I decided to quit coffee around 3 weeks ago. I have consumed coffee regularly about 15 years and the last 12 years have been like clockwork, 3-4 times a day. There were few reasons why I decided to quit drinking coffee. I had slept badly like a month or so. During the day it felt like I was relying and pushing through with the power of coffee. And maybe the biggest reason was that coffee just didn't taste so good anymore and it felt like a burden.

Now, in the past there had been short periods where I had changed coffee to tea without any problems. So naturally my decision was to replace coffee with tea, I didn't do research or plan this any further. Crucial mistake was when I didn't take into account that back then I wasn't yet a chronic coffee drinker.

I would never have imagined the symptoms I was about to experience. My past experience made me completely oblivious.

I'll start with the amounts of caffeine I consumed which I researched today. These values should be fairly accurate since I managed to find the caffeine levels by manufacturer and blend, both for tea and coffee. For tea, the brewing time is also accounted.

Coffee 648mg/day

Tea 127mg/day

My caffeine drink consumption was reduced to a fifth in an instant.

First 2-3 days were easy, there wasn't any real physical symptoms, it was more like I was just craving the taste of coffee which I was fed up just few days ago. Around day 4-5 I started to feel this mild headache and dizzyness. At this point the caffeine deficit was becoming real and my body started to react. Through day 7 these symptoms kept worsening and became essentially 24/7. It was horrible and because of my prior experience, I never even thought these symptoms were caused by coffee detox.

From day 7 through day 14 the headache just ate me slowly and other symptoms came into picture too. I felt generally tired, unmotivated, aggressive, muscle and skull (teeth&jaw) pain, cold, anxiety, nausea...you name it. Especially the headache and continuos dizzyness/lightheadedness was really worrying. I thought every day whether I should go to doctor but somehow I just didn't. It's worth mentioning I never took any medication or painkillers, for me the bar is really high since I consider those as last resort. However, I considered taking.

Day 15 and onwards the symptoms started to slowly disappear. Currently I feel almost normal, there is still this faint lightheadedness lingering. There's also positive changes. I feel generally a lot more relax and my sleep has been good the past week or so. It definitely feels like coffee is not subduing me anymore, this is something that is very difficult to put into words.

This all opened to me when I did my research today. These symptoms could last as long as 8 weeks. I was shocked when I read other people's experiences and found out that they had really hard time too. The range and volume of symptoms are simply surprising to many. As a smoker who has quit smoking few times for 2-3 years, I can say quitting smoking is a lot easier than quitting coffee. For those who have consireded quitting coffee, my advice is to do it gradually, very gradually. Most of all, do not become a chronic coffee addict in the first place.

Now has anyone else similar experiences? What level is the caffeine addiction on these forums?

I do not really remember the side effects or immediate benefits since it has been a very long time since I lowered my caffeine intake but I can still relay my experiences.

Nearly 7 years ago now I was heavily overweight and my liquids consumption consisted of only caffeine. I drank either Mountain Dew or coffee. I would easily go through a 12 pack of Mountain Dew in a couple of days and had several cups of coffee at work.

To make a change in my diet so as to get healthier and to stop "drinking my calories" I had stopped drinking pop altogether and reduced my coffee intake to only 1 cup a day. This was my first step to getting healthy and just this little change, along with drinking much more water, I lost a considerable amount of fat. The change made me feel better than I had ever felt before.

Granted I never did get fully addicted to caffeine, for one reason or another I never got addicted despite my usage. I grew up in a family that drank nothing but pop or sugar infused juices, and just never drank water. It would not be uncommon for me to finish a 2-liter of Mountain Dew by myself in a single day. I did however, once upon a time, get addicted to cigarettes, which thankfully is a habit I was able to kick.

I used to have much more caffeine in my life than I do now. I drink decaf instant 90% of the time now. Maybe one small cup a day. It's organic. German brand. Quite good. Caffeine seems to really mess me up now. Like, if I have a large coffee, and finish it by 5pm, it will keep me up all night. I will add this too: When I drink, I usually drink vodka, and I use coffee as my mix most of the time. Coffka. Vodkee. I like both names. I have never experienced withdrawal from coffee, but had one friend who went through some stuff trying to get off of it.

I am struggling right now to leave coffee... i didn't use to take coffee at all when i was a child but then because of university and work now i started consuming more and more even if I didn't like the taste at first..

Starting a couple of years ago I have had some insomnia episodes that I think are related to the intake of coffee and since then I havent been taking coffee past 16:00 so It doesnt messes up with my sleep cycle.

Still right now I am suffering of a sympthom I can't really describe when I am not under the effect of caffein. I feel "otherworldy", like I lack balance even if it doesnt really affect it since I can go MTB without a problem but when I am not under the effect of caffein I feel like I have bad balance and it's really difficult for me to concentrate. I am trying to reduce the intake as much as I can, but I am wondering if u guys have also felt those symptoms and also feel like u need to think everything twice as hard when your not under the effect of caffein

Coffee in the mornings.... why would I want to quit that? I voted slave to coffee.

I typically dont drink any after Ive had dinner, and dont have any issues falling asleep.

You guys know cheese is supposedly really addictive too? try going a few months without eating any cheese :p

"Cheese happens to be especially addictive because of an ingredient called casein, a protein found in all milk products. During digestion, casein releases opiates called casomorphins." - quote.

I think things are okay in moderations. Its called liveing life & enjoying it. Giveing up coffee or cheese... no thanks.

Wow, that's intense! Caffeine is a really potent substance, I wouldn't say that I'm addicted to it, but it sure does taste good. It just feels like a natural start to the day. I find myself not drinking coffee on the days where I sleep in though, doesn't feel right...

I drink cheap green tea everyday.
And sometimes red tea.

Well caffeine is a drug, so that shouldn't be surprising. I didn't start drinking coffee until I was 21 and I was instantly addicted. I stopped drinking it about 2 years and just increased my fruit intake. No better energy boost than fruit.

I love green tea! I drink at night, after dinner.

On topic: I drink coffee since I was 2 years old, my brain would probably shut down if I stopped now. But congrats OP on your victory over it =)

The bolded is something I really thought about yesterday and today.

I mentioned my symptoms already in the OP but the way how you expressed your lack of balance is exactly how I have felt these past weeks. It was worse in the first 2 weeks but still right now I can feel my balance is not how it should be. It's not like when you are drunk and can be prepared for it and also it's not something that has an effect on normal everyday life but...I like to dance quite often and while dancing it really has an effect. Balance is everything in dancing and my footwork just isn't the same and I have to take "support" steps a lot. I understand now that this process will take a lot of time but I'm not worried anymore since my general condition is now improving so rapidly.