I decaffinated myself last year. I did it slowly. starting with a 50/50 blend, and then going to 75/25 and sometimes 100% decaf. (this is easier if you make your own coffee)
and about a year later I almost never drink caffienated coffee. (today is an exception, we traveled all day yesterday, and my body is still on idaho time--a double latte, please!)
some days I have coffee, some days I don't. mostly its decaf.

and I do feel better....and I still find it hard to believe

good luck!

I LOVE COFFEE, but it makes me feel jittery and anxious, plus all those daily trips to the coffee shop were hurting the wallet. So after months of debating I decided to cut back considerably. I went from having an extra large coffee every morning to about a half a cup in the morning. I went cold turkey at first, but I had terrible headaches for days. So then I slowly reduced the caffeine amount by adding more and more decaf each day until it was completely decaf (Yes it's annoying to ask for, but at least it's not a half-caf, with skim milk, sugar free raspberry syrup, @ 130 degrees- Yes I've heard that before). I would also recommend starting over a weekend, because the first day you might not feel the best, but that depends on your body. Everyone handles caffeine withdraw differently. Also make sure you are drinking plenty of water to help your body adjust.

I can honestly say that since I cut down my coffee intake and increased my water intake I have had much more energy throughout the day. It has also done wonders for my budget every month since I make all my coffee at home. Good luck!

I don't drink coffee, but I am a die hard tea drinker and I'll drink about 6 or 7 cups a day. I've heard it's about the max they recommend for 'healthy' caffeine intake. As I brew a lot from loose leaf though, I might see if I can cut it back to decaf. I don't have issues sleeping or anything, I just don't like being so dependent on the caffeine to avoid headaches.

The sugar, however. Holy moly. I took sugar in my tea for twenty-six years, starting as a two year old with three spoonfuls (thanks Nana), down to one tea spoon as an adult. Finally - finally - I have been able to cut it out completely. And let me tell you, wasn't so easy. But I'm now at the stage that sugar in tea tastes wrong, and I'm sure that will be a benefit to my health in the long run.

I am with the above commenters. Slow and steady and never cold turkey. Toward the end, if you do feel a little headache coming on, give yourself a break, and up the caffiene a bit that day. No race here, you just want to feel good!

Also when I go caffiene-free I kind of miss that little break that coffee gave me. Sub it with nice bubbly waters, a splash of Pom juice, and a twist of lime. Continue to treat yourself well!

I have been mostly decaf for a year or so. Having the same issues, anxiety nervousness etc. The coffee I have now is more out of ritual than for wake up. Sometimes I go wild and get half caf :) I have also been drinking hot water and lemon before breakfast which is a left over habit from the "whole living" magazine cleanse.

@shayna, I have been reading about that Whole Living cleanse, how did that menu work for you? I am waiting until after Carnival to start but the first week looks the hardest. This makes me think I should gradually cut out caffeine beforehand...

i went cold turkey a few weeks ago and haven't looked back. i had mega headaches for a few days, but drinking hot tea and (gasp!!) hot water, i was able to bear through it.

headaches are awful. a slight one is almost just as bad as a bad one (to me anyways) so, instead of torturing myself for weeks or months weaning myself off of it, i went cold turkey and had a headache for just a few days.

i sleep better, i don't get highs and lows at work anymore, and i honestly don't miss it at all (except for the glorious taste that i will treat myself with on the weekends, but just one cup). i'm also not taking in the extra calories which is nice! either you "go natural" adding spoonfuls of sugar or eat sugar-subsititute chemicals, both of which are bad.

tea tastes good just by itself i think, so i opt for chamomile tea on most days, so good :D

see my progress here:
http://twopeasteenypod.blogspot.com/2012/01/detox-update-cauliflower-steaks.html

A good way to get through the last phase without your head imploding: sip green tea if, and only if, you starting getting THE headache. Sip just enough to push it away. It could take anywhere from a couple of days to a week, but eventually, you'll work the last of it out of your system.

I was a die hard coffee drinker and then I was having too many bladder issues (I'm such an old lady at 27) that I had to cut out caffeine from my diet. I ended up going cold turkey for the most part. I would allow myself a diet soda with caffeine every now and then but have recently even cut that out completely. If you aren't opposed to taking medicine for headaches you could take excedrine (it contains caffeine) and that could help you get through it. Sometimes we miss the actual habit of drinking/eating whatever more than the perk we get from the caffeine!

Kicking a coffee habit is easy. I've done it dozens of times.

I didn't drink coffee for the month of January (or yesterday! whoops!) because it was really affecting my sleep. As said above, I'm not sure going cold turkey is the best route. Since coffee has a lot of health benefits, too, perhaps you could have one perfect "get my morning started and savor it" cup before 10, and then switch to tea for the rest of the day. We have so many options for good tea here in Portland, but one thing I learned in January is that tea doesn't have to be black or green to be good. A lot of herbal varieties can be really interesting, Traditional Medicinal makes really great ones like Egyptian Licorice-sometimes it's just the ritual of drinking something warm (like hot tea w/lemon which is amazing) you crave, not the caffeine itself :) Good luck!

I'm by no means coffee obsessed. I just have a cup or 2 a day (when I wake up, when I get to work) but when I got pregnant, I switched immediately to decaf. My husband who swore up and down he needed the caffeine to wake up didn't have a clue I switched for the first 3 months til I had him pick up some coffee when we ran out. I really truly believe a lot of caffeine addiction is in people's heads. Yes, I know true addiction to it happens. I've had a friend or 2 who had trouble shaking it, but for the majority of people ,I think it's a mental thing. For me and my husband, it was the act of drinking and tasting coffee we associated with waking up, not the caffeine, which doesn't even hit your system til a good half hour after you drink it.

I have weaned myself off caffeine 2x now for 2 pregnancies and I found it much easier to do the slow wean. i moved from full caff to half caff for a few days to 3/4 decaf to no caff. It's hard at first but you will feel much better when you are done. I did drink decaf throughout and have developed an immunity to the flavor of it.

Unfortunately after pregnancy i have tried to stay caffeiene free but it hasn't worked... 8/

Would never give up coffee. But long, long ago in my first real job I watched all the "grown ups" (people the age I am now!) drinking coffee all day and getting all hopped up on it. I decided then and there not to drink it all day long. Instead I make one really fantastic and LARGE cup with freshly ground high quality beans every morning at home and that is it (unless there is a birthday cake or something at work).

With coffee, better is better -- and enough, as it turns out.

I often want to cut out coffee. I fear I am a coffee obsessed person. Sometimes it's motivation to go to bed, knowing I will have a fresh cup of coffee in the morning. I recently got a Cuisnart coffee maker at Kiwanis for 8 bucks. I have started drinking more of it.

I'm the odd person that is able to go cold turkey without any major side effects and I did late last year. I found that what I really wanted in the morning was something hot to drink so I substituted non-caffeinated herbal teas.

Taking a magnesium supplement such as Natural Calm does wonders for the caffeine withdrawals.

I'd also stay away from decaf coffee as the process used to take the caffeine out relies on a lot of chemicals.

I went cold turkey. The first few days while your body is riding the caffeine, its not bad. By day 3 or 4- it gets pretty rough. I packed the motrin, and would take it starting around 1 pm, as the headachs were kicking in in the afternoon. After about 10 days- I was caffeine dependent free! I still have the occasional caffeinated beverage, and holy smokes, there is a big effect with caffeine when you don't drink it regularly. Like some of the commenters though- I sleep better, wake up easier, don't have the jitters, etc. I prefer it!

Oh , and if you think you are going to go nuts without it, warn your co-workers if you've got them. Sometimes, although you might not think you are- you can be a little crazy the first couple of days. Mine appreciated it :)

I went cold turkey when doing a juice fast last year and had a steady headache for three days. Drinking hot water helped a lot, so much so that I decided not to go back to drinking coffee daily. I'll have a cup every now and then, maybe once a month. Once I cut the coffee out of my diet people started commenting on how nice my skin looks! That alone is worth it!

If you can tolerate gluten, look for a chicory coffee substitute-- the Berkeley Whole Foods has maybe four varieties, mostly instant, and I believe all of them contain rye and malted barley. I haven't tried it plain, but mixed with coconut cream it is really good-- has a nice nutty, caramel sort of flavor. I discovered it while researching adrenal fatigue.

I haven't succeeded in replacing coffee altogether yet, but I really like that it's totally caffeine-free (unlike decaf coffee), and naturally at that (chicory's also a prebiotic!). And since it's instant, you could even pour half a cup of coffee, half hot water, and mix in some of the chicory stuff. Great for if you're craving something later in the day, too, but know the caffeine will keep you up all night.

Depends on why you're quitting. If it's for medical reasons, I'd wait until a day you feel great - go for a run outside, or a day when you've forgotten to make a cup but still feel good. Then just quit. Don't keep any in the house, that is the kiss of death. If it's non-urgent, consider cutting down to one or half a cup a day. Way better.

Sorry to be the bearer of bad news, but I've quit both alcohol and cigarettes, nothing compares to quitting coffee. Is this a dire situation, or are you just in a phase where you think it's a good idea? Don't get me wrong, one article (not scientific, by the way, just media) claimed there are 17 known carcinogens in coffee depending on where it's sourced. But it helps women long term with depression, which is one reason I still drink it.

@Hipster housewife, is there reported to be some link between coffee and adrenal fatigue? I'm only asking because I have some mysterious chronic fatigue myself.

I'm one of those people who can't do things halfway. I went cold turkey from coffee in October and had a constant headache for a week and half. Oh, it was awful. I tried to drink black tea to mitigate the loss of caffeine, but it didn't help. Drinking a lot of water helped immensely, though. After the headaches went away, they were triggered by the occasional cup of coffee, and eventually a cup of black tea gave me jitters and headaches! I've ended up cutting caffeine out of my diet completely, and I feel so much better! I have more energy throughout the day, and my complexion really improved. I drink decaf coffee and herbal teas now. I love being caffeine free!

I'm not a coffee drinker but was a regular/black tea drinker until about 10 years ago. Turns out I'm super sensitive to caffeine and it stays in my system a long time so even a lunchtime iced tea could keep me up at night.

The way I cut back was a timing thing. First the evening/afternoon tea went, to be replaced as needed with decaf or herbal tea. Then the lunchtime caffeine. Then mid-morning, then finally all of it. I took about a week with each change and only had a day or two of very, very minor headaches somewhere in the middle.

These days I'm 99% caffeine-free and don't miss it. Once in a blue moon when I have regular tea with dim sum or sushi or something, I can't believe how hard it hits me, it's like a serious street drug!

I have gone the decaffeinated route a few times because ultimately, I feel better than when I have coffee. I am back to having 2 cups in the morning, made at home and no more. If I'm out at a cafe, I order herbal tea. One of the things I realized was what I really missed about my coffee ritual...holding something warm! I started just pouring a hot cup of herbal tea or hot water and it helped! A strange association but that warm cup was part of the routine.

I forgot my best tip!! Rooibos tea. Heaven. I was able to quit willingly for a whole summer after this. Try it! And ingdesign is right, ritual is important.

I was a 1 cup a day coffee drinker before I went cold turkey in early January. Day 1 was fine, Days 2 - 4 I had a headache, and Day 5 through the present are totally fine.

I didn't miss the caffeine (had plenty of energy without it!) but I missed the TASTE of a great cup of coffee. I bought a coffee alternative called Dandy Blend (available on Amazon.com). It's not the same, but it's reminiscent of coffee so I've been enjoying that every morning.

As someone who works part-time at a coffee shop, asking for decaf or half-caf does not make you high maintenance. (My boyfriend used to think this was the case) You may have to wait an extra minute or two but I find slowly easing yourself off the caffeine seems to work better.

Moderation is the key. If you're craving a hot beverage, why not meet yourself halfway and get decaf? Also explore tea. It's a total myth that black tea has more caffeine that coffee -- it actually has far less.

Here's a handy chart of caffeine in some common beverages from the Mayo Clinic.

Don't give it up. It's awesome. Have another cup of coffee and thank whoever it is that you thank that you can get such good coffee all of the time.
And have a cup for me.
Living in Portland + giving up coffee = strongest person in the world.

I need to quit it for a while for health reasons and even though I don't drink a lot of it, it is REALLY hard for me to quit because it makes me perfectly mentally alert when I wake up and I have a hard time finding something to replace that. I'm really foggy in the AM. I also think it is delicious, but it's the alertness that I struggle with. I had to research it for my job and the best tips I found were eating a protein breakfast, taking a short walk in the morning -- found here:http://www.eggsfromthenest.com/2012/01/27/should-you-quit-coffee-if-yes-how/

I would say it probably depends on how much caffeine you drink in a day. I have been decaffeinated for about 5 years now. I cut back for a few days, then went cold turkey. It took a fair amount of advil to make it through the first week. But I went from having headaches 3-4 times a week for years to having a headache once or twice a month. I feel much better, no jitteriness or heart palpitations and I am no longer a slave to the caffeine before 10 am or instant headache. It makes traveling much easier. For me, caffeine never made me more alert, it only prevented me from sleeping. By the way, I sleep much better now too. Good Luck.

I make sure to drink 16oz herbal tea or water first thing in the morning. If I drink coffee first chances are I don't drink the water and coffee isn't hydrating enough for me.

I use this great herbal tea recipe:
1 part chammomile
1 part lemon verbena
3 parts lemon balm (melissa)

It's soothing and is supposed to promote a good immune response to repeated stress - which was why I would usually reach for that coffee - I was getting run down by all the stress from my job. I think the coffee just perpetuates that cycle though. :) I still have a cup of half-caf or decaf in the morning after the tea or water though.

Swiss Water Decaf coffee can be hard to find, but it's processed without chemicals so it actually tastes like regular coffee and it doesn't have the chemical residue. Eeew. I know coffee shops sometimes have it but I haven't found any at a grocery yet.

Emmi-- according to this website, yes. Basically, caffeine taps out your adrenals with all the quick energy bursts it sends through you (adrenalin).

Greenandlean, Dandy Blend sounds just like the chicory stuff I have. I wonder if mine is gluten-free too, despite the barley and rye? It's made in Germany and they didn't specify...

As a grad student, I was around 8-10 cups a day. Didn't quite realize it until I couldn't sleep at night. I never went the half-caff route, just started to substitute herbal tea (caffeine free) for my afternoon coffee craving. After an intense infection, where I didn't even want to look at coffee, I've cut back to one cup a day. I drink it in the morning, can skip it, and can rarely even get through a 2nd cup. I think finding substitutes, or understanding why you're drinking the coffee (for me, it was the warmth) goes a long way in cutting back.

@Hipsterhousewife thank you so much for that link. Something else to consider to finally find treatment!

honestly, think the most important step to kicking a caffeine habit is eating breakfast. i am amazed at how insignificant my breakfasts get and how little energy i really get from them when my caffeine intake goes up.

Switching the coffee (if you take milk/cream) with Masalah chai with milk works for satiety. If it's the energy boost you need, a good multi vitamin did a great job for me.
A cup of coffee now and then is not bad for you, but moderation is the name of the game.

Go cold turkey, excedrine Migraine as needed if headaches get too bad. Simple and easy.

definitely ween yourself off. i also started working in tea on days i knew wouldnt be rough days. trying fun flavors of tea got me excited in the morning. also, make sure you buy good decaf or youll just miss your regular coffee a lot. i didnt have jitters or anything from coffee but i do find that since i stopped i sleep more soundly and i wake up much more easily now. since my body doesnt rely on caffeine it wakes itself up way better!

Weirdly, I stopped craving caffeine when I started using a light therapy box. I had a heavy habit, about five cups of coffee, one energy drink, and several cups of tea a day; plus about four two-liters of soda per week, in addition to Ritalin for ADD. (Kids, don't try this without close medical supervision). It took about a week of cutting back to just tea to stop the headaches.

It may just be weapons-grade placebo effect, but I've gotten several compliments on being far more focused, pleasant, and intelligent. The biggest surprise was the "what the heck?" moment when I was putting on my makeup in the morning and didn't need to use undereye concealer!