trippin'

so today I had my first real coffee in a month. medium iced coffee with cream and extra sugar from DD. it was amaaazing to say the least.

I drank it because I have a full day today and I didn't get enough sleep last night.

And I had a paper due today and a final exam in the afternoon.

but now I am FREEEAKING out. I am extremely jittery and I can't stop talking (or typing). I feel like I'm on some kind of high (like how I used to feel after 3-4 cups of coffee back in the day).

honestly, I didn't even finish the whole cup. I almost did. So I probably took in a good 200mg of caffeine at one time. which is 200x more than what I've been having daily for the past month.

The caffeine is fully absorbed into the stomach and small intestine within 45 minutes of ingestion. The effects start anytime between 30-60 minutes after ingestion. The half-life of caffeine in a normal adult is 3-4 hours.

In women who are taking oral contraceptives, the half-life is increased to 5-10 hours, and if you're pregnant, it's 9-11 hours. AND if you have severe liver disease, the half-life skyrockets up to 96 hours.

I think I just typed all of this in about 60 seconds Is that possible?

omggg, make it stop.

this is the day.

This is it. I believe that my body is completely clean of caffeine. After 3.5 weeks of no coffee intake... it is time.

I am going to buy a small DD coffee coolatta on the way to work. It's not even real coffee... but it will do.

I can just imagine the taste of it now. Wondrous. I think I'm drooling.

YAAAAYYYYYYY!!!!!!!!1!1!1!!!

p.s. I do not plan to start drinking coffee daily... and definitely not the same amounts that I had been drinking. Only a small cup when necessary (read: FINALS season).

Almost.

Well, it's been nearly 3 weeks since I stopped drinking coffee. I don't know what I'll do after 3 weeks is up. Start up again? Keep depriving myself? Who knows.

All I know is that I have been more tired/sick/blahhhh these past 3 weeks than I was previously. hm.

Detoxication: Week 2

In honor of my first straight week of no coffee (and the beginning of week 2), I wore my new threadless shirt ("I'm not bitter, I'm just unsweetened"), a pair of dark jeans, and sneakers I bought over the summer but have only worn twice before (hotness). But even a fresh-looking outfit doesn't make up for the fact that I WANT COFFEE BUT I CAN'T HAVE IT.

Detoxication: Day 7

It has been one week. I am no longer as physically dependent (though I do currently have a slight headache), but I am definitely still emotionally attached to (read: desperate for) coffee.

Someone also said that I must be saving a lot of money on drink costs. WRONG. I usually made my own coffee at home, anyway. And when I didn't, I'd pay for a grande @ starbucks ($1.86). Now, I have to drink the so called "fru-fru" drinks, such as green tea lattes (they don't contain espresso $3.65) and iced apple chai's ($2.80) and shaken passion tea lemonades ($2.80). So I think I am acutally spending MORE money than I was before. Sad.

In other news, I think the boyfriend is sick of consoling the headache-plagued, irritable, tired girlfriend. He has resorted to pure bribery. 2 more weeks of no coffee (making it a grand total of 3 no-coffee weeks), he says, and I am in for a reward. I hope it's a puppy. Particularly this one:

Caffeine Withdrawal Is Real.

For all y'all haters out there, I give you this recent CNN article (thanks, em). I also found it on the CNN website, under the link "Caffeine Withdrawal Is Real".

Excerpts (my favorite parts):

[A researcher] said some people complain of "headache, fatigue, sleepiness, inability to focus and concentrate." Others report experiencing flu- like symptoms, irritability, depression and anxiety after skipping as little as one cup of coffee a day.

Tell me about it.


[He also] recommended that people who are motivated to give up caffeine, or cut back on consumption, do so very carefully. "The thing to do is what we do with so many drugs -- basically you wean yourself off slowly," Kuhar suggested. "That doesn't mean it is going to be easy at every step, but it should be easier than going cold turkey."

...oops.

Detoxication: Day 5

I missed the past 2 posts. Mostly because I have not had coffee. I have probably missed other things too, such as credit card bill due dates, exams, and my child's birthday. Just kidding, I don't have a child.

I slept for 10 hours last night. You'd think that I'd feel good-- but I feel useless and inefficient. If I'd been drinking coffee, I'd only need (ideally) 7 hours of sleep, but could do with less. Think about all those extra hours of awakeness. I could be studying, or watching TV, or solving the economic crisis.

Dang it.

(Fear not, I will write up posts about Days 3 and 4 and backdate. Yes, I am a cheater... but I promise I'm not when I have caffeine in my system.)

Detoxication: Day 2

Today was an OK day. I felt tired in the morning and I didn't ingest a single thing until 3 PM. I've had a few people approach me with questions/comments after the first post. It seems that the overwhelming majority are shocked to hear that I am actually doing this. Yes... I am. Slowly, but surely.

Today, I was feeling pretty good about this endeavor. That is, until 5 PM rolled around. For the next 2 hours, I was dizzy and sick and miserable. Then, the boyfriend bought me an ice cream cone and brought me to the mall. So I felt better.

The end.

Caffeine Detoxication (Day 1)

The time has come, folks. It's time to wean myself off of coffee (at least for a week or 2). I can't remember when I started drinking coffee. Junior year of high school? But it's definitely escalated in college. I absolutely love coffee. I truly believe that it is one of my favorite beverages. I drink it every day (pretty consistently for the last several years). I suppose my body deserves a break.

I know, I know. It should be easy, right? Coffee is bad for me. I should just stop drinking it. Well, friends... let's just say...

Well...

Here's Day 1:

[Disclaimer: it is not pretty, so reader beware.]

DAY 1 (April 2nd, 2009):

8:30 AM: Upon awakening, I decided that today was the day. No coffee for me. I then proceeded to lay in bed for the next hour, feeling bad for myself and dreading the consequences.

10:15 AM: I am driving to school, and I feel fine, for now. Blasting T.I. on the radio seems to help keep my mind off it.

12:30 PM: My first class is finished, and I walk out of it surprised that I still feel OK!

1:00 PM: Uh-oh. I feel a slight headache coming on. But overall, I am just tired. I decide to push myself to the max. I walk into Starbucks.... and sit down on one of the comfy leather chairs. I study there for an hour without daring to look over at the counter.

1:45 PM: I haven't eaten breakfast... or lunch. But I have no appetite for anything except coffee. I cannot think of a single food that I want to ingest. Moreover, just the thought of eating makes me nauseous. I decide to go straight to class instead.

3:00 PM: I am in class, and the professor is talking about the Chaco Canyons of New Mexico. I cannot process the information being given. I cannot focus. I start to wonder if this whole coffee strike is worth it.

5:30 PM: I am on the way home. I still have not eaten. About 2 hours ago, my slight headache exploded into a full-on migraine (light-sensitive, sound-sensitive, strong nausea). I decide to forgo my planned mall trip and head straight home.

5:50 PM: I am still in Brookline, because the traffic absolutely sucks. I am irritable and upset and ready to vomit on whoever next gets on my nerves. I think to myself that maybe I'm just dehydrated. I take a sip of Poland Spring water, but my body revolts. I gag repeatedly, but luckily, there was nothing for me to actually throw up.

5:55 PM: I cannot drive. My head feels like it's going to explode. I glance in the mirror, and I think I can actually see it pounding. Gross. I pull over to CVS and rush inside.

6:05 PM: I am still standing in line, desperately clutching a vial of Excedrin Extra Strength. Each tablet contains 250 mg of Acetaminophen, 250 mg of Aspirin, and 65 mg of Caffeine. (Yes, I know, Caffeine... but hey, I gotta start somewhere. At least I'm not chugging coffee, right?).

6:10 PM: I really just want to pay for my drugs. But the man in front of me is trying to buy cigarettes. (Do you have any Newport lights? Yes sir. Are they on sale? ...No. Do you have any sales on cigarettes? No sir. What do you have for lighters?) And the woman behind me has 2 small daughters who are loudly whining and shrieking for their mother to buy them everything in the store (gummy bears, a lollipop, a disposable camera, etc). In my head, I envision them as the screaming mandrakes from Harry Potter.

6:12 PM: I am safely back in my car, and I throw 2 tablets back with a sip of water. After reading the dosage instructions, I realize that I am supposed to drink "a full glass of water with each dose". I struggle to hold down a few more sips. I wonder (for the 100th time of the day) if this is all really worth it.

6:25 PM: I am doing 60 on Rt. 9 West, and I don't care.

6:35 PM: I call my mother to ask her to make me noodle soup. Before I can say anything, she proudly exclaims that she has tried a new recipe for Cacciatore. I am gagging at the thought of real food.

6:50 PM: I finally arrive home. It wasn't cacciatore, it was guacamole. And quesadillas. (Darned foreign food names, says my mom.) She heats up some soup for me instead.

7:00 PM: I officially have not eaten for 24 hours. I've had only water, so the warm soup in front of me is making me drool. A few small sips quickly turn into big gulps. Not a good idea.

7:01 PM: I am in the bathroom, throwing up all the liquid I've ingested in the past few hours. I silently say a bad word.

7:30 PM: I think the medicine (and low dose of caffeine) finally kicked in. I am more jovial (just ask my mom) and I can eat noodles (in broth)! I even eat a small dessert (6 large, red grapes). I pump my fist in victory. Well, not really. But I felt like it.

11:00 PM: I settle into bed, hoping that I can sleep early and for a good amount of time. I am dreading Day 2.