I love a good coffee
I truly can enjoy a mug of coffee that's just perfect. To me, good coffee is some sort of art form. My boyfriend often asked me to please work my magic on his coffee so that he has the best cup. I always feel exactly how much sugar and creamer to add without measuring it. I rarely fail.
For a few years, we've had Senseo coffee after using a percolator for several years before that. I have to admit, that with the coffee that we bought back in the time we had a percolator, Senseo was heaven for me. Especially the dark roast pads made me enjoy my coffee every single time. There was a period that I didn't drink a lot of coffee, but I noticed when the pandemic arrived and my boyfriend started working from home, I got infected by his cravings for coffee as well as the other way around. Meaning that my own cravings weren't my own anymore and vice versa.
Things got out of hand
I noticed having headaches more and more days of the week, sometimes days in a row, affecting my mood and functioning those days. The conclusion was at some point, I had to drink less coffee, and maybe also start by replacing the dark roasted pads with the regular roast. I think that already made a bit of a difference but at some point, I was (again) drinking a few cups in the morning, for lunch, and afternoon, sometimes topped by coffee after dinner as well. For a long time, I always said I could drink coffee even at 8 or 9 PM without having sleep issues, which was true, but I didn't count the headaches for the inconvenience which were honestly maybe even more problematic at some point.
Migraines and coffee cravings
I have to admit, that even when having migraines at some point, the cravings for coffee never left. I always said: "I need my coffee before I can function in the morning!". I seriously felt that this was true, I didn't leave the house ever to bring the kiddo to the kindergarten before I had some coffee. Even if this meant that I had to get up 30 mins earlier to be able to enjoy the coffee peacefully. And then a few mornings arrived where I had no choice but to leave without coffee as I forgot to buy creamer for example, and I noticed that it wasn't that bad to drive the car even without my coffee. Where I always felt that I would not function without a good coffee, I now experienced several times that this wasn't true, it was the addict inside me telling me I NEEDED THE COFFEE!
I started to cut down drinking coffee some months ago
I experienced a natural dislike for the coffee and didn't enjoy the coffee anymore. This was first caused by the awesome coffee we found, not being available anymore in the supermarket we always bought it, making us try out other blends. Without success, none of them were giving me the same satisfying feeling as the other coffee did. While I started to cut down to 2 or sometimes 1 coffee a day, my boyfriend kept craving coffee for even months to follow. I had now overcome being affected by his cravings, and refused to drink it even if I smelled the scent of coffee (which I love so much!).
Extreme headaches followed when I didn't drink ANY coffee
I started to notice a pattern when I hadn't drink any coffee for 1 or 2 days straight, I was again suffering from extreme headaches to the point that I could not even touch my laptop for most of the day. The light was hurting me too much and soon I realized this was the detoxing process and this made me realize even more that I didn't want to be a coffee addict anymore. I didn't want to feel this bad simply because some day(s) there was no coffee available.
I started to drink iced coffee
Not the extremely strong ones, but the more latte ones were my replacement when I really wanted to "taste" some coffee flavor. These have helped me through the process of detoxing from being a coffee addict. The other thing that helped me a lot was the fact that our coffee machine broke down, and we went back to having a percolator again which made me enjoy the coffee a lot less. I think in the past month, I only had 2 coffee and then I didn't touch it again.
No more headaches related to caffeine
I can't remember the last time I had a serious headache like I used to have due to the caffeine, making me realize that this was the right thing to do. I will not say that I will never drink a coffee again, but now that I'm 100% aware of the effect it has on one's body, to me it's not worth drinking it daily just because of the habit and to feed the addict inside me. I rather enjoy a cup of coffee every once in a while, than having headaches every time that I decide not to. Although I can manage to have an iced coffee every once in a while now as a replacement, I know that when the winter arrives, my cravings for a hot drink will try to take over to convince me to have a coffee more often, once that's the case, I lean towards trying decaf for the first time in my life.
But I'll deal with that once that's the case, for now, I'm doing just fine without it!
I admit that I love coffee, and I drink it daily, usually three cups a day; but yes, without a doubt it creates addiction and when I don't drink it I suffer from headaches, however, these pains are minimal compared to the ones I suffered before having thyroid treatment. I congratulate you for quitting a habit, the idea of being well, with health and well being, is to be totally oblivious to any addiction. Best regards.
glad you're not experiencing those complaints in such heavy manner :)
Thanks for your comment, I'm also very happy as I truly thought coffee was one of the things I could never get rid of because I love it too much :)
I am basically not functional without at least 2 coffee in the morning. Anyone who talks to me before my coffee is getting to know grumpy solymi.
Found your post on listnerds of course. Where else?
Haha, well I was the same, but honestly these headaches.. pff. I had a bit of relapse though, sometimes I give in to the cravings again. Of course, with a bunch of headaches following after these moments. Give and take, I guess. Let's just say, these weeks are a bit much, so I'm a bit easier with some things, like coffee :) haha
Oof, headaches, especially migraines are no fun! I am glad you figured out the source of them and are doing better.
I never drank a cup of coffee until I was like 34 or so, because even though I liked the smell, the only thing around in logging land was acrid Folgers that tasted like battery acid, or at least what I thought battery acid might taste like.
Then I had a gloriously brewed cup of organic free trade espresso, it tasted like silken awesomeness, and I realized coffee was amazing lol!
So, I have exactly one cup a day, but there are days I go without it because I am super big into minimalism and stoicism, moderation in all things and stuff like that. My weakness used to be chocolate and sugar, the withdrawal headache lasted for 21 days when I kicked that habit to the curb, so this post of yours hits close to home.
And I am so, so glad you are doing fine without it😊
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HAHAHA, I was about to ask, how do you know what that tastes like? :)
I fell for the trap again, and now I'm again facing headaches when I don't drink it, but I'm not going back to daily coffees, just as a treat. So that I can manage the headaches lol.
Oh my gosh, that's harsh! And all that for a craving lol.. but you see I gave in as well. I can totally see myself in Spain sitting there in the morning, having a cafe con leche every day like when we lived there before.. Oh well, I will deal with it later :)
LOL! I am pretty sure logging camp coffee and battery acid are the same thing lol lol!
I don't blame you for not going back to daily sips and headaches! I find I appreciate viewing things as a treat. I swear I enjoy them more and don't lose what I love about them in the first place to the law of diminishing returns, yay!
And having a cafe con leche in some Spanish cafe in coastal visit sounds like maybe taking a headache for, lol, good luck!
absolutely!
I believe you!
Have a good week ahead!!
LOL! Hope you have splendid week too, with no battery acid coffee every in your presence lol lol!
haha seriously the number of times that I happened to check my notifications only seconds after you left a funny comment is insane :) haha
I actually had a good coffee this morning, thanks!
That is so wild lol! It's gotta be all the positive vibes 😁
And I am so glad your coffee was glorious, mine was too!
My grandmother had caffeine headaches, but coffee affects my stomach more so I never picked up the habit ... I only drink coffee occasionally...
Sorry for your grand mother, did she enjoy coffee a lot though? I do and it was my must in the morning for years, without it (I though) I couldn't function for many years. Never connected the dots about my headaches until last year.
My boyfriend's stomach can't handle it either so he only drinks occasionally now, which he hates but otherwise he will regret it.
She loved it ... but had to let it go. I can tolerate it on isolated occasions, but never developed the habit because of that...
well, honestly, maybe for the best because if I see how toxic it actually is now, I wonder if that did any damage drinking it all these years in the amounts I drank it.. I was a HUGE coffee fan.
She made it to 95 years old ... so, be hopeful about a long life ... just without coffee...
maybe I should cut the "giving in to my cravings" days then :)
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I don't think I've experienced headaches without caffeine though I am an addict caffeine. When most people get it from coffee, I also get it from caffeine powder and other caffeine sources that are mixed with other multivitamins. Thankfully, if I don't have any single caffeine running through me, I am fine, no headache at all which is also surprising to me. Everyone has different response to caffeine which remains to be interesting phenomenon to me.
Have you tried chicory root or maybe maca powder for hot drinks? I have heard that chicory root can be replacement for coffee though I haven't tried it.
I love coffee and drink waaayyyy too much of it, haha. I guess I'm lucky in the sense that I don't struggle with physical side effects. I have a very fast metabolism, so that could be my saving grace.
"My boyfriend often asked me to please work my magic on his coffee so that he has the best cup. I always feel exactly how much sugar and creamer to add without measuring it. I rarely fail."
Ditto! My wife always wants me to make coffee. Get it right every time!
Interesting story about coffee and headache. 😄 Mine is about coffee and stomachache. After experiencing severe stomach pain in 2012 I stopped drinking coffee. But when I went to South Korea, the habit of drinking coffee returned due to the influence of my colleagues. I observed that their coffee did not have a similar effect on my stomach. And so coffee became part of my life for four years. However, when I returned to our country and had a health check-up, I stopped drinking coffee again and shifted to drinking turmeric, lemon, and ginger. 😄
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Coffee is an awful drug and poison. Ive been over 3 years coffee and caffeine free and am so happy to never go back. It doesn't even taste nice.
When i quit i had the worst migraines I've ever had for like 2-3 weeks. but it is to be expected when you have taken a drug non stop for 20 years.
I drink coffee every morning and iced tea the rest of the day. On those rare occasions when I haven't had either for a couple of days, I haven't noticed any real difference. Guess I am lucky. Thanks for sharing on ListNerds.