I have tried going “cold turkey” several times in an attempt to give up coffee, tea, etc., but I quickly went back to it. A couple of months ago, I started tapering off very, very gradually, and felt I was on my way to becoming caffeine-free. Unfortunately, I had a very stressful week-end, and went back to the coffee big-time, and had about four large mugs of coffee each week-end day. I’m thinking it may take longer to get off of it than I originally thought. Does anyone have any plan that has worked for them in reducing/eliminating caffeine? I guess it was unrealistic of me to think that I could get off of it in two months, since I’ve been drinking it for most of my adult life. The main reason that I want to give it up is because I am going through a very difficult time with someone, and my anxiety is much worse after consuming caffeine. My hat is off to folks who can get off of caffeine “cold turkey”, but I admit, I do not have the willpower for that. Would like to have suggestions on how to finally end this caffeine addiction? What has worked for you? Thanks in advance for any helpful information!
I moved from regular coffee to half-caff in the morning and I swap my refresher cup with a tea that’s either caffeine free or light on the caffeine. For soda, I allow myself a caffeinated soda at lunch but everything else is uncaffeinated and in an effort to break the soda cycle, I try to replace those with carbonated waters on a regular basis.
For me, the issue with caffeine was that I sleep in on the weekends and by the time I wake up, I’m 2 or 3 hours past my usual coffee time and I get godawful caffeine headaches that last for days. With my lower intake, I’m finding that to not be a problem and my sleep is better which makes me not need the caffeine quite so much in the morning which helps to resist its siren song.
I also moved to getting small coffees and lattes when I go to coffeeshops because one shot of espresso is enough and I often don’t drink the last few ounces of anything larger so I save myself some pennies in the bargain.
Why would I want to give up one of my few remaining vices? Moderation is the key to a balanced life.
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Since the OP is looking for suggestions, I’ve moved the thread to IMHO.
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I drink quite a bit of caffeine, but I’ve given it up for a while a couple of times. The thing I wasn’t prepared for was the headaches. They were intense. Have plenty of ibuprofen on hand.
About 2 months ago, I gave up soda cold turkey. Again. 
The key is to stave off the inevitable migraine with Excedrin. Here’s my method:
Day 1 - give up caffeine cold turkey. To stave off a migraine, take 2 Excedrin XS or Excedrin Migraine (both have the same active ingredients, which is aspirin (250 mg), acetaminophen (250 mg) and caffeine (65 mg)) at lunchtime, which is when I would have drank a Coke. Note: don’t take this close to bedtime or you might not be able to sleep.
Day 2 - Take 1 Excedrin XS with lunch.
Day 3 - Take 1/2 Excedrin XS, only if needed. But it’s usually not.
By Day 4, I’m done with the migraine threat.
Taper off over a month.
This. I gave it up cold turkey. Had the worst headaches of my life, for one solid week. But after that, life was a lot better. Good riddance to caffeine.
(Quit alcohol the same way. Cravings, but no headaches. Saves a hell of a lot of money, too. Even beer isn’t exactly cheap.)
I gave up caffeine when I got pregnant.
I drank lots of water with lemon to get rid of the headaches.
I gave up liquid caffeine completely a year ago. Previously, I had sustained a 21oz.-a-day Coke/Coke Zero habit for years. I could not go two hours into my day without caffeine before I’d get headaches. Ultimately, that’s why I quit – I hated the dependency and all it took to sustain the habit. I also did the math and was appalled at how much money it was costing me.
I quit the sodas cold turkey, and then took Excedrin for a couple days after for the withdrawal headaches. Life sucked for about a week, and then I was fine.
I drink diet, clear, uncaffeinated sodas only now, usually Sprite Zero. If I’m craving the cola flavor, I have some gummy cola candy. My overall caffeine intake is about zero now – I don’t drink tea and I rarely have chocolate, but Excedrin’s still my painkiller of choice.
To stay off caffeine, try not to think of it as an option for coping with stress. Remember that it does not do that; remember that it makes your anxiety worse. Think about how you don’t need that when you’re under stress. Remember that it’s your goal to quit. I also suggest coming up with alternative drinks, like a fruit-flavored soda or lemonade, something that’s relatively common. (Double-check the ingredients to make sure there’s no caffeine.) That way, when you have to choose a beverage, you have a couple of caffeine-free choices pre-selected.
I went cold turkey by filling the void with beer.
I had a hard time with this because I really love everything about coffee. I ended up switching to a good decaf. Try Peet’s. After awhile I found I was no longer making a pot every morning, and now I might have a pot on the weekend only. I’ve also taken to herbal teas - drinking that throughout the day. I am amazed to say I rarely think about coffee now, and I’ve been drinking it every day since I was 18. (40 now.)
Before my heart surgery last year, I asked my cardiologist whether I should give up caffeine. He said no, but I should cut the amount by half. So I started drinking half-caffeine coffee. At first I hated it, but after several days I got used to it. I still missed the buzz, but it was a reasonable compromise.
About 2 months after my surgery I returned to regular caffeinated. Why not?
As PunditLisa alludes to, painkillers. Advil works best for me.
You’ll have a couple of “sleep all day” days but then you’ll be through it. The headaches will come on later than you’ll expect.
Since you drink four cups of coffee a day, switch to soda. Even if you drink the equivalent soda you’ll have a lot less caffeine in your system.
Is decaff not an option?
I CAN’T drink caffeine because of a nerve condition. Which is why decaff tea is a godsend as it makes up 90% of what I drink.
Better yet, switch to tea. The L-Theanine in the tea mellows the caffeine hit so you don’t have that big caffeine spike. With tea, the caffeine buzz comes on slower and goes away slower.