Week 2 of coffee smackdown, and all in all it is going well.  A couple days ago I had a 2 hour stretch where I believe my head was ACTUALLY floating wistfully above my body, but on the upside, I am sleeping MUCH better already.  Coffee cravings are not too bad, but do come around from time to time.  Here are some of the things I am using to relieve that hankerin' for JAVA:

1) fake java (AKA Decaf)
2) gardening
3) uncontrollable weeping (surprisingly just as addictive as caffeine)
4) Diet caffeine free Dr. Pepper that my hubby got for me with love (hence, my newly budding aspartame addiction, but who's counting?)
5) Old Jerry Springer episodes (not really, but it seems like they could replace Caffeine, if I had cable.)

I am taking suggestions on other vices I could pick up, or substitutes, antidotes, etc.  Maybe a caffeine patch?  Starbucks was developing one, weren't they?  "I'd like a Venti half-caf soy vanilla patch. Left arm please.  With whip."  The with whip is when they stick it on you and then smack you on the butt and say "Have a great day, mmmmkay?"

Day Two: Stayin' Alive!

Ok, so far, so good.  Well, maybe not good, but tolerable.  Yesterday, I had one carefully measured cup of coffee.  That is ALL the caffeine I had yesterday, and although this morning my head is pounding, I believe I already noticed a positive change in how I am feeling overall.  By that, I mean to say, I got through the latter part of the day yesterday without feeling like a million ants were trapped inside my skin and brain, screaming "Let us OOOOUUUUUUUT!!".  Just that little bit of a change makes me feel like I am doing the right thing, ridding my body of caffeine - hoping for even more clarity, focus, and calm as I continue forward!

Sleep is still a challenge - I am hoping that within a week I will start being able to fall asleep more easily, as the residual caffeine effects work themselves out, and that my sleep will be more restful.  Last night, as is my usual these days, I had very vivid dreams which, when I woke up, made me feel like I had been in conscious thought all night, even though I know I was sleeping.  Not very restful to be solving problems actively, even in your sleep! I do enough of that when I am awake!

The main negative side effect of caffeine withdrawal this morning is hypersensitivity to sound.  The baby was crying, and Molly was playing with her trying to comfort her, and due to my withdrawal headache, or maybe just due to the withdrawal itself, every sound louder than a whisper feels like someone is shooting a nail gun directly into my ear canal.   

At the moment, I am drinking my one (1, uno, un, ONLY) cup of coffee for today, trying to relish every last drop - wish me luck.  I am going to need it.

Lately, my days have followed a certain pattern, best illustrated by the graph I discovered below:

As a result of countless recent nights of lackluster sleep, I am committing to ridding my body of caffeine.  Only the brave attempt to do this cold turkey.  I am not one of the brave.  Therefore, beginning tomorrow, I will slowly start weaning myself off of my daily coffee intakes (note, intakeS - as in VERY plural - as in sometimes 5-6 cups/day) over the course of the next 3 weeks or so.  Tune in to this blog if you are interested, as I am, in seeing the (hopefully) positive effects this can have on a person.  Those of you who know me know that I love my coffee.  What you don't know is I was once an ADAMANT non-coffee drinker.  Because I would like to have a good night's sleep again, and stop dropping things because my hands are jittery, and stop feeling like there is steam coming out of my ears for no reason whatsoever, and a myriad of other bad side-effects of this daily "miracle drug", I am becoming an non-coffee drinker once more.

With all of that said, here is today's post: 

Day 1:  I have a mild headache.  It has been 3 hours since my last drink of caffeine.  I am already craving some.  This does not bode well . . .