This is the best video I’ve seen on this subject, and I’ve seen damn near everyone you can find. UA-cam rarely shows these low budget videos anymore, old school UA-cam videos. And they are usually the most honest and most helpful. Caffeine is an insidious drug. I’m 15 days or so off and I’ve had a headache every day since. Thank you for this video, you’re speaking nothing but facts here.
Thank you! Yes low budget it is. Recorded with my crappy Studio Display built in camera. Then again, the big budget videos have so much cutting I feel like I might have a seizure.....
Here's how it goes for me trying to quit caffeine: I quit for a few weeks, my sleep is amazing, my mood is stable, I'm less of an asshole. Then I get offered a coffee at work, I say yes to be polite and drink it. Then all of a sudden I'm drinking coffee all day and then drinking Pepsi in the afternoon. I then struggle to sleep, I'm an irritable asshole and anxious all the time and then I research how to quit caffeine and try again. This has happened so many times. In my opinion caffeine is up there with alcohol, if not worse.
I think it's worse. I can go months without drinking without much trouble--and I've definitely had periods of drinking more than my share in my life. But to do the same with caffeine is 10x harder.
@@BookClubDisaster And nobody thinks of caffeine being a drug because its so widely used and coffee shops are everywhere! It sucks, I'm on day 1 no caffeine again and I've gotta be brutal about no caffeine. Water only for me. I miss that deep sleep I was getting when I last quit.
Excellent video and absolutely true. Whatever you've ever been addicted to, be it alcohol, cigarettes, coffee, etc., you are always addicted to. No matter how long you've been away from it, if you have it again, you will eventually be back where you started.
I quit caffeine one year and smoking cigarettes 6 months ago. I realized that my thinking of life has changed. Last month I reduced also sugar. Caffeine make your thoughts going here and there , nicotine stresses you , and sugar makes you anxious. Sugar causes depression.
great video. I understand your point and I agree. what happened to me is that quit caffeine feels great, but after a while i said how about trying a cup...and the effect was amazing, euphoria and energy...so i thought, i can use this powerful drug wisely ?....I still think it's possible...but caffeine definitely destroys me, it changes my emotions, my thoughts, my habits, my body without energy. Caffeine is similar to cocaine. that's why after a weeks clean I feel awake happy in peace and as you say, you feel so good that you think that caffein was not the problem and you relapse
Yeah for real caffeine definitely is like cocaine, when I used to do cocaine, the come down felt exactly the same as taking pre workout. High anxiety, starting thinking about past failures in life, started thinking “what am i doing with my life” it’s crazy
Quitting caffeine isn't a "solve all your problems" kind of journey. It simply stabilizes your daily experience again. Not too high, not too low. Whereas caffeine addiction has some high highs but equally low lows and with more frequency. Not worth getting pulled unwillingly into either of those directions and then dealing with the psychological and physiological effects of it. Life will still be full of highs and lows after quitting caffeine, but you'll be in a more centered, present state of being. This is the most optimal way I want to be living at least.
So true I've weaned off several times and when I do I feel my emotions very raw. I'm definitely more present. And I have been trying to be more present and caffeine takes away from that. I recently realized I use caffeine to suppress my emotions. Im on the journey to processing my emotions and equipping myself to deal with them.
An astounding yes to your comment. Unfortunately, I believe very few will be able to grasp this or do it or be willing to trust in it. Staying in the center is a very good place to be. I will only add one thing. Once you've been off for a long time and gotten through the protracted withdrawal (if you have that)........ There is a beautiful spark that is added to your life. Not a unrealistic high high, but this beautiful calmness and very balanced true contentment. A calm joy. Don't mean to sound woo woo, but this is how it is for me. I was happy to read your comment.
@@wendym2544 This exactly describes my experience too. "Beautiful Spark". It doesn't take too long to get to that point but it's a couple month consistency until you get to that experience. For most people, it's not worth the hassle when you have obligations and responsibilities to the moon. The withdrawal does suck and you need things to not move so fast for a while. That's why I believe in simplify, simplify, simplify. Those other things distract you from Truth. And I'm not trying to sound woo woo either. There is a notable, almost tangible, difference in overall experience.
9 days ago I quit coffee but kept up some tea. Today February 15 is the first day I have been totally caffeine free in well over 40 years. I feel exhilarated to have finally achieved this goal but know the battle is not yet over! Ryan your video is by far the most meaningful to me from the many I have watched. Feeling good (not there yet) and abstaining is easier than moderation,are the main takeaways for me. I wish you well and hope you have ended your caffeine relationship. I quit alcohol completely 5 years ago and it’s non negotiable…not even one drop. Caffeine will be the same! Thank you very much for your wise thoughts!
Thanks! You will probably feel pretty lethargic for at least a couple weeks weeks but you should start to noice it getting better soon after that. Good luck!
This is so true. Great video. I also „quit“ many times and fell back in this „just one cup“ trapp and was hooked. Like Allen Carr called it the little monster. Caffeine is a drug. And once you are addicted to caffeine, there is no other way to quit forever. Otherwise you always fall back in the addiction.
i felt no joy from anything but that first cup of coffee. so that was a major sign i had to quit. literally almost 0 dopamine left. god i love the sleep off this drug, so refreshing, looking forward each night to vivid dreams. and the feeling of not jumping from the simplest sounds is amazing.
That's interesting that you mentioned the feeling of jumping from the simplest of sounds, because I've noticed that about myself as well. I feel like I'm wound so tight and don't remember that ever being an issue before caffeine.
@@tt4570 yeah i would get so tense my jaw would hurt actually. Also panic if someone came up from behind or if someone comes walking in the oposite direction. Crazy….. im so over this drug lol feel tons better off it
There's a difference between a "habit" and an "addiction". And for someone with an addiction, there is no going back and using the drug of choice "a little bit" - you WILL wind up right back where you were, only worse. If I am ever able to actually shake the caffeine (energy shots) addiction, I will NEVER delude myself that I can use it "occassionally". GREAT video - thank you!
I quit three weeks ago because of sleep and anxiety issues. Wow the withdrawal symptoms was nothing I imagined. Intense migraine headaches that tapered off after 10 days. I feel sluggish but, hopefully, it'll get better in time. On the plus side the anxiety is reduced and I don't respond to things that would usually get me worked up and stuck in a thinking loop.
It's shocking to me that all these years I displayed the typical defensiveness in regards to coffee. Trying to quit this stuff cold turkey is just flattening me right now.
Great video and insight mate. I have gone off Caf for a few months at a time and feel so much better; I totally agree with your point that "life stress" etc is made a LOT worse by having Caf in your life; it exacerabates things.
I firmly believe in the wisdom of random people on the internet. Then you quoted Empire. ❤ just gave up coffee after 2-3 weeks awful withdrawal this made me through out the stock in my pantry. ❤❤❤
Thanks, Ryan, for the video and your unique take on the topic. I've read through the comments, and I've watched more videos like this than I care to remember. I'm 46 and never drank coffee until I was about 23 or so. I enjoyed the "joyride" phase for quite some time, possibly 10 years or more. At 34 I had my first child and shortly after that my consumption ramped up. I calculated once that I was consuming around 500mg per day of coffee and soda combined. In my younger years I never suffered from anxiety or panic attacks and then slowly one by one I started noticing some weird things happening to me, like getting on the highway to drive to work and being completely overcome with fear and anxiety, feeling like I can't breathe, and my hands would sometimes tremble. I would get extremely thirsty all the time. I used to love going for hikes and that started triggering my anxiety, I became very fearful of heights and elevators. My life as I knew it was being chopped down and I seemed to be crippled with fear and anxiety. These are just some of the more apparent effects, and it's not even mentioning all the body pains, lower back pain, foot joints and hand joints, heart palpitations, eyesight problems and so on. I've done the whole quitting thing many times, and every time I would get lured back into it and be nearly right back to where I was the last time before quitting. This chemical is no joke! I hope everyone that reads this can get off this stuff and regain the pure joy and peacefulness we were all meant to have. Caffeine = stress, pure and simple. That's all you need to know. And who likes stress? Nobody! I'm continuing on my journey of healing, trying to heal my body from the years of abuse. I'm just thankful I never tried any harder drugs like cocaine or heroin or anything like that. I probably wouldn't be here right now to talk about it.
Thanks for your comment. That's actually really interesting. You might have even inspired me to make a follow up video. My experience is very similar. I'm 49 and I started when I was 24. And I too have noticed various things over the years creeping up that make me anxious that never made me anxious before and I definitely think it's the way caffeine alters your thinking, not just getting older. Funny thing is: the situation with kids is probably even worse. Our generation, kids didn't really drink coffee. And energy drinks hadn't really emerged yet either. It was basically just soda and while soda is bad, at least it's got relatively low caffeine content. Now it seems even high school kids are jacked up on caffeine. I took a tour of my old college campus a few years back and couldn't believe there were about 5 cafes on campus. When I was there in the 90's, there were zero. So American society's caffeine consumptions seems to have only gone up. And people wonder why they are so stressed and so angry. Many never make the connection.
@@BookClubDisaster Thank you for your reply. It's interesting that you mention the younger generation, I think you are spot on with that. It's like they are never even given a chance. We can thank Starbucks for that. I think it's a very big reason why people are so stressed and angry and not to mention sick. I know when I drink coffee, I hardly crave water at all, I'm always craving more coffee. So, I end up drinking less water and then I excrete more water because of the diuretic effect of coffee. It's just a downward spiral that I believe leads to sickness. You mentioned that you read the book Caffeine Blues, check out the book, Your Bodies Many Cries for Water and see the chapter about caffeine. Very interesting stuff in there as well.
I’m sharing this with the hope of possibly helping someone else. A journal entry from today. February 6, Monday 28 days it’s been. Nearly 1 month. I’m feeling ok. A lot of thirst at times even though I feel like I’m drinking a good bit of water. Last night I had a tough night sleeping. I had a real hard time falling asleep and felt very restless and anxious. And I know I was tired. I was up all day and went out with the kids to Philippe’s to eat and then we walked around and I felt so exhausted and thirsty that I wanted to come home and just lay down. We also did a hike around sunset so I should have slept a lot easier. Sometimes it happens in the middle of the night. I’ll fully wake up out of the blue and just get really hot or anxious and my heart will race. I don’t know what that’s all about but after watching that lady’s UA-cam video it sounds like it’s normal to have these setbacks and that overtime it will improve. The body has to heal. I haven’t really been craving coffee but sometimes I’ll think about it. Think about the routine and try to remember what that was like. I don’t miss the wired feeling at all. That over caffeinated feeling once you drink too much. That was the worst. I also don’t miss having to go somewhere and get in line and deal with all of that stress every morning. I’ve been more active lately and I’m slowly working my way back into hiking and biking. One thing that has changed this time versus last time is that I’m not consuming sweet drinks like soda and lemonade in the place of coffee. I’ll have one on occasion but it’s not a daily thing like it was before. It’s interesting to think that I really haven’t artificially stimulated my adrenals and cortisol in nearly a month. That daily punishment that was a regular coffee habit. Nature never intended us to treat our bodies like that. I see a lot of younger people who line up in the morning in front of a cafe or coffee shop and it just reminds me of the book I read and how there are 2 phases to the caffeine ride. The first is the joyride and I believe they are mostly all in that phase. The second is something like overuse or payback or something like that and once I started working at LB I definitely crossed over into that territory. It never got too bad for me until then. I remember working back at the bike shop and the mornings we would do those group rides I would have doughnuts and coffee and I remember right as we’d be leaving I would get the very nervous feeling similar to when I raced motocross. Other than that I would be fine and the feeling subsided after we started riding and it never crossed over into panic or anything like that. That was in 2011. Then I started flying and that’s probably the first time I actually had a panic attack, flying to the island that one day I distinctly remember feeling something like that on the way there, that was 2012. I then started working in LB in 2013 and I would say by the end of that year or early 2014 I was getting pretty bad and by 2015 when her cousin came to visit I was probably nearing my worst. Man, I was consuming so much. I remember days of getting a large McCafé iced coffee in the morning on an empty stomach. Also going to work and drinking a medium one and then getting there and having another coffee once I arrived and then sometimes another after lunch and possibly even another near closing time on Saturday. I was full-blown addicted. I’ll tell you what, being able to go for a 2-3 mile hike with 600 feet of elevation gain or going for an hour and a half ride with 1,000 feet of elevation feels real good right about now. It gives me hope that I am making the right decision and it’s time to move forward with my life. This stuff has crippled so much of my life for the last nearly 10 years. And just think if I don’t stop, it’s only going to get worse. More weight gain, more pain in my body, even more anxiety and temper tantrums with the kids. It will literally ruin the rest of my life. I can see it and I truly feel it in my being. I’ve noticed that I haven’t really flown off the handle with the kids lately. They still get to me and I feel it but I don’t go on these episodes of yelling and cursing like I usually do. I’ve been consciously trying not to curse in front of them and I think I’m doing better. It was getting to be too much. And it always made me feel terrible afterwards. Ok that’s enough, I’m going to go for a walk.
I feel you on that point about trusting the anecdotal evidence over these articles and epidemiology studies and stuff; with an industry as big as coffee, you really don't know the extent to who's been paid off to paint caffeine/coffee in a positive light
It's important not to believe blindly the conducted studies. The human brain is far too complicated to draw wide conclusions about long-term caffeine intake. Sleep is the main pillar on which multiple aspects of our mental and physical health lie. Since caffeine has a quarter-lifetime of 12 hours it disturbs sleep. Almost everyone who has quit caffeine reports an improvement in sleep. I've reduced my caffeine intake from 500 milligrams to 300 during the past week and I'll keep on going until I'm completely caffeine-free. I've consumed at least 400 mg of caffeine daily for the past 5 years, it'll be interesting to see how my life will change in the upcoming months. I'll reduce my intake gradually to avoid some of the withdrawal effects. It's best not to tamper with our brain chemistry, it's a masterpiece of billions of years of evolution. Changes to its function are more likely to cause damage than good.
I never drank coffee until about 10 years ago… when I loved booze, drugs, and cigarettes, I figured it was enough, and never started drinking coffee. When I had kids, I came to realize the greatness of Coffee!
I've given up caffeine and I am never going back. I am still detoxing but I am aware of benefits. My symptoms from caffeine was over sleeping and being tired all the time because I was not getting proper sleep. That is my belief. I was not born a caffeine addict and so I know that being caffeine free is normal, not abnormal.
Go for it! I am on too, This time it´s going to be more than a year. Haven´t done it for more than 3 weeks before but now I feel inspiration. I have worked so much on my heath the last couple of years and this drug is the hardest! I have quit alcohol 3 years ago, no problem, I have quit sugar not that easy and I can still fall of the wagon there but I don´t go back to befeore. I eat healthy and feel good so why is it so hard with coffee???
I think maybe two reasons. First is alcohol and processed sugar (personally I don't think people should worry about the natural sugar from fruit) are both considered pretty bad for health. That is a mainstream idea. You will find plenty of literature supporting that idea. But caffeine has a MUCH better PR team. So many will defend it, so many studies supposedly prove that it's nothing to worry about. So it's easy to believe these studies even though if many just trust what their body seems to tell them, they will decide caffeine is something they need to get rid of. But it takes some confidence to believe that over all the noise, all the apologists for caffeine. Second thing, with alcohol, even if someone is a pretty big drinker, they probably don't drink every single day. So when you're used to going through an entire day without it, it somehow seems a lot more normal to go through every day without it. But with caffeine, for most people they consume it every single day. so going without it just seems weird and almost unnatural for a long time until you've formed a new habit of NOT drinking it.
I stopped caffeine and kept drinking hot chocolate from Mcdonalds. My symptoms never went away!! Only to realise that the 'HOT CHOCOLATE' contains caffeine. And more than a usual MG amount.
Depends on how much you like your body being in more of a stressed state (fight/flight) Caffeine triggers a stress response and any chocolate or food/drink products containing caffeine, obviously increase your daily intake. If you're just after a caffeine hit, and want to continue taking it, look at low dose caffeine pills. At least you will know your exact dosage, rather than guess-timating
Just happened to hear this song on Apple Music shuffle. C'est Comme Ca by Paramore. Song is......okay I guess but it has this line I'm off caffeine On doctor's orders Said it was gonna help to level out my hormones. Lucky for me, I run on spite and sweet revenge.
Im with u ! Forget coffee caffeine. Its horrible. I have relapsed 10 times attempting to quit. But now i am done forever I promised myself. Im 2 weeks off. Did u get back on ? Thank you 🙏
It’s not all or nothing black and white, in caffeine blues he does say it has benefits… antioxidants etc , he eats healthily , sleeps great, exercises at 74 and it really is knowing your own body
If you want antioxidants, you can drink coffee. Or you can eat fruits, vegetables, herbs, spices, etc. People act like coffee is the only thing that has antioxidants. And what no one can ever answer is whether the benefits of the antioxidants (which, as noted, you can get elsewhere without any side effects whatsoever) outweigh all the problems that can come from caffeine. Finally, I would argue that for many people it is very much a black and white thing just like with any other addiction.
@@BookClubDisaster Yes I understand what you’re saying and of course eating what you said is crucial, he seems to be happy and healthy , we seem to be getting carried away now with what to eat and like yourself I’ve quit coffee about 3 days but I do drink a cup or two of tea…
The videos where the person goes back, they typically are very tough a type personality, ambitious doers… hence their UA-cam channels. But remember they are already used to numbing out and living superficially in the egoic pursuits and the expense of peace and stillness and love. So there is almost 0 chance they’ll stay off and relax into existence… they’ve only known go go go, climb climb climb, succeed at any cost. Caffeine is their perfect companion. Fix your psychology and caffeine leaves you because you are no longer a match to that state.
Would decaf still count. i know its only like 2 mg, but i relaly enjoy coffee. IVe been quit for a couple weeks now. BUt, i still really like to drink decaf. i wonder if i will still feel relaly good in a year if i drink decaf.
The problem with having Decaff for a while is that eventually that small amount of caffeine in the system will work its way into convincing us to drink a proper cup as it cannot compete with a fully caffeinated version. Try natural caffeine free herbal alternatives like Teecino or similar to that as it mimics the taste of coffee so would be more beneficial health wise as well as allowing one to be totally caffeine free.
I drink coffee only before noon. I use fantastic, fresh artisan Italian roast Indonesian beans (less that 2 weeks old), burr grind them, french press them and have two large cups (prolly a total of 1 liter from 3/4 a cup of beans). I typically drink it black...lately adding some MCT oil. and that's it. stop by noon. Peace to all. No trying to proselytize...just sayin....
I value good sleep more than anything. Getting completely off caffeine is a game changer for me.
This is the best video I’ve seen on this subject, and I’ve seen damn near everyone you can find. UA-cam rarely shows these low budget videos anymore, old school UA-cam videos. And they are usually the most honest and most helpful. Caffeine is an insidious drug. I’m 15 days or so off and I’ve had a headache every day since. Thank you for this video, you’re speaking nothing but facts here.
Thank you! Yes low budget it is. Recorded with my crappy Studio Display built in camera. Then again, the big budget videos have so much cutting I feel like I might have a seizure.....
Since I quit I 100% feel calmer, peaceful and have most restful sleep. I really prefer this lifestyle to the exciment of coffee. Good bye forever
"I quit a year ago and if I'd known you could feel this good, I would've quit 20 years ago." That's what i want to try out too. Great video, thanks.
Here's how it goes for me trying to quit caffeine: I quit for a few weeks, my sleep is amazing, my mood is stable, I'm less of an asshole. Then I get offered a coffee at work, I say yes to be polite and drink it. Then all of a sudden I'm drinking coffee all day and then drinking Pepsi in the afternoon. I then struggle to sleep, I'm an irritable asshole and anxious all the time and then I research how to quit caffeine and try again. This has happened so many times. In my opinion caffeine is up there with alcohol, if not worse.
I think it's worse. I can go months without drinking without much trouble--and I've definitely had periods of drinking more than my share in my life. But to do the same with caffeine is 10x harder.
@@BookClubDisaster And nobody thinks of caffeine being a drug because its so widely used and coffee shops are everywhere! It sucks, I'm on day 1 no caffeine again and I've gotta be brutal about no caffeine. Water only for me. I miss that deep sleep I was getting when I last quit.
Wow, that sounds exactly like my story as well. I wonder how many millions of people could say the same thing. I'm sure a lot.
Same here, but i have switched over to high quality decaf, been able to do that for two years now, feeling pretty good.
@@janco333 decaf doesn’t hit the same though does it… the taste of coffee is quite disgusting when you actually quit caffeine for a while
Excellent video and absolutely true. Whatever you've ever been addicted to, be it alcohol, cigarettes, coffee, etc., you are always addicted to. No matter how long you've been away from it, if you have it again, you will eventually be back where you started.
I quit caffeine one year and smoking cigarettes 6 months ago. I realized that my thinking of life has changed. Last month I reduced also sugar. Caffeine make your thoughts going here and there , nicotine stresses you , and sugar makes you anxious. Sugar causes depression.
great video. I understand your point and I agree. what happened to me is that quit caffeine feels great, but after a while i said how about trying a cup...and the effect was amazing, euphoria and energy...so i thought, i can use this powerful drug wisely ?....I still think it's possible...but caffeine definitely destroys me, it changes my emotions, my thoughts, my habits, my body without energy. Caffeine is similar to cocaine. that's why after a weeks clean I feel awake happy in peace and as you say, you feel so good that you think that caffein was not the problem and you relapse
Yeah for real caffeine definitely is like cocaine, when I used to do cocaine, the come down felt exactly the same as taking pre workout. High anxiety, starting thinking about past failures in life, started thinking “what am i doing with my life” it’s crazy
Well said
Quitting caffeine isn't a "solve all your problems" kind of journey. It simply stabilizes your daily experience again. Not too high, not too low. Whereas caffeine addiction has some high highs but equally low lows and with more frequency. Not worth getting pulled unwillingly into either of those directions and then dealing with the psychological and physiological effects of it. Life will still be full of highs and lows after quitting caffeine, but you'll be in a more centered, present state of being. This is the most optimal way I want to be living at least.
So true I've weaned off several times and when I do I feel my emotions very raw. I'm definitely more present. And I have been trying to be more present and caffeine takes away from that. I recently realized I use caffeine to suppress my emotions. Im on the journey to processing my emotions and equipping myself to deal with them.
An astounding yes to your comment. Unfortunately, I believe very few will be able to grasp this or do it or be willing to trust in it. Staying in the center is a very good place to be. I will only add one thing. Once you've been off for a long time and gotten through the protracted withdrawal (if you have that)........ There is a beautiful spark that is added to your life. Not a unrealistic high high, but this beautiful calmness and very balanced true contentment. A calm joy. Don't mean to sound woo woo, but this is how it is for me. I was happy to read your comment.
@@wendym2544 This exactly describes my experience too. "Beautiful Spark". It doesn't take too long to get to that point but it's a couple month consistency until you get to that experience. For most people, it's not worth the hassle when you have obligations and responsibilities to the moon. The withdrawal does suck and you need things to not move so fast for a while. That's why I believe in simplify, simplify, simplify. Those other things distract you from Truth. And I'm not trying to sound woo woo either. There is a notable, almost tangible, difference in overall experience.
9 days ago I quit coffee but kept up some tea. Today February 15 is the first day I have been totally caffeine free in well over 40 years. I feel exhilarated to have finally achieved this goal but know the battle is not yet over! Ryan your video is by far the most meaningful to me from the many I have watched.
Feeling good (not there yet) and abstaining is easier than moderation,are the main takeaways for me. I wish you well and hope you have ended your caffeine relationship. I quit alcohol completely 5 years ago and it’s non negotiable…not even one drop. Caffeine will be the same! Thank you very much for your wise thoughts!
Thanks! You will probably feel pretty lethargic for at least a couple weeks weeks but you should start to noice it getting better soon after that. Good luck!
Do you relapse?
Best video about quitting caffeine I have seen.
This is so true. Great video. I also „quit“ many times and fell back in this „just one cup“ trapp and was hooked. Like Allen Carr called it the little monster. Caffeine is a drug. And once you are addicted to caffeine, there is no other way to quit forever. Otherwise you always fall back in the addiction.
i felt no joy from anything but that first cup of coffee. so that was a major sign i had to quit. literally almost 0 dopamine left. god i love the sleep off this drug, so refreshing, looking forward each night to vivid dreams. and the feeling of not jumping from the simplest sounds is amazing.
Nice going. How long have you been off?
That's interesting that you mentioned the feeling of jumping from the simplest of sounds, because I've noticed that about myself as well. I feel like I'm wound so tight and don't remember that ever being an issue before caffeine.
@@tt4570 yeah i would get so tense my jaw would hurt actually. Also panic if someone came up from behind or if someone comes walking in the oposite direction. Crazy….. im so over this drug lol feel tons better off it
@@OGAesthetics I'm happy to hear that you're feeling better.
There's a difference between a "habit" and an "addiction". And for someone with an addiction, there is no going back and using the drug of choice "a little bit" - you WILL wind up right back where you were, only worse. If I am ever able to actually shake the caffeine (energy shots) addiction, I will NEVER delude myself that I can use it "occassionally". GREAT video - thank you!
I quit three weeks ago because of sleep and anxiety issues. Wow the withdrawal symptoms was nothing I imagined. Intense migraine headaches that tapered off after 10 days. I feel sluggish but, hopefully, it'll get better in time. On the plus side the anxiety is reduced and I don't respond to things that would usually get me worked up and stuck in a thinking loop.
Thanks. You made the best video about caffeine addiction!
It's shocking to me that all these years I displayed the typical defensiveness in regards to coffee. Trying to quit this stuff cold turkey is just flattening me right now.
Just taper off over 6 months mate. Very mild headaches. Very doable.
I 100 percent agree with the moderation thing. For me with caffeine it's all or nothing.
With a face and personality as cute as Ryan's, who would need caffeine? Great vid man
Ikr he should definitely release more content. Pure honey chum
@@ellisdee9978You should check out what he can do with a guitar and his sweet singing voice if you really want your mind blown!!🤯
Great video and insight mate. I have gone off Caf for a few months at a time and feel so much better; I totally agree with your point that "life stress" etc is made a LOT worse by having Caf in your life; it exacerabates things.
Author of coffee blues is addict himsef . So sad and funny
Requesting update video
I firmly believe in the wisdom of random people on the internet. Then you quoted Empire. ❤ just gave up coffee after 2-3 weeks awful withdrawal this made me through out the stock in my pantry. ❤❤❤
Thanks, Ryan, for the video and your unique take on the topic. I've read through the comments, and I've watched more videos like this than I care to remember. I'm 46 and never drank coffee until I was about 23 or so. I enjoyed the "joyride" phase for quite some time, possibly 10 years or more. At 34 I had my first child and shortly after that my consumption ramped up. I calculated once that I was consuming around 500mg per day of coffee and soda combined. In my younger years I never suffered from anxiety or panic attacks and then slowly one by one I started noticing some weird things happening to me, like getting on the highway to drive to work and being completely overcome with fear and anxiety, feeling like I can't breathe, and my hands would sometimes tremble. I would get extremely thirsty all the time. I used to love going for hikes and that started triggering my anxiety, I became very fearful of heights and elevators. My life as I knew it was being chopped down and I seemed to be crippled with fear and anxiety. These are just some of the more apparent effects, and it's not even mentioning all the body pains, lower back pain, foot joints and hand joints, heart palpitations, eyesight problems and so on. I've done the whole quitting thing many times, and every time I would get lured back into it and be nearly right back to where I was the last time before quitting. This chemical is no joke! I hope everyone that reads this can get off this stuff and regain the pure joy and peacefulness we were all meant to have. Caffeine = stress, pure and simple. That's all you need to know. And who likes stress? Nobody! I'm continuing on my journey of healing, trying to heal my body from the years of abuse. I'm just thankful I never tried any harder drugs like cocaine or heroin or anything like that. I probably wouldn't be here right now to talk about it.
Thanks for your comment. That's actually really interesting. You might have even inspired me to make a follow up video. My experience is very similar. I'm 49 and I started when I was 24. And I too have noticed various things over the years creeping up that make me anxious that never made me anxious before and I definitely think it's the way caffeine alters your thinking, not just getting older. Funny thing is: the situation with kids is probably even worse. Our generation, kids didn't really drink coffee. And energy drinks hadn't really emerged yet either. It was basically just soda and while soda is bad, at least it's got relatively low caffeine content. Now it seems even high school kids are jacked up on caffeine. I took a tour of my old college campus a few years back and couldn't believe there were about 5 cafes on campus. When I was there in the 90's, there were zero. So American society's caffeine consumptions seems to have only gone up. And people wonder why they are so stressed and so angry. Many never make the connection.
@@BookClubDisaster Thank you for your reply. It's interesting that you mention the younger generation, I think you are spot on with that. It's like they are never even given a chance. We can thank Starbucks for that. I think it's a very big reason why people are so stressed and angry and not to mention sick. I know when I drink coffee, I hardly crave water at all, I'm always craving more coffee. So, I end up drinking less water and then I excrete more water because of the diuretic effect of coffee. It's just a downward spiral that I believe leads to sickness. You mentioned that you read the book Caffeine Blues, check out the book, Your Bodies Many Cries for Water and see the chapter about caffeine. Very interesting stuff in there as well.
Hey Doyle, thanks for the video. Very helpful in my journey to sobriety from Caffeine
Me too, I also said a lot of this in my coffee quitting video too. Felt great ever since, caffeine is a drug.. people crave it like heroin
Great video mate, I'm with ya
Feeling the same way. Glad I found you. New sub.
Great video!! thanks for your perspective
I’m sharing this with the hope of possibly helping someone else. A journal entry from today.
February 6, Monday
28 days it’s been. Nearly 1 month. I’m feeling ok. A lot of thirst at times even though I feel like I’m drinking a good bit of water. Last night I had a tough night sleeping. I had a real hard time falling asleep and felt very restless and anxious. And I know I was tired. I was up all day and went out with the kids to Philippe’s to eat and then we walked around and I felt so exhausted and thirsty that I wanted to come home and just lay down. We also did a hike around sunset so I should have slept a lot easier. Sometimes it happens in the middle of the night. I’ll fully wake up out of the blue and just get really hot or anxious and my heart will race. I don’t know what that’s all about but after watching that lady’s UA-cam video it sounds like it’s normal to have these setbacks and that overtime it will improve. The body has to heal. I haven’t really been craving coffee but sometimes I’ll think about it. Think about the routine and try to remember what that was like. I don’t miss the wired feeling at all. That over caffeinated feeling once you drink too much. That was the worst. I also don’t miss having to go somewhere and get in line and deal with all of that stress every morning. I’ve been more active lately and I’m slowly working my way back into hiking and biking. One thing that has changed this time versus last time is that I’m not consuming sweet drinks like soda and lemonade in the place of coffee. I’ll have one on occasion but it’s not a daily thing like it was before. It’s interesting to think that I really haven’t artificially stimulated my adrenals and cortisol in nearly a month. That daily punishment that was a regular coffee habit. Nature never intended us to treat our bodies like that. I see a lot of younger people who line up in the morning in front of a cafe or coffee shop and it just reminds me of the book I read and how there are 2 phases to the caffeine ride. The first is the joyride and I believe they are mostly all in that phase. The second is something like overuse or payback or something like that and once I started working at LB I definitely crossed over into that territory. It never got too bad for me until then. I remember working back at the bike shop and the mornings we would do those group rides I would have doughnuts and coffee and I remember right as we’d be leaving I would get the very nervous feeling similar to when I raced motocross. Other than that I would be fine and the feeling subsided after we started riding and it never crossed over into panic or anything like that. That was in 2011. Then I started flying and that’s probably the first time I actually had a panic attack, flying to the island that one day I distinctly remember feeling something like that on the way there, that was 2012. I then started working in LB in 2013 and I would say by the end of that year or early 2014 I was getting pretty bad and by 2015 when her cousin came to visit I was probably nearing my worst. Man, I was consuming so much. I remember days of getting a large McCafé iced coffee in the morning on an empty stomach. Also going to work and drinking a medium one and then getting there and having another coffee once I arrived and then sometimes another after lunch and possibly even another near closing time on Saturday. I was full-blown addicted. I’ll tell you what, being able to go for a 2-3 mile hike with 600 feet of elevation gain or going for an hour and a half ride with 1,000 feet of elevation feels real good right about now. It gives me hope that I am making the right decision and it’s time to move forward with my life. This stuff has crippled so much of my life for the last nearly 10 years. And just think if I don’t stop, it’s only going to get worse. More weight gain, more pain in my body, even more anxiety and temper tantrums with the kids. It will literally ruin the rest of my life. I can see it and I truly feel it in my being. I’ve noticed that I haven’t really flown off the handle with the kids lately. They still get to me and I feel it but I don’t go on these episodes of yelling and cursing like I usually do. I’ve been consciously trying not to curse in front of them and I think I’m doing better. It was getting to be too much. And it always made me feel terrible afterwards. Ok that’s enough, I’m going to go for a walk.
I feel you on that point about trusting the anecdotal evidence over these articles and epidemiology studies and stuff; with an industry as big as coffee, you really don't know the extent to who's been paid off to paint caffeine/coffee in a positive light
It's important not to believe blindly the conducted studies. The human brain is far too complicated to draw wide conclusions about long-term caffeine intake. Sleep is the main pillar on which multiple aspects of our mental and physical health lie. Since caffeine has a quarter-lifetime of 12 hours it disturbs sleep. Almost everyone who has quit caffeine reports an improvement in sleep. I've reduced my caffeine intake from 500 milligrams to 300 during the past week and I'll keep on going until I'm completely caffeine-free. I've consumed at least 400 mg of caffeine daily for the past 5 years, it'll be interesting to see how my life will change in the upcoming months. I'll reduce my intake gradually to avoid some of the withdrawal effects. It's best not to tamper with our brain chemistry, it's a masterpiece of billions of years of evolution. Changes to its function are more likely to cause damage than good.
Thank you for making this video.
I never drank coffee until about 10 years ago… when I loved booze, drugs, and cigarettes, I figured it was enough, and never started drinking coffee. When I had kids, I came to realize the greatness of Coffee!
Currently on day 6 head aches getting better, feeling so much calmer, had a few drinks last night, dam the headache today is heavy!
I've given up caffeine and I am never going back. I am still detoxing but I am aware of benefits. My symptoms from caffeine was over sleeping and being tired all the time because I was not getting proper sleep. That is my belief. I was not born a caffeine addict and so I know that being caffeine free is normal, not abnormal.
I read Stephens book and then saw the video. I was like what!?!🤨
Me toooooooooooooooooooooooo
Go for it! I am on too, This time it´s going to be more than a year. Haven´t done it for more than 3 weeks before but now I feel inspiration. I have worked so much on my heath the last couple of years and this drug is the hardest! I have quit alcohol 3 years ago, no problem, I have quit sugar not that easy and I can still fall of the wagon there but I don´t go back to befeore. I eat healthy and feel good so why is it so hard with coffee???
I think maybe two reasons. First is alcohol and processed sugar (personally I don't think people should worry about the natural sugar from fruit) are both considered pretty bad for health. That is a mainstream idea. You will find plenty of literature supporting that idea. But caffeine has a MUCH better PR team. So many will defend it, so many studies supposedly prove that it's nothing to worry about. So it's easy to believe these studies even though if many just trust what their body seems to tell them, they will decide caffeine is something they need to get rid of. But it takes some confidence to believe that over all the noise, all the apologists for caffeine. Second thing, with alcohol, even if someone is a pretty big drinker, they probably don't drink every single day. So when you're used to going through an entire day without it, it somehow seems a lot more normal to go through every day without it. But with caffeine, for most people they consume it every single day. so going without it just seems weird and almost unnatural for a long time until you've formed a new habit of NOT drinking it.
I stopped caffeine and kept drinking hot chocolate from Mcdonalds. My symptoms never went away!! Only to realise that the 'HOT CHOCOLATE' contains caffeine. And more than a usual MG amount.
I've simply substituted decaf for my daily consumption. What do y'all think about that strategy?
Same here, but the decaf still gives me some unpleasant symptoms, I am very sensitive to caffeine unfortunately.
decaf has alot of shit in it so best bet is to remove that aswell. mold mycotoxins etcetc
Depends on how much you like your body being in more of a stressed state (fight/flight)
Caffeine triggers a stress response and any chocolate or food/drink products containing caffeine, obviously increase your daily intake.
If you're just after a caffeine hit, and want to continue taking it, look at low dose caffeine pills. At least you will know your exact dosage, rather than guess-timating
I tried that as well and then I had terrible acid reflux.
I've subsequently stopped using decaf, and now drinking Dandy Blend(Dandelion, barley, etc.). It's the best coffee alternative that I've found.
Just happened to hear this song on Apple Music shuffle. C'est Comme Ca by Paramore. Song is......okay I guess but it has this line
I'm off caffeine
On doctor's orders
Said it was gonna help to level
out my hormones.
Lucky for me, I run on spite
and sweet revenge.
Thats funny, I'm a big Paramore fan and noticed that too
Yup… I’m a yo-yo caffeine quitter… however, the wrinkle with coffee is its many health benefits. Decaf is a possible solution…?
Very true to my experience.
Nice video, update? still off?
Day 5 no caffeine.
update? im 15 days off now
3:00 it’s like a feedback loop.
Im with u ! Forget coffee caffeine. Its horrible. I have relapsed 10 times attempting to quit. But now i am done forever I promised myself. Im 2 weeks off. Did u get back on ? Thank you 🙏
Man you look exactly similar to “Jerry Springer.” Congratulations!
Hopefully not dead!? 😬
It’s not all or nothing black and white, in caffeine blues he does say it has benefits… antioxidants etc , he eats healthily , sleeps great, exercises at 74 and it really is knowing your own body
If you want antioxidants, you can drink coffee. Or you can eat fruits, vegetables, herbs, spices, etc. People act like coffee is the only thing that has antioxidants. And what no one can ever answer is whether the benefits of the antioxidants (which, as noted, you can get elsewhere without any side effects whatsoever) outweigh all the problems that can come from caffeine. Finally, I would argue that for many people it is very much a black and white thing just like with any other addiction.
@@BookClubDisaster Yes I understand what you’re saying and of course eating what you said is crucial, he seems to be happy and healthy , we seem to be getting carried away now with what to eat and like yourself I’ve quit coffee about 3 days but I do drink a cup or two of tea…
bs
right now i'm two weeks into quitting with. Teeccino herbal coffee, but one day I want to be able to drink coffee for special occasions
I limit my caffeine intake to no more than 200 mg per day and I'm highly addicted to caffeine... Willpower is everything. Moderation is possible!
For many people, 200mg is still enough to cause problems
lol
Bro, 200mgs is a not a small amount. I don’t care what google tried to tell you. That’s the same amount of a pre workout drink.
The videos where the person goes back, they typically are very tough a type personality, ambitious doers… hence their UA-cam channels. But remember they are already used to numbing out and living superficially in the egoic pursuits and the expense of peace and stillness and love. So there is almost 0 chance they’ll stay off and relax into existence… they’ve only known go go go, climb climb climb, succeed at any cost. Caffeine is their perfect companion. Fix your psychology and caffeine leaves you because you are no longer a match to that state.
Still off it now 1 month later?
I agree I’m the same as you!
Would decaf still count. i know its only like 2 mg, but i relaly enjoy coffee. IVe been quit for a couple weeks now. BUt, i still really like to drink decaf. i wonder if i will still feel relaly good in a year if i drink decaf.
As long as you aren't guzzling 10 cups of decaf a day, I don't imagine it would be a big deal since the amount is very small.
I'm trying to quite caffeine too (due to sleep issues), replaced with decaf, but I only drink one cup a day.
The problem with having Decaff for a while is that eventually that small amount of caffeine in the system will work its way into convincing us to drink a proper cup as it cannot compete with a fully caffeinated version. Try natural caffeine free herbal alternatives like Teecino or similar to that as it mimics the taste of coffee so would be more beneficial health wise as well as allowing one to be totally caffeine free.
Thanks!
How do you feel about ginseng as an alternative?
Year old post. Safe to say “By the balls” is safe
Have you relapsed?
How did you do?
I drink coffee only before noon. I use fantastic, fresh artisan Italian roast Indonesian beans (less that 2 weeks old), burr grind them, french press them and have two large cups (prolly a total of 1 liter from 3/4 a cup of beans). I typically drink it black...lately adding some MCT oil. and that's it. stop by noon. Peace to all. No trying to proselytize...just sayin....
shit is poison
I switched to decaf.
Fix your audio. Wayyyy too low
Turn your volume up yourself, or do you not have hands
👍