When I had to give up caffeine for a food allergy elimination diet, I made fresh smoothies each morning. Fresh frozen berries with ground flax, berry kefir & coconut milk. I felt so energized and much more clear headed with those than I did with the morning coffee, it was quite a pleasant surprise!

although, i live in st.louis, and have no immediate plans of reaching an altitude highter than, say, the smokeys or rockies...i feel your pain about the coffee.

decaf is a sham. it's like the coffee that never really made it and for some lame reason everyone decided to make it feel good about its poor not-quite-coffee self and pump it full of compliments to boost its coffee self-esteem or something, "like you look and taste like real coffee" or "you're still just as comforting".

what a load!

in this house, it's coffee or death. with 4 little ones...death isn't an option.

good luck!

Esther - I have switched from cereal every morning to an apple - but I love the idea of green smoothies for breakfast.

Beth - Ha! Your comment made me laugh. I'm definitely not looking forward to giving up my morning cup of joe.

The only thing that worked for me was pregnancy - and even then only for the first trimester! But, stopping completely for those 3 months turned me from what was a 4-cup-a-day routine to a 1/2-cup-a-day drinker now!

Ugh, I had to give up coffee once for a week in preparation for a blood test, and it was miserable! I even went so far as to try decaf...no go. Tea is good, but just.not.the.same. I've got no advice.

On the plus side, though...Everest!

Oh my GOD

I thought you were about to say that you were giving up alcohol.

FUCKIN'A

I thought "Does she not know how drunk she's going to have to get before I move?! Did I not tell her that. I assumed she knew."

.

Rant over. Continue.

I don't drink coffee or alcohol due to religious beliefs, so i don't know if its the same, but i used to be addicted to dr pepper and when i tried to stop i got the worst headaches. so i just started mixing dr. pepper and caffeine free soda until the dr. pepper was all gone. maybe you could try that with decaf? i dunno.

Maggie - Baby-making will definitely motivate me to give it all up!

Jenna - I think abstaining and going cold turkey for a week would be impossible. I'd be counting down the days.

Liz - Clearly, I would wait until you leave (and I fill your void with a baby) to give up drunken Wednesday (and sometimes M, T, Th, F, Sa, Su) with you. xo!

Melissa - I think by alternating between coffee and tea slowly I will be able to ween myself off the coffee and solely to tea - then to caffeine free varieties. Same concept - just no mixing...

Cafe au lait , like in France. Half coffee, half whole milk. Gradually tip the ratio to the latter.

ps - I love Bodum's double-walled glasses. And the variety!

Like esther lee, I went cold turkey for a food intolerance testing detox. No booze, no caffeine, no dairy, no...well, I ate a lot of veggies.

Anyway, the withdrawal only takes a couple of days. If you can sub in tea for the habit, so much the better.

The only other time I'm off coffee is during and after an illness. I'd rather sleep, so I don't drink it, and then withdrawal is done by the time I'm well. I think, "Huh--I'm fine! Perhaps I should give it up altogether!" It doesn't last, but it's funny EVERY TIME.

Good luck!

No, I can't, IT'S IMPOSSIBLE!!!! A FUTILE JOURNEY. I will be caffeines slave for eternity.

I just gave up my redbull habit. it was hard, but i honestly felt more tired after my morning redbull than i did before it. i'm also trying to give up my candy habit as well.

Everest - Cool!!

Hope you are drinking decaf herbal tea!!! Earl Grey & Green Tea can have way more caff than coffee depending on the brand. Hot lemon & honey is a yummy hot treat ... Yep, bare bones, but we don't want ya to whip out at Basecamp!!

Have fun & love the veggie garden - you've inspired me.

Smooches,
The Tart
: *

I prefer irish black tea with skim milk and sugar to coffee most days.