How To Break The Caffeine Addiction! For Good!

What If I Have a Caffeine Addiction?

No problem.

Been there, done that, when it comes to caffeine. Many times in fact.

So… need some ideas for kicking the caffeine habit?

Try any (or all!) of the following suggestions:

Hot peppers

This is one of my favorite ways to boost energy without caffeine: These little guys can work wonders for your caffeine addiction, because they give you a real rush of endorphins. For the hard-core folks out there, think habanera peppers. If you find those too hot, then start with a milder red pepper and work your way up. The idea here is that it must be hot enough to release endorphins—the brain’s mechanism for dulling pain.

The endorphins tackle two issues for you:

Providing energy so you don’t miss the caffeine
Fighting headaches that may result from caffeine withdrawal. When I want a quick burst of energy, I just take a couple nibbles. Of course, be careful when handling hot peppers. Wash your hands when you’re done and don’t touch your face!

Drink green juices.

This includes disgusting-tasting wheat grass if you like, which some say can reduce cravings for coffee and caffeine (probably because it makes you feel like vomiting).

Still, if wheatgrass juice is your thing, you could add carrot juice for a little sugar increase. I’m not a proponent of too much sugar, but if it’s helping you cut caffeine in the long run, it might be worth it temporarily.

That being said, my usual green juice recipe, using our Norwalk Juicer, is made up from the following: cucumbers, celery, romaine lettuce, cilantro, with a squeeze of fresh lemon juice and sometimes fresh herbs make an appearance.

If you don’t have a Norwalk Juicer and want to check out some other juicers I like, here you go.

To help avoid severe withdrawal problems, migrating off caffeine gradually.This is my preferred method.

Start with half decaf (or just make the regular caffeine version with fewer coffee beans as in it’ll be more watered down).

Back in the day, one thing that helped me when I went to Starbucks was that I had them give me a small regular coffee, but had them put a quarter of it as hot water. Over time, I increased that to half of the cup as hot water with the other half as coffee… and so on.

And, of course, you can go half regular coffee with half decaf and eventually work your way to 100% decaf.

Get organic and fair trade when possible to avoid pesticides and to help the workers farming coffee.

Tea can rock the house for cutting caffeine addiction. Especially matcha!

Both black tea and green tea are reputed to have a number of beneficial health properties, along with a more subtle caffeine boost than coffee. So, it’s a great way to enjoy a hot beverage with a little caffeine as you transition away from toxic, (often)-pesticide-ridden-caffeine-filled coffee. My favorite kind of tea is matcha green tea which is a green tea powder. I love it so much that I wrote a whole ebook of recipes using it.

Yes, matcha green tea has some caffeine, but less than a cup of coffee which is great for helping you transition while cutting your caffeine addiction.

Finally, you can have herbal tea as a goal beverage when you’re ready to eliminate all the caffeine in your diet (My favorite sources are: Traditional Medicinals and Mountain Rose Herbs).

Enjoy it sweetened with a touch of raw honey (or a little maple syrup) or toss in a tablespoon of goji berries. Those make for an awesome treat at the end of the cup when they’re nice, plump and warm.

If cola, Mt. Dew, Red Bull, etc., is your brand of poison, read on…

You’ll get a triple-whammy benefit by weaning yourself off of these antithesis-of-health beverages.

As with coffee, it may be easier to reduce your quantity gradually, such as by ordering a medium instead of a large (etc.), or pouring out the contents of a can when you’re 2/3 of the way through it.

Another great idea is to gradually cut your fountain drinks with soda water, when available at self-serve fountains (it’s usually dispensed by a little hard-to-see plastic tab that may or may not be labeled). This won’t help reduce the acidity, but it will help you taper off your caffeine levels without denying yourself the refreshing and cleansing fizz—what I like to call

Drink cold-pressed coffee, made with a

This still has caffeine, but it’s less acidic than regularly brewed coffee, so it’s a start. I’m all about the baby steps.

In the scheme of things, this is better than regular coffee.

Consider using cold brewed coffee as a stepping stone on your way to eliminating coffee from your life and breaking your coffee addiction

Drink

Not only does it taste great, but it’s not acidic and safe for pregnancy and breastfeeding.

It’s high in potassium, helps restore alkalinity, and the chicory root can help improve digestion. We usually get the

We love it plain (black), and we also enjoy it with milk or heavy cream for a rich and satisfying experience. It’s brewed similarly to coffee, using a coffee pot, but recently they launched a new product: Teeccino – “tee” bag style. Now, I can take it with me to restaurants and enjoy it (or Starbucks and just get a cup of hot water there to steep my tee bag).

Teeccino is much better for your health than regular (or decaf) coffee, and can help transition you away from coffee. I’ve even brewed coffee mixed with Teeccino for some of my coffee addict friends to reduce the caffeine and help them transition. They love it.

Make a beverage (or food) with chocolate powder.

Chocolate has only small amounts of caffeine, but it has a stimulating effect from Theobromine.

Many people love chocolate for the feel good, natural buzz they get when consuming it.

There are many ways to enjoy this:

Blend warm water or milk with chocolate and a sweetener such as raw honey or maple syrup.
Make chocolate milk by adding chocolate powder and a couple of pitted dates to milk, for a thick and sweet chocolate milk.
Make

Rest & Sleep!

Non-negotiable: I can’t emphasize enough that getting enough sleep at night is one of the big keys for helping maintain energy levels so you don’t feel the need to reach for caffeine.

I realize that it’s not always possible to do this in our hectic lives, but TRY! Your health is worth it.

Set a schedule for yourself.

Decide a plan of attack for eliminating coffee from your diet and write it on your calendar. Try the different methods outlined above for ease and success, and enjoy the healthy t

Remember

Find new places and new cafes and wrap your hands around a big mug of green smoothie, warm herbal tea, or yummy Teeccino.

Updated thoughts:

Now that I’ve broken the caffeine addiction, I can enjoy a cup here and there (when not pregnant or breastfeeding) and not feel guilty about it, or worry about it for that matter. I keep it organic when possible. Usually decaf.

There are some things that give you a psychological edge… a spiritual uplift that can be worth their weight in health gold. If having a cup of organic, fresh brewed coffee is that for you, then so be it. It would be my recommendation that it’s not something you consume tons of… keep it in moderation or as a treat – and try some of the other options I mentioned above to help reduce the dependence.

Personally, I love my new relationships with Teeccino and herbal teas – thankfully, in spite of it being bumpy at first. Although the heart break was severe when I initially said good-bye to coffee/caffeine, my experience now is much healthier and balanced.

Moreover, I have concerns about coffee production and the environment, which I haven’t looked into a whole lot yet, but I’ve seen snippets here and there about its problems. I plan on diving into that soon and seeing how bad it is. I’ve heard that shade-grown, organic, fair-trade is at least better (for health and environment), but I don’t know how much.