I did the exact same thing you did, except with cold brew concentrate, when I wanted to quit caffeine one time (in preparation for a dental surgery, where I decided I would rather not be taking caffeine while recovering). Would recommend for anyone who is trying to 'kick the habit'.

Some of us, no matter how much coffee we drink, do not feel withdrawal.

I have found the only thing with me is not drinking coffee after about 3pm. It can make sleeping harder.

i think it's very individual. I get a lot of caffeine when i need to work through a bunch of stuff (and probably developed tolerance, etc) but when there is a lull at work or a vacation, i feel 0 need for it, don't take it and feel 0 side effects from quitting for a couple of weeks.

Funny story: at my first programming job, there was a coworker that had never had coffee before. Then he tried some and started drinking it everyday. Then he realized “he couldn’t stop” after it was time to start paying the coffee club dues (somehow there was an IT shop without free coffee).

It is surprising, but from my experience, there are some people that actually don’t realize it’s addictive.

It's interesting that these anecdotes are all about coffee. You never hear "tried mountain dew once and couldn't stop"

I'm sure it happens with diet coke