next »

[itried]

Today my doctor suggested that I quit caffeine for bladder/UTI health issues, and I'd like to try. I'm not the type to extol the virtues of purity, but in this case I really think I'll protect my health by stopping for awhile.

If you've quit, what worked for you?

Here's my habit (addiction?): one large mug of strong black tea + one large mug of strong coffee, both with a lot of cream and sugar, within two hours of waking each day. I'm considering the idea that this is less of a physiological addiction than a habitual behavior; i.e., I love the warmth and comfort of the drinks, and I definitely have my rituals around them -- e.g., tea just after my breakfast toast while I'm surfing the internet first thing in the morning, coffee right when I get to work and start to go through my professional e-mail. It's possible that I may be using these comforting, sweet drinks to confront and kick-start my stressful (albeit satisfying) days. I'm not ruling out physical addiction, but for me it's likely more the sugar than the caffeine.

What are others' thoughts? If these habits/addictions resonate with you and you've kicked them, can you give me some advice?

[irhack]

My only experience is giving it up for Lent one year.

Caffeine is actually physically addictive. I wouldn't quit cold turkey. You can expect headaches.

But I drink a lot more than you do and I don't think I've ever had a UTI-- what's the connection?

[melba_frilkins]

I did quit caffeine many years ago. It was originally the result of misguided medical advice from a doctor, but turns out I sleep much better without caffeine anyway, so I stuck with the ban. When I quit, I went cold turkey. It happened to be over winter break, which was quite helpful, especially since that meant I was away from my normal source of caffeine (free beverages at the restaurant where I worked) and it was easier to ride out the minor withdrawal symptoms when I was away from school, stress, and schedules.

If it's the warmth, sugar and comfort you crave, keep those and ditch the caffeine. Switch to decaf coffee, hot cocoa, and herbal teas. You may find, however, that there are some physical withdrawal symptoms (especially headaches, in my case), but just wait it out and your body will readjust.

Some people need to quit cold turkey, others need to go gradually. You'll figure out what works for you.

[itried]

irhack, the connection is that caffeine stimulates bladder activity and causes UT irritation. I'm not sure if the acidity has any effect? I've only heard of the irritant effects... others may know more.

melba_frilkins, great suggestions. Maybe I can try a decaf tea that's naturally sweet, like coconut chai. It will be a good experiment to tease apart the caffeine/sugar addiction from the comforting ritual... if I don't find the herbal sweetness satisfying, then I'll really have to confront the caffeine and sugar addiction.

[oldadjunct]

Today my doctor suggested that I quit caffeine for bladder/UTI health issues, and I'd like to try. I'm not the type to extol the virtues of purity, but in this case I really think I'll protect my health by stopping for awhile.

If you've quit, what worked for you?

Here's my habit (addiction?): one large mug of strong black tea + one large mug of strong coffee, both with a lot of cream and sugar, within two hours of waking each day. I'm considering the idea that this is less of a physiological addiction than a habitual behavior; i.e., I love the warmth and comfort of the drinks, and I definitely have my rituals around them -- e.g., tea just after my breakfast toast while I'm surfing the internet first thing in the morning, coffee right when I get to work and start to go through my professional e-mail. It's possible that I may be using these comforting, sweet drinks to confront and kick-start my stressful (albeit satisfying) days. I'm not ruling out physical addiction, but for me it's likely more the sugar than the caffeine.

What are others' thoughts? If these habits/addictions resonate with you and you've kicked them, can you give me some advice?

I think you nailed it with the ritual part, that will be the tough nut to crack.  All I can suggest is to try to find a new ritual. Since you relish the warmth how about hot chocolate?  Soup?  

As someone who has drunk 8-12 cups of coffee a day for decades (I used to particularly like the sludge in the office pot in the late afternoon), please do not focus on the physical addiction aspect of this necessary change.  If a given day happens not to include even a cup of coffee I really don't notice.  But I doubt I could get through a day without a yogurt, piece of fruit, and my morning fix of on-line news.

Best of luck to you.

You may not need the caffeine, just the ritual.

[itried]

It would never have occurred to me to drink soup in the morning! ... though others have discussed it on the "What's for breakfast?" thread. Maybe some warm miso soup would create the same soothing entry into my day, and it would have the added benefit of being really healthy. Hm... I'll look into that.

[academic_cog]

Herbal tea with lemon and honey?

[octoprof]

I gave it up cold turkey some years ago. I drink decaf tea now and nothing else with caffeine in it. I found that zero caffeine was much better than getting more and then less over time (I seem to get migraines with any major change in caffeine level, up or down).

I don't miss it now at all.

Drink something decaf in the place of the caf drinks you are used to.

[profreader]

Herbal teas are fine - decaf coffee still has a little caffeine in it, so if you're looking to avoid caffeine entirely, no coffee.

When I've given it up, I went cold turkey. If you really just have the one cup of coffee and one cup of tea a day, then just quitting shouldn't be a problem. You might have a headache - usually those kick in for me around the third day. But I was kicking a very intense caffeine habit (now I just have it once or twice a week, if I feel like it.)

There are some great varieties of tea out there - I particularly love the rooibos teas ("red bush tea" if anyone is a fan of "The No. 1 Ladies Detective Agency") If you really want zero caffeine, you have to read closely - some blends have caffeine when you might not expect that they would.

[palla]

If you don't want to quit cold turkey, you can start by making your morning coffee a decaf and regular mix.  I drink a lot of coffee - I love the warm mug and the taste.  But I drink decaf most of the time.  In the mornings, I make it half and half.

[itried]

So far so good today: one mug of strong black tea, one mug of sweet coconut herbal tea. I do think that at least the second mug is largely ritualistic, a warm comfort associated with specific parts of my daily routine -- e.g., certain exercise classes, the drive to work, the first pass through my professional e-mail for the day. So today I'm not missing that second mug of caffeine, because I do have the warmth and sweetness. I'm curious how I'll feel when I drop the initial mug of caffeine. I'm actually looking forward to trying this; I think letting this go for awhile will have other benefits in addition to the UT health benefits.

[treehugger1]

My only experience is giving it up for Lent one year.

Caffeine is actually physically addictive. I wouldn't quit cold turkey. You can expect headaches.

But I drink a lot more than you do and I don't think I've ever had a UTI-- what's the connection?

Um, yes! The last time I tried to go cold turkey from caffeine, I got violently ill. And I mean violently. Horrendous head-ache coupled with almost continuous vomiting (then dry heaving). I was also physically shaking and disoriented. It was hard to believe it was all from caffeine, but some how I managed to make myself a cup of coffee and within 30 minutes, I was feeling perfectly fine again.

I like to drink coffee when I travel (it does wonders for certain other health issues), but whenever I come home, I immediately start weaning myself off *gradually* -- both reducing the amounts and caffeine-concentration of the coffee I drink. Today, for example, I drank 1 cup of coffee that was 1/3 caffinated and 2/3 decaf. I'll keep this up for a few days, then go to 1/4 caffinated and 3/4 decaf, etc.

[mixedmetaphor]

If the ritual's important, what about peppermint tea?  I love the taste and the mug warmth (like palla), and I wonder if the mint will give you the kind of placebo buzz you might be looking for.  I drink a good two or so cups when I feel an afternoon coma coming on, and in the winter the warmth is inviting and comforting.  It's a sort of calm/jolt combo, and it feels like it's good for my digestion.

As for strategies, I cut out caffeine for about a year by going the half-caff route like the other posters and then slowly tapering off (I was having trouble sleeping and thought the cut in caffeine would help, but then I started using ear plugs every night [and forced Mr. Simile--an incredibly loud snorer--to wear those nose strip thingies].  Now I'm back to 3+ cups of coffee and at least one Diet Coke a day and I sleep like a baby.  But that's another tale...)

I'm happy you're continuing to look for strategies, itried!  Taking charge of one's health can be a good thing when it's not being used compulsively, and I'm glad to read your posts and hear about what's going on with you.  Take care!

[itried]

Thank you for sharing your experience, mixedmetaphor. Yes, there are so many layers to health... just when I think I've really taken a turn for the better, something else is revealed to me that I can improve. And, as you suggest, striking a balance between necessary self-care and occasional, necessary self-indulgence can be tricky.

I like peppermint tea, too. This past weekend I bought some new herbal tea mixes; I'll add peppermint to my next co-op run.

[infopri]

Until I was in my mid-thirties, I drank roughly eight large mugs of coffee every day.  Strong black coffee.  I gave it up, cold turkey, without a single headache.

I had quit cigarettes (pack-a-day habit for 20 years) a few months earlier, and I found that I just wasn't enjoying the coffee as much as I used to.  (There is a connection between nicotine and caffeine, as one depresses the central nervous system and the other stimulates it, and the person who uses both is constantly regulating his or her system by adjusting one or the other.)  So I stopped drinking it.  I had already given up soda (all soda, not just caffeinated), and I was already limiting my chocolate intake as part of my weight-control strategy, so quitting the coffee pretty much ended my relationship with caffeine.  I did have the occasional mug of (caffeinated) tea, but not as a regular thing.  Mostly I drank the tea when I needed the ritual or wanted something hot at the end of a meal, or if I was sick, etc.

By the way, if you're trying to avoid caffeine, do not replace your coffee with hot cocoa or hot chocolate, as they contain caffeine.  Uncaffeinated herbal teas are your best bet.

Good luck!