In 2016 I realised just how serious my “dependence” on coffee had become. I was averaging the equivalent of 3 double espressos before lunch, and then continuing in the afternoon.
To be fair, I was drinking that in a Cortado, but still…that’s a lot. And like a lot of people, I typically wasn’t drinking nearly enough water.
So I did some research and decided to detox once a year from coffee.
The goal was to eliminate my long term dependance on coffee.
I’ve done this every year since then, and I find it helps me focus on other things, as it removes the coffee ritual as the central point of my morning.
What exactly do I do?
- I pick a date to start. The 1st is easiest to remember 🙂
- I finish the beans I have left, unless it’s a lot! No need to waste good coffee!
- I tone down how many coffees per day I have. I switch to 1 double espresso and then decaf if I want another cup.
- I do this until my regular beans are finished which for me was today (3rd) – and then I have a coffee from my local roaster once a day until the weekend.
- Get a good bag of decaf beans. I use Mexico beans from my local roaster.
- Drink a decent amount of water – at least 1 litre per day. I add Rehydrat, which in other countries is electrolytes. This helps with the headaches. I add 1 sachet to 500ml water, so 1-2 sachets per day.
- I keep drinking the decaf + water with electrolytes for about a week – this takes me to the 11th.
- When I feel I can wake up without immediately heading for the coffee machine, I then switch to a cup of decaf in late morning, continuing to drink lots of water.
- Keep going like that for another 2 weeks – this takes me to the 25th – and have a single cup of decaf if I want, or have a cup of green/peppermint tea instead. I like peppermint tea and it really chills me out.
- Last week of the month is no coffee at all. Total detox finishing on 2 October for me.
Some notes
- This is not a checklist for everyone. It worked for me. Your body is probably quite different to mine!
- Take the water consumption seriously. If you don’t hydrate you’ll likely feel the headache withdrawal pain way more intensely.
- I tend to avoid coke/soft drinks as a substitute. This defeats the purpose…
- I try not to drink a lot of alcohol. Withdrawal from coffee leads to “downer” type symptoms. Alcohol is a downer as well, so I’m more cautious here.
- I drink Oat Milk in my coffee. Nut milk is also helpful.
Reintroducing Coffee
I do this pretty slowly. Probably a cup on the weekend, usually something light like a flat white, or a weak Americano. Smashing an espresso is not going to be fun 🙂
Let me know your experiences, if it was worth it for you 🙂
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