Posted: Tue Feb 24, 2009 12:40 pm
There are different ways to get off coffee. Some people gradually reduce, some people start replacing reg with decaf little by little until they are drinking all decaf, but if you want to get off coffee the quickest and easiest way, this is the best way to go (always consult your health practitioner):
1) Stop drinking ALL coffee at once.
2) If you are a heavy drinker, you will likely get some headaches and other discomfort. If you are comfortable and your health practitioner allows, take a pain reliever on your first and second day.
3) Drink a TON of water. This helps speed up detox.
4) With your health practitioner's okay, do some kind of aerobic exercise every day, for at least 30 minutes - walk, jump on a rebounder, bicycle, treadmill, etc.
5) You may see some white residue on your tongue. These are toxins coming up. Your body stores these toxins as long as you drink the caffeine, but once you are off it, your body is finally able to release the toxins. You can remove this residue with the tip of a spoon or a tongue scraper. I like the metal ones by Dr. Tung.
6) Try not to "replace" with anything other than non-caffeinated herbal tea. By using decaf or black or green tea you are still getting small amounts of caffeine which may trigger your desire to drink regular coffee.
7) By day 3 you should feel your cravings greatly diminished and your headaches decrease significantly or vanish.
To me, this is a more effective way than reducing. Most addicts cannot get off drugs, alcohol or cigarettes by reducing. It's always harder this way because you leave the door open by having a 'taste' of something you can't stop drinking/using, etc. I have this problem with chocolate and cannot eat just "one" M & M or Peanut Butter cup. I'll be out of control looking for the next chocolate fix, so it's easier to just completely stop, have a couple days of harsh cravings and then be free from the substance and not feel a pull toward it after 3 days.
That said, I'm sure gradually decreasing does work for some people. But for those who can't go that route, the above steps work great.
Hope this helps someone.
1) Stop drinking ALL coffee at once.
2) If you are a heavy drinker, you will likely get some headaches and other discomfort. If you are comfortable and your health practitioner allows, take a pain reliever on your first and second day.
3) Drink a TON of water. This helps speed up detox.
4) With your health practitioner's okay, do some kind of aerobic exercise every day, for at least 30 minutes - walk, jump on a rebounder, bicycle, treadmill, etc.
5) You may see some white residue on your tongue. These are toxins coming up. Your body stores these toxins as long as you drink the caffeine, but once you are off it, your body is finally able to release the toxins. You can remove this residue with the tip of a spoon or a tongue scraper. I like the metal ones by Dr. Tung.
6) Try not to "replace" with anything other than non-caffeinated herbal tea. By using decaf or black or green tea you are still getting small amounts of caffeine which may trigger your desire to drink regular coffee.
7) By day 3 you should feel your cravings greatly diminished and your headaches decrease significantly or vanish.
To me, this is a more effective way than reducing. Most addicts cannot get off drugs, alcohol or cigarettes by reducing. It's always harder this way because you leave the door open by having a 'taste' of something you can't stop drinking/using, etc. I have this problem with chocolate and cannot eat just "one" M & M or Peanut Butter cup. I'll be out of control looking for the next chocolate fix, so it's easier to just completely stop, have a couple days of harsh cravings and then be free from the substance and not feel a pull toward it after 3 days.
That said, I'm sure gradually decreasing does work for some people. But for those who can't go that route, the above steps work great.
Hope this helps someone.