Is Quitting Coffee Really a Nightmare?
Most of the caffeine withdrawal symptoms written on the internet are real. Yet quitting coffee isn't all that scary, as my personal experience has shown.
We all have some chronic ailments, and so do I. I am a woman in her 30s; For years, I have been struggling with allergies, incessant upper respiratory tract diseases and more. Medicines are useful for treatment and prevention, but only to a certain extent. As we all know, our lifestyle plays a very important role in the ailments we suffer from. Our eating habits also form an important part of our lifestyle.
A few months ago I decided that I didn't want to spend my life on drugs. I seem to hear you say that nobody wants this, but I was intending to take action now. I wanted to experience whether my discomfort would decrease if I changed my diet in consultation with doctors and health professionals. Well done, I say. Because both my complaints decreased and I realized a little bit that everything I put in my mouth might not feed me.
Do you have to give up coffee?
First of all, this is an experience post. He is not worried about giving advice to anyone. Everyone is different; Sensitivity points as well as what is good for whom or what does not differ from person to person. For this reason, it is best to listen to the experiences of others and to decide together with experts by observing possible changes in one's own life.
Let's get to the point: Our topic is coffee addiction. Yes, I know you are not surprised, experts advise people with chronic conditions to stop, or at least cut down on coffee. My journey also turned around and of course came to this stop.
Due to my job, I mostly deal with words and mental processes at the computer. I can say that I need coffee not only in the morning, but at any time of the day to focus and be productive. Also, because of my upbringing, I drink more coffee than a normal person when there is no prohibition.
Still, I didn't think I was addicted to coffee, and that still hasn't changed. Therefore, I preferred to quit all at once, not reducing it. I was a little wondering if I would suffer from these always mentioned caffeine withdrawal symptoms.
Day one: Saturday
I quit coffee on a Saturday. The other day, while chatting with my doctor, I had my last cup of milk-free, unsweetened coffee. And following my doctor's advice, I began to observe my physical and mental changes.
When I woke up on Saturday morning, of course I wanted to have coffee first thing. While my partner sipped his coffee in front of me with pleasure, I controlled myself and spent the morning routine and the rest of the day with herbal tea alternatives. I did not observe any change in the first day.
Second day: Sunday
I woke up Sunday morning with a terrible headache and nausea. It was clear that my body wanted coffee. The important point here is that you don't just want caffeine; You are looking for the smell, taste, the feeling of coffee in the mouth, everything. Let's not forget that we live by our habits. Therefore, although I drank all kinds of tea, none of them could take the place of coffee.
That day was tough. As the hours passed, the dizziness increased; I wanted to lie down all the time, but even if I was in a horizontal or vertical position, the walls kept coming on me. Still, I somehow completed the day without drinking coffee.
… and Monday
I knew that I would give the real test on Monday, when I sat down to work. There is no lie or denial in this article, I can't tell you how hard it was! I have observed most of the effects in myself, which you can find in any resource on the Internet. I had a hard time keeping my head up, I couldn't focus, I felt powerless as if I was sick. Headache and dizziness also continued, though not as severe as the previous day.
At this point, you may want to consider using herbal supplements that can help you focus. Of course, they will not have the same effect on everyone, but I have benefited greatly from a supplement containing gingko biloba, flax, sage and turmeric. I took my supplement half an hour before the processes, where I will be working (and mentally productive) for at least three or four hours. Even if I will continue to work in the evening or at night, I took this supplement in the same way, so I did not limit my use only to the morning and I did not miss hot drinks and water under my hand.
They don't say for nothing that people get used to everything. By Tuesday, most of my pains had subsided, and after a few days they were completely gone. Only one effect remained; I continued to work and my life much less alert, in a much calmer mood than before, without sacrificing my previous pace. What I liked most during this process was overcoming my insecurity that I couldn't achieve anything without drinking coffee.
What about now?
I didn't drink any coffee for two whole months. I smelled a freshly brewed coffee many times when I wanted to, but I managed not to consume it. I can safely say that what I was afraid of never happened to me. I realized that I don't need coffee to keep my life running normally. At the end of two months, I started drinking coffee again, but with one difference: This time, knowing the value of the coffee I drink, enjoying it and limiting the amount to one glass a day. In short, we love coffee, but we don't have to be addicted to coffee. And the good thing is, we can only learn it by experience.
The views expressed in this article are written to shed light on alternative studies and to encourage conversation about these studies. Even if the articles contain the advice of physicians to some extent, they are for informational purposes only. This text; cannot replace professional medical advice, diagnosis and treatment.
About the author:
Elvin Vural – Editor / Translator
Graduated from Boğaziçi University Sociology and Political Science & International Relations Double Major Program in 2012, Elvin Vural completed his master's degree in Social and Cultural Anthropology at University College London in 2013 and conducted the field research of his thesis on forced migration in Bulgaria and Turkey. also conducted. He took postgraduate courses from Istanbul Technical University, Department of Art History and Mimar Sinan University, Faculty of Fine Arts, Museology Program. She worked as a projects and events coordinator at the contemporary art gallery Mixer. Since 2015, he has been the editor of publications such as IstanbulArtNews and Bone Magazine, and the editorial coordinator of the popular science-themed Boğaziçi Magazine published by Boğaziçi University Alumni Association. Vural, whose articles and interviews are published in print and digital media such as Milliyet Sanat, Sanat Atak, Sanat Online, Artful Living, Unlimited, has two book translations from English to Turkish. Nowadays, writing in online and printed media such as Milliyet Sanat, Hürriyet, Marie-Claire and be.people; To translate and edit books for publishing houses such as Metis Publishing, Kolektif Kitap, Kaplumbaa Kitap; He continues to independently carry out market research projects for companies.
