Say NO to caffeine

Caffeine is a drug.

Caffeine is addictive, just like other drugs. You know you're addicted when you get a headache in the morning if you don't have your coffee. Or if you get headaches on the weekend, when you're on a 1 cup/day routine instead of your weekday/workday 4 cups/day routine. Or if you feel sluggish when you don't have your caffeinated soda.

Break the addiction. Some people can go "cold turkey" and just quit. Others need to wean themselves from caffeine slowly, to avoid the potential side effects from quitting an addictive drug (we've done it; our headache was Not.Fun., so we recommend the weaning).

How to wean from caffeine *

REDUCE * Cut back on the quantity of caffeinated beverages you drink in a day. Cut out one a week. If you drank four cups of coffee each day last week, then only drink 3 cups of coffee a day next week. Same for caffeinated sodas (No cheating on getting bigger drinks, either.) The following week, limit yourself to 2 cups of coffee a day. If you need to, take two weeks at one level. You're going for the overall, lifetime reduction here, not a quick fix.

REPLACE * Switch to decaffeinated coffee, herbal tea, or caffeine-free soda. Swap out one drink/day with a non-caffeinated version. There's still some caffeine in decaf, but it's negligible by comparison. If you have the choice, go for water-processed decaf (it has fewer chemicals, so it's a healthier choice).

Combine those two options * Reduce and replace. Drink more water, too. Your body is detoxifying from the drug, and you can speed the process by being hydrated.

If you get a headache from the withdrawl, be sure to sip water, get some rest, and if you need to, take some caffeine-free pain reliever (yes, there's caffeine in some of them; read the labels).