As a follow-up to my post entitled "Giving Up Caffeine," I wanted to provide an update on my status as a recovering daily coffee drinker. Well, I didn't think I could do it but I managed to kick my caffeine habit after drinking coffee almost every single day for the past three years.

I had major doubts about my ability to give up coffee because my body craved coffee. Every morning I would start my day with an Iced Americano and it became a daily ritual I couldn't seem to live without. I didn't realize how much my body became dependent on coffee to "wake-up."

It's been about a month off caffeine and let me tell you, I went through serious withdrawal symptoms for about two weeks. Since my body is extremely sensitive to caffeine, I think my withdrawal symptoms were more severe in nature. During my two weeks of hell (which just happened to coincide with my family's 4th of July celebration), I slept an average of 10 hours per night, had very little energy, and felt extremely depressed. I wasn't sure what hit me and then I realized I was experiencing detox symptoms. Thank goodness those two weeks are behind me.

Looking back I probably should have weened myself off caffeine over a longer duration of time. Since I only had one Americano per day, I thought I would be fine automatically switching from coffee to green tea. While green tea has some caffeine (1/4 the caffeine of coffee), it wasn't enough to prevent full-on caffeine withdrawal symptoms. In order to prevent suffering for two weeks, I should have continued to drink coffee and just drank 1/2 caf/1/2 decaf until I felt comfortable switching to green tea.

On a positive note, I must say life is amazing off caffeine! I highly recommend kicking the caffeine habit if you are addicted to caffeine or feel caffeine doesn't bode well with your body. I can't believe how different I feel off caffeine. Life is so much more clear and I no longer feel "spaced" out. My energy levels have increased and they remain stable throughout the day. When I drank coffee I would crash 5-6 hours after my Americano. My mood has also greatly improved, probably because I am no longer riding a rollarcoaster of energy highs and lows. What is even more exciting is that my digestive issues seem to be subsiding. My stomach is once again flat after being chronically bloated for the past three years.

My whole experience drinking coffee made me realize I never want to become addicted to anything ever again. Instead of a substance controlling me, I want to have control! Coffee is highly addictive and can negatively impact your life. For more information on the negative impact of caffeine, I highly recommend reading Caffeine Blues by Stephen Chernesky. This book was extremely eye opening for me and has provided motivation to stay caffeine-free.

If I can give up caffeine, so can you! Take control of your life and give caffeine a swift kick to the curb.

Colleen Canney is a Career, Life, and Wellness Coach based in Milwaukee, WI. She is available for either in-person or telephone consultations and coaches clients around the US. Please feel free to contact Colleen for more information on her coaching services and fees.

www.colleencanney.com
colleencanney@live.com
(206) 529-7044

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