Many of us can’t make it through the day without a daily cup of delicious coffee. Some of us can’t even make it out the door in the morning without that java in our system. And while in small doses, it’s alright, being dependent on it isn’t great. Here are some ways to wean that dependency without crashing hard.
1. Drink black or green tea. These both contain caffeine, but in much lower quantities than coffee. If your addiction is serious, start with black tea before you transition to the less caffeinated green tea.
2. On a similar note, cut back gradually. Going cold turkey will make you crave it even more and feel miserable.
3. Switch to espresso if you normally drink drip coffee. It contains a lot less caffeine, although many people aren’t aware of this.
4. If lattes or Americanos aren’t your thing, switch to decaf. Keep the robust and full bodied taste without the horrifying side effects.
5. Swap it for hot water, lemon and honey if you love a hot drink in the morning but want to skip the tea, for whatever reason.
6. Conquer caffeine withdrawal with a 20-minute workout every day. The flood of endorphins curbs headaches and irritability that coffee often staves off, and simultaneously causes during withdrawal.
7. Keep a running list of how much money you’re saving every day on the way to work. Set a goal or weekend trip to work towards as an incentive to fight that coffee addiction.
8. Invest in Tic Tacs or another breath mint. Part of that joy you get from that daily cup of coffee is the oral compulsion aspect of it, and replacing it with gum or a mint can be helpful.
9. Replace that cup of coffee with another ritual. Replace it with a cup of flavored sparkling water, a morning smoothie, meditation, or even a nature walk that feels like just as much of treat and gives you a similar sense of calm and relief.
10. Use Excedrin or another headache medicine to counter the effects of caffeine. Each tablet contains 65mg, hence taking enough and slowly reducing pill dosage can slowly reduce caffeine.