interview about caffeine (specifically the parts about how long it's half-life is), I went from drinking 6-7 cups of [caffeinated] coffee daily for over 25 years to - decaffeinated tea.

I was prepared for withdrawal, but.. nothing really.

Incredibly easily, I have tried to have a coffee here and there but every time I do it feels like my stomach is full of lava. The last time I tried was over a decade ago.

Caffeine is a drug with several benefits (to those who need it) and some people may have undiagnosed disorders and are unknowingly self medicating.

Yes.

Yes.

7 years coffee-free.

Easy peasy.

yes, easy.

Yes, agree...was not raised with coffee/caffeine in the home. However, succumbed to its use, due to work schedules. Tried coffee, energy drinks, caffeine capsules (very cost effective), etc. Caffeine withdrawal was very real for me, each time. 2 to 3 weeks of headaches, sleep issues and lack of energy.

It's the 2nd most addictive substance on earth (sugar is 1st), and imho only has temporary benefits. It should be used sparingly, as a tool (when really needed, like a fire extinguisher), not as the crutch it has become.

The question becomes, does caffeine use lead to other addictions, like prescription drugs or worse?

There is a very nice article about how caffeine was the cause of this man's migraines, and how he didn't listen to Dr's who told him to quit.

yes.