Day 3

I’ve pretty much made it through Day 3 without caffeine, and I feel like I may have turned a corner.

Day 1 was just as bad as I expected: listlessness, inability to concentrate, and a gnawing headache that persisted all day. I was actually planning to post an update here, but I just didn’t have the energy or motivation. The only thing that got me through Wednesday was knowing that Thursday would almost certainly be better.

But it wasn’t. Day 2 brought hardier headaches, which failed to recede in the face of an onslaught of ibuprofen and naproxen.

Today, though, the headache was almost all gone. I was still tired, but it seemed a little more manageable; focus was difficult, but I have found that if I really work hard at concentrating, I can make myself stay on task. But it’s hard and it requires a lot of concentration, which makes me tired—which I could take care of by drinking a cup of…oh, wait…

As for sleeping, I guess I would say I did sleep better the last two nights. I still woke up several times during each night—last night, we could probably blame the chocolate-dipped strawberries consumed not long before bedtime—but at least I was better able to get back to sleep than I was a week ago. So that’s potentially one chalk mark on the plus side.

But on the minus side, I have to say that being caffeine-free is challenging … and it’s just not very much fun. I’m feeling wiped out all the time, and life seems to be more of a chore. I used to love drinking my one energy drink per day, right after lunch, because I always knew it would elevate my mood. I miss that feeling of joy, even knowing it was chemically induced.

I think right now, just one sip of coffee would have the same effect.

I know this is the Day Three Me talking, so my feelings will probably evolve as I get further into this. Today was definitely a better day than yesterday. Perhaps I’ll find the need for caffeine  to recede just as my need for pain relievers did today.

Ultimately, though, I think I can predict the results of this experiment. I suspect I’ll go back to being a regular coffee drinker, although maybe I’ll moderate my consumption. I’m just not seeing a whole lot of upside to the no-caffeine life, and I’m seeing lots of downsides. Maybe that will change as I get further into it, and for that reason I’ll carry on.