What I Learned from the 35-Day No Caffeine Experiment
Posted on October 2, 2007
Day 35 came and went on Sunday and two days later I still have not imbibed on a caffeine drink. Why? I really haven’t gotten the urge. People have asked me whether I am going to start drinking coffee again and I don’t have an answer for them, well not a simple one. Here are some things I’ve learned as I sort through the process.
- A 39 year-old can change his habits. They say it takes 30 days to make a habit. Fasting from caffeine for 35 days pushed it out just a bit further to the point where I had to go through a series of adjustments in my mind.
- My identity was wrapped-up in coffee. I started drinking coffee around the age of 19. That’s twenty years ago, two decades, most likely a quarter of my life. I was a coffee drinker, that was just who I am, or at least I had told myself.
- Getting started is the hardest part. When I say getting started, I mean getting started and making it through the first week. I’ve changed many habits for a few days to a week. It’s relatively easy to hold ones breath for a couple of days. getting 10 days out and beyond is the tuffy.
- The time was right. I sensed there was a window of opportunity that I can’t explain. I would call it God gracing me with the ability to take the step in this season. I knew if I passed-up that window, for whatever reason, it would be harder down the line.
- Setting a time limit was effective. If I said, "I’m quitting caffeine, no more coffee for me" I would have been a goner. Maybe I would have made it through a week. Actually, I know when I would have cratered. I started on a Monday and the following Friday was no fun. That would have been the day.
- Telling others about it was important. Being public about the experiment, very public by blogging about it, telling friends, family and co-workers kept me on track. That kind of accountability was extremely powerful.
- I was motivated towards change. Though I called it my "35-Day No Caffeine Experiment", the emphasis in my mind was towards the end results. The focus was on the word "experiment" rather than "no caffeine". It made it more interesting and reminded me of the reasons I was fasting in the first place.
- The reasons for change were clear to me. I was fasting towards better physical health, stronger mental clarity and spiritual pursuit. I had some minor physical ailments that cleared-up shortly after beginning the fast. I have found my thought processes and energy level to have stabilized through the day with the release from caffeine and white processed sugars. In desperation for strength I turned to God and found it in Him.
- Change breeds change. The first week on the fast I noticed my sugar intake start to increase. I knew that was not a good thing. By the second week it was back to normal and by the third I started a fast from candy. I used to eat way too many candy bars at work, the little ones you can pop in your mouth and donuts too. My interest in sweets has dropped dramatically.
- Change is empowering. A number of areas in my life have begun to be refocused. It’s as if someone turned a light on to darkened corners of my life and made plain what could be re-ordered. I have a new sense of my ability to address issues or circumstances in my life towards a better outcome.
- Habits are powerful. The main reason I have not started drinking coffee is that I’m out of the habit. Positive or negative, habits are one of the most powerful forces in our lives. Changing habits instigate fundamental change in circumstances.
Will this change be permanent? I’m leaning in that direction. I believe change breeds change. If I continue to intake healthy food and stay clear of refined processed sugars I will most likely not experience the highs and lows that strengthen the urge to be buoyed-up by caffeine. I know that fixating on it is of no help to me. The focus remains on the positive effects.
So, what’s next on the horizon? Time. I need to reshape how I spend my time. There are many areas I can address in that arena but I’m going to start with one item and go from there. It will probably be daily exercise. First though, I need to review my list and think through something that matches-up especially to points number 6 and 7. I need the right motivation and the reasons for change to be clear.
Is there some change you are contemplating? Have you made a change in your habits? What were the driving factors?
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16 Responses to “What I Learned from the 35-Day No Caffeine Experiment”
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All this fear went away when I quit, and it was a book that inspired me to do it called The Truth About Caffeine by Marina Kushner. There are five things I liked about this book:
1) It details–thoroughly–the ways in which caffeine may damage your health.
2) It reveals the damage that coffee does to the environment. Specifically, coffee was once grown in the shade, so that trees were left in place. Then sun coffee was introduced, allowing greater yields but contributing to the destruction of rain forests. I haven’t seen this mentioned anywhere else.
3) It explains how best to go off coffee. This is important. If you try cold turkey, as most people probably do, the withdrawal symptoms will likely drive you right back to coffee.
4) Helped me find a great resource for the latest studies at CaffeineAwareness.org
5) Also, if you drink decaf you won’t want to miss this special free report on the dangers of decaf available at www.soyfee.com
Sheila, Interesting stuff. I learned long ago that decaf is death. There’s so many things that are damaging to your health especially when not in moderation. That’s something that I have a hard time with is doing stuff in moderation. Truth is that the experiment is so much more than about coffee. Coffee is just one addiction, one habit that can be destructive. It all depends in great part upon your bent. For some folks coffee is not the issue that’s nagging in their life it’s other stuff. This point of this post is really more about change than ditching coffee, though I appreciate your interesting comments very much.
That’s really great Phil!
I know it can be pretty hard to go without something, especially when you have the habit so ingrained in you like that.
Great Work!
Thanks Mike! It’s a work in progress for sure.
Good for you, Phil. I’ve been wondering how you were doing on that quest. No headaches along the way? I know I used to get them really badly when I altered my caffeine intake, but I was drinking much, much more then. The sugar intake you noticed is interesting, too, because when you cut fat out of your diet, there’s a tendency to go for the sugar — or at least packaged food manufacturers think we do. Keep us posted…
Kelly, Thanks for dropping-in to check on me. I had a number of days when the headaches were nagging but nothing unbearable. I did of course take my fair share of Advil in the beginning. I still have a hankering for sugar when I’m at work but it is better than it has been. Overall, I think I’m more calm throughout my day.
I’ve recently started jogging - probably about the same time you started your experiment (give or take a bit). Just recently we have had to change the running venue. This is because my running buddy works very late and the park was way too dark. The new location is bigger and I’m starting to feel the effort again.
Giving up on being a lazy geek is a slow process. I’m going to set aside a dedicated blog on the subject and as I learn about geek and health I am to move towards a geek health style community site. But first the log in my own eye.
Wow, good for you! That sounds difficult.
I once gave up sugar for a year, that would be the biggest thing I’ve ever given up. I felt absolutely wonderful, healthy, but with a society that pushes junk food like it does, I found it impossible to stay that way permanently.
I’m glad you learned so much from this! Hope you’re having a great day:)
Matt, that sounds like a fascinating subject. Exercise is my next biggie for sure. We can encourage one another.
Christy, so true, so true. I’ve gone through phases of better diet before and this may just be a phase, but I am hoping and working towards long-term solutions which is why I’m trying to keep my eyes on the results rather than what I “shouldn’t” intake, which of course is challenging at times. A whole year, wow that is great.
Phil, congratulation!
It is so good that you had managed to refrain from taking caffeinated drink for 35 days. Thanks for sharing all the really useful tips or lessons you learned that make it a success.
Indeed, your will power is strong!
Best Wishes
Let’s Acquire Wisdom and Live with Passion
Sam, Thanks. Actually my will power needed to be strong to get me through the 35 days. Something different is leading me forward and that is desire. My desire has changed to long for healthier living over habitual patterns. It’s not hard for me to get up each morning and drink something other than caffeine because of the results I’m appreciating.
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Hi Phil,
enjoyed reading about the 35 day experiment.
Did you stay off caffeine? I don’t drink coffee but do drink white/green tea. I have one tea bag left for tomorrow and that’ll be it for a while!
I’ve given up alcohol for 2008 and it’s been great. After a week it was a cinch. 50 days on, I’m sober.
I want absolutely mental clarity. The fleeting highs from stimulants are no substitute for higher thinking.
Best wishes, Ed.
Ed,
That’s great. More power to ya. I’d completely eliminated coffee. I still drink tea though quite often it’s caffeine free, though it really does vary. In any case, my caffeine consumption has dropped significantly from where it was and is no longer a mandated daily event. I do feel much better, especially late in the afternoon.
Phil
eh, I sorta had to give up coffee. GERD. It wasn’t that hard, I had sorta already gone off the taste of it. But having the doctor tell me to stop was the kick I needed. I still take a sip of hubby’s here and there while in the weaning process. But it has gotten to be a very small sip. I’ll be completely free. Still drink green/white tea though.
Colleen, way to go. That’s certainly not an easy thing to do. The nice thing with habits is that the longer you go in one generally the easier it is to maintain it. I have pretty much lost my desire for coffee and prefer the taste of tea. I am not caffeine free but have reduced it significantly now that I drink tea. Hang in there.