Caffeine

I decided my post in a thread on SA was worth blogging...


I started drinking a handful of Mt. Dews a day (starting with grabbing a can from one of the cases under my bed) when I was in high school. I transitioned to coffee by the time I graduated from high school, and was into caffiene heavily in college.

By the time I got though 5 nice years of college, I had some serious anxiety (mostly stress related), and I decided to give it up. At this point I was at 12-16 shots of espresso a morning (over 6 hours or so), and coke in the afternoon, and Redbull-Vodkas at night (sleep? what sleep?). I gave this up cold turkey. It sucked. I had a pounding headache and could not think straight for two weeks or so. Eventually it got better. I was able to concentrate more, and get through the last sets of finals for school (with a few hits of xanax from the doctor... had I found those beauties sooner I would have had another problem on my hands).

After I graduated college, I got a job and moved to Seattle, Land of Coffee, and Land of Dot.Com. I started in a job that was venture funded, and required long hours (for no pay!). I started to transition to half-caf americanos in the morning (2x2), then the eventual digression into 8+ shots of espresso a morning and 64+oz of drip a day.

Two jobs later, a marrige, and one kid later (and one on the way), I still had a pretty good habit going. Then one night when I went to bed, I laid down and my heart started racing like mad, it was a nasty fluttery feeling, and it was enough to scare me into the ER. I spent the night there getting my first big Atrial Fibrillation attack under control. After talking to three cardiologists, none of them said that caffiene was directly responsible at any time, but it would not hurt to cut back. Over the next six months I was on and off the juice, but it did not make much of a difference (that I noticed).

I eventually got my meds worked out, and made a decision to cut out the caffiene altogether (regular sleep cycles are critical in managing the heart issues). One of the biggest things I did was not cut out coffee. I love good coffee, and I just could not stand taking that out of my life.

So, Decaf it is.

I have a little espresso maker, and a good burr-mill-style bean grinder. I can have a coffee after dinner, a bunch in the mornings on weekends, and I can still sleep great (sometimes a small decaf espresso right before bed will help me sleep better). I drink about 32oz of decaf Seattle's Best medium-roast coffee in the morning at work (I prefer it darker, but that's what they have).

I do know that I can concentrate better. I sleep better. I don't get jitters, and my A-Fib is under control. I don't push my "way" on anyone, I'm more than happy to brew my wife a strong pot of French Press, but for me, I'm happy without the caffiene.

My mom (also a big coffee drinker) has asked "Just HOW do you wake up in the morning!?" I just explain that I don't NEED the caffiene any more. My first cup of Decaf has enough psycological effect to wake me up, and none of the headaches when I miss a coffee in the morning.

I don't miss it at all!