et_mike

Yeah... well a little common sense has to apply...

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screamingmorris

If you are addicted to caffeine like I am and you try to quit cold-turkey then within a few hours you can develop excruciating caffeine-withdrawal headaches that are just as disabling as migraine headaches.
Those headaches can last approximately 24 hours.
It will take several days for the body to slowly adjust to lack of caffeine.

If I know I am going to be going without caffeine, such as trying to kick the habit, I take a large dose of aspirin or Tylenol or whatever a few hours *before* quiting the caffeine and every 4 hours or so for the first 2 or 3 days in an attempt at preventing those violent headaches or at least minimizing them.

You can always do what I do to wean yourself:
I presently drink a can of regular Dr Pepper mixed with a can of caffeine-free diet Dr Pepper so as to produce a drink that has half the caffeine and half the calories.
You can gradually increase the amount of the caffeine-free and lessen the amount of regular over a period of a few weeks until you are eventually drinking pure caffeine-free.
That slow withdrawal gives your body a chance to adjust over those few weeks rather than shocking it with sudden and complete withdrawal.

veery715

DO NOT switch to diet soda. Aspartame (Nutrisweet) is far more risky to consume than sugar.
Sugar provides an immediate boost, followed by a slump. This has much to do with how your body processes the sugar and controls its level in your blood. The up and down cycle is very hard on your pancreas whose function is to secrete insulin as a signal that you are well fed, causing blood sugar to be taken up by your muscles and liver. You brain is largely run on sugar, so mental acuity benefits from a sweet snack. But as your blood sugar diminishes with the action of the insulin, your brain responds with fatigue.

Caffeine stimulates your metabolism - you burn fuel quicker and get a boost, but without sufficient fuel a crash follows. So caffeine, if you consume it, needs you to add fuel to the mix to keep up with the faster metabolism.

An even mix of water, complex carbohydrates, sugar (from fruit as it includes other benefits), fat and protein is the best way to ensure a steady and stable energy level.

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et_mike

EXACTLY!!!

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~Mike
"Education is what remains after one has forgotten everything he learned in school." ~A. Einstein

Check out my boy Mark Ingraham...
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stchasking

Lupin,

I had to give up caffeine when I started high blood pressure meds. I quit my job and have been working out 3 days a week and will move up to 5 days soon. The best I can wish for you is to string out your caffeine.

I go to the YMCA with a full 8 ounce can. I drink half on the way. After the workout I drink the other half on the way home. No more for the rest of the day. Maybe it will work for you? Try to make an 8 ounce can last the entire morning.

Also, try to drink diet soda. Get your sugar from fruit. (Somebody already said this.)
Here is what you don't want to hear. Get lots of sleep. A catnap is better than soda. I used to sleep during my high school study halls. (We didn't have access to soda all day. What soda we had available I didn't have the money to buy.) It was the only way I could make it from band in the morning to football practice after school.

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flugelgirl

I drank about 2-3 cups of coffee and 1 or 2 sodas a day from high school until about 6 yrs ago. My husband had to quit caffiene for his health, so I joined him. I thought it would be really awful since the rest of the family is very addicted, but surprisingly it didn't affect me at all! We drink decaf coffee at home - a cup each in the morning, and I may have the occasional soda - about 3 per month. I actually feel more awake and alert than I did when I was consuming all that caffiene! I have always been a big water drinker, too, so I assume that helps.

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misty.sj

Aspartame has been proven safe time and time again. It's lethal in stupidly high doses, like doses that it's not even possible to consume.

I love coffee and usually drink it every morning, but if I am late and skip it, I don't feel any different. I guess I'm lucky that way. I might have 2-3 cigarettes a year and never felt the urge to smoke more, either. It's kind of weird.

I am, on the other hand, totally addicted to the internet!

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Kevykev

Yeah, I tried to give up caffeine once but all I did after that was drink more booze!

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Pedal C

It's weird how caffeine effects different people differently. I used to drink at least four cans of Coke a day (I never drank coffee) and when I decided to stop, I allowed myself one Coke a week and never had any trouble or felt any different. I was kind of surprised, actually. I know coffee has much more caffeine, so I'm glad I hate it! The only down side was that I never lost any weight, like everyone said I would. Oh well...

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Eeviac

I am a huge-ass coffee hound. I love coffee. Yet, for a period of about 5 years, I had a very low coffee consumption and carefully time my consumption of it. What I was doing was more important to me than the Joe.

If it affects trumpet playing then yeah, I will cut back again.

I used to go into coffee shops and have a good whiff of the aroma but not have any, because my mission meant more than a cuppa.

As for soda, just quit that stuff, it's not good for you.

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