you know me, i’m your friend
[Twenty points for whoever can name the song that quote's in. Don't know what the points are good for yet. Maybe some cookies.]
Look, this is kind of hard for me, so I’m just gonna say it: I’m starting to think caffeine is really, really evil.
As some of you know, I stopped drinking coffee in August. August 27th, to be more specific, and although I’ll indulge in a mug’o decaf when vegan brunching, I haven’t had any coffee since. I don’t really miss it. But it was very, very hard to quit, and I did miss it for a while after that. And some people may laugh that I just said “it was very, very hard to quit”, but that’s why I don’t do drugs. We all need to know our limits!
Since quitting I drank yerba mate semi regularly (but tried not to drink it everyday, or ever in the morning, worried that I would renew my addiction), occasionally had an iced tea or a very rare hot tea. Some people believe yerba mate does not contain caffeine. Reasons to support this claim include the “fact” that it doesn’t give you the jitters, will not make you crash, and that caffeine sensitive individuals are able to to drink it without the symptoms they get from caffeinated drinks. Other people say this is crap– that yerba mate does contain caffeine, in fact it contains about the same amount as tea but you somehow are able to absorb it better, so you actually end up more caffeinated. I agree. I’m no doctor or scientist, but it did give me the jitters and it did make me crash. It was pretty much like drinking coffee.
Then I bought some caffeine and stimulant-free tea, and stopped drinking yerba mate. I started getting headaches but I didn’t connect them, since I believed myself to have already kicked my caffeine addiction. I thought maybe my headaches were caused by eye strain or sinuses. Not really thinking about it, I eliminated all caffeine from my life because I feel good without it. The exception was that I decided to have an energy drink called Function: Alternative Energy twice a week (on my hard days at work) because it’s not caffeine based, although there is caffeine in it, and it also contains some vitamins and minerals including B12.
And wouldn’t you know it– just that little bit of caffeine and I’m already having headaches on the days I don’t drink it. Are these caffeine headaches? And if they are, how many of the headaches in my life were caused by caffeine withdrawl? I’ve been drinking coffee regularly since I was fifteen.
Furthermore, how many other people are affected by caffeine withdrawl without even knowing it? I generally don’t use painkillers for headaches unless they are very bad, but the average person pops one for the slightest headache. So how many tablets of tylonol have been popped because someone hadn’t gotten their coffee yet? And I’m not talking about cranky, I NEED MY COFFEE NOW! people, I mean someone who has an occasional cup– twice a week.
Maybe I’m crazy. But I think caffeine needs to go away completely from my life. I do love those energy drinks. I will try to phase them out next week, while relaxing in SAN DIEGO! Which is exciting in and of itself.
Hi !
I´m a vegetarian and drink yerba mate everyday. Yerba mate contains approximately 1/3 of the caffeine in coffee, plus it also contains
Theobromine and Theophyllene which ameliorates the effect of the caffeine.
The result, you feel energized and mentally stimulated without any of the “downer”
effects that come with straight caffeine. What I highly recommend is organic yerba mate, not the regular brands. Here´s a good source of loose organic yerba mate : http://www.mymateworld.com/catalog
Cheers!
I drink a cup of green tea a day, in the morning, for the anti-oxidants and for the comfort that comes along with drinking a cup of tea. On the days that I skip it, I don’t have headaches or fatigue or other issues. On the days I do drink it, I’m not jittery and I don’t experience a crash. I’ve read that the caffeine in green tea is of the variety that doesn’t create a spike, but that could be inaccurate. I drink coffee so rarely (maybe 4 times a year and always with something sweet, like sweetened soy milk) because I never really acquired the taste for it and I crash hard when I do.
In any event, I know caffeine withdrawal is tough and I hope you find what’s right for you!
If you feel like venturing up to LA when you’re visiting San Diego next week, let me know.
Yeah, I guess a cup of green tea wouldn’t hurt… that is probably antioxidants than caffeine anyway.
As for the yerba mate, been there, done that. It was good but I think I still became dependent on the caffeine. Pretty much everyone I know drinks either coffee, tea, or yerba mate regularly and they all have “reasons” for it. It’s possible I may be extra sensitive to caffeine or something.
Kick it completely. I gave caffeine up in August, too. I was a many cups of tea a day person and giving it up was HARD. I was actually sick like I had a hangover for 2 days and that was after a few days of “cutting down.” I drink decaf tea occasionally, but I gave up the first thing in the morning ritual as much as the caffeine. If you need something to energize you in the morning, you could try vega. It’s more like a smoothie than a hot cuppa joe, but it’s not as heavy as breakfast and is all kinds of crazy good for you. I like the berry or chocolate just mixed with water.