I Quit Coffee For 4 Weeks: Here’s What Happened

After water, coffee is the most consumed beverage in the world.

And I get it. It’s hot, intense, smells great, and gives you the energy boost you need in the morning. Some, like me, even like its taste without adding sugar and milk.

But although it seems like an angel kissing you good morning, it can be the devil giving you the jitters. Coffee-induced anxiety is a real thing, we can’t ignore. Even worse: it can mess up your?circadian rhythm.

And this happened to me.

So, in May 2019 I decided to quit coffee for four weeks to see if I could reverse its negative side effects and get back on track.

That’s what happened.

Situation: coffee overload

Coffee is everywhere.

You see it on posters, in the supermarket, there are many coffee shops and even more coffee machines at home.

Thanks to Nespresso, something coffee-like (no, it’s not real coffee) is accessible via a small pod, you can pop into a machine, and this makes it easier than ever to drink this coffee-like drink.

I fell for coffee, too.

Ever since I worked in Italy for a short time, I became a coffee lover. Not because there was more coffee around. There wasn’t. But because the Italian way of coffee (and life per se) was just different.

After first working, and traveling there, I brought my coffee appreciation back to Germany.

Fast-forward a couple of years, and I was working in a bar. I had declined a job offer from the company I was working in, while I was studying, traveled to SEA, came back almost broke, and well…?had to earn money.

While the money was slow to come back, I drank more coffee than ever. After consuming coffee for many weeks in a row, while working in this bar, my biorhythm was all over the place. My sleep was bad, my mood was bad, and my life was bad, too — the so-called trinity of badness.

After having difficulties sleeping for more than a week, I came to the conclusion that my coffee consumption might be a problem.?I decided to change things.

That’s when I told myself, I would quit coffee for 4 weeks.

Experiment: quitting coffee for 4 weeks

After deciding to quit coffee for 4 weeks, I regretted it.

I like the charming smell of freshly ground coffee beans, the rich- and bitterness of a good cuppa Joe, and the alertness it can bring me. It seems to brighten any day.

And let’s be honest: I missed it after only two days. One day without coffee was odd, but two days were borderline criminal. Moreover, I felt sluggish.

Lazy, without energy. I didn’t get a headache, although I know people, including my GF, get headaches after quitting a coffee streak of more than 10 days.

Everything was two nuances greyer than before.

I started thinking about coffee. What would it do without me? What cup it might like to wear and how foamy his companions might be. Just like that, it was all weird.

But I didn’t give up.

I remember my brother asking me why I would do that. I told him that I’d been consuming coffee for too long and wanted to give it a break. See what happens. He said: “Man, you’re thinking about coffee a lot, why aren’t you drinking it again?”

But I resisted. A bit out of stubbornness. A bit out of pride.

And mostly out of curiosity.

Result: coffee is (only) a lifestyle drug

What happened?

The first two weeks were difficult. Coffee was spooking in my head, instead of sitting in my cup. But then something odd happened: I stopped thinking about it so much.

I didn’t need it anymore.

Because my body went Thanos, saying: “Fine, then, I’ll do it myself.”

The sluggishness? Gone. The thoughts? Gone. I felt more energized, more awake, and overall better.?I was more motivated.

And even more importantly: my biorhythm normalized.

It was awesome.

At this point, I realized coffee is (only) a lifestyle drug. It’s hip, and cool. It brings or keeps you awake. But it’s addictive.

It makes you want more, which is a problem.

Why?

1. Because it’s accessible everywhere.
2. Because your dose will increase to get the mentioned benefits.

There are people who wouldn’t function without one, two, or even three, coffees in the morning.

Last year, I went to Finland to see my GF in her semester abroad. And it’s true what they say. They drink LOTS of coffee.

Finland is the country with the?highest coffee consumption per capita. You see coffee everywhere, energy drinks in every color, flavor, and twist possible, and people relying on both multiple days a day.

And I get it. It’s dark. So dark. Worse than the emo pandemic around 2012.?This messes with your head. Coffee (or caffeine) seems like a good escape from that.

Did I quit drinking coffee for good?

Hell no.

But I became (mostly) aware of my coffee consumption. I limit my intake, I take breaks, and I listen to what my body is saying.

And the latter is the best you can do, to live a healthier life.

In summary, I can confirm: that coffee is the angel who has the power to give you the energy to do more, but also the devil who can give you the jitter and make you feel uncomfortable. It’s up to you to balance it.

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