Ok, I admit it, during Vegan Mofo I tried to quit coffee but it lasted one miserable week.
In hindsight, I picked the worst time of year to do it, and I say this with experience. I successfully quit caffeine 5 years ago (I was on a Guru energy drink stint) and I owe it to the fact that it was Summer, the sunniest and hottest time of year.
First, my mood is heavily dependent on the amount of natural light around me. You might laugh, but it’s true; if there’s a streak of cloudy days I will be noticeably down. I feel like shit without caffeine so it’s important play on the good mood enhancers that surround me. Unfortunately it gets very dark in November, what with the time change and all. Strike one!
Second, I found that drinking copious amounts of ice-cold water helped a lot but didn’t cool me off too much. This is another reason why it’s good to do this over the summer. Unfortunately consuming super cold water in the winter doesn’t work well. Strike two!
Third, the key to not needing caffeine is to get enough sleep. I needed to catch up on those zeds, but I didn’t do that this time. Needless to say, I shot myself in the foot. Strike three!
I’m not going to bother trying again til spring. I know when I’m beat! I’m just sick of being in this rut.
Oh, and I don’t remember exactly how I started drinking coffee after my (year-long) hiatus but, unlike the majority of people who drink coffee, I actually appreciate the taste. It’s not just a caffeine delivery system to me.