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Coffee Addict

9 years ago by

Coffee Addict

Je crois que je suis accro au café. Argh.

Il y a quelques jours, je suis allée voir un thérapeute génial qui m’a dit qu’il serait temps que je freine sur la consommation de toxiques, et notamment la caféine. Moi-même, ça faisait un moment que je m’étais fait la remarque. Quand je bois trop de café, je deviens anxieuse, stressée. Ça me donne faim, en plus. Puis c’est pas bon pour les dents. Et ça déshydrate. Etc, etc.

MAIS il n’y a rien que j’aime plus au monde que de me réveiller et de sentir l’odeur du café, de l’entendre passer alors que je prépare mes tartines, de boire ma première gorgée, puis de me balader dans mon appart / le studio avec mon mug pendant toute la matinée. Je le bois noir, sans sucre, sans lait. Je crois que sans café, je resterais au lit, hagarde, déprimée. Je ne sais pas en fait, je n’ai pas vraiment essayé.

J’ai pensé à passer au thé, mais je me disais que je pourrais peut-être commencer par une étape déca, pour décrocher doucement.
Mais à ce qu’il paraît, le déca est encore pire pour la santé que le café.

Vous y connaissez quelque chose, vous ? Vous avez déjà essayé de décrocher du café ?

94 comments

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  • I love my morning coffee! I set the carafe to have it ready for me when I wake up to send my child off to school. It makes me feel as though someone has made coffee for me. I only like it in the morning though, I drink tea in the afternoon.

    But! Recently I was on a trip and drank mostly tea, as coffee just wasn’t as available. I missed it, but when I came home and had that first cup, it was just too bitter. Maybe I made it too strong, but anyway, it just put me off. So I’m back on the tea and I’m off coffee just like that! I never thought it could happen. But it did. For now anyway!

  • Moi aussi je ne peux pas passer une journée sans café, mais pas filtre. Par contre je ne peux pas en boire plus de 3 tasses car je suis sensible à la caféine. Je ne bois aucun soda excitant. Mais je n’arrêterai pas le café, pour 2 raisons :
    * j’aime ça et je me limite déjà car mon corps me dit que sinon il ne sait pas gérer (Excitoooooor !!)
    * j’en ai assez de cette sur-tendance obsessionnelle à voir du toxique partout et à vouloir tout détoxiquer, dans un milieu même où on fait déjà attention à manger équilibré et varié (et local si possible). Je pense que la pollution est bien plus toxique et mortelle (et les gens préfèrent arrêter le café que la voiture tu vois), que le stress aussi. J’ai envie de dire qu’il faut relativiser. Bye bye les gourous du detox !!

  • PS. So of course I removed my coffee maker from the countertop and ordered this gorgeous electric kettle to replace it :
    http://manofmany.com/home/krups-silver-art-kettle/

  • Honestly sometimes it happens although I like coffee that I have enough from coffee. Then I even can’t bear the smell of coffee. Mostly this takes in maximum a few weeks and after this time I like coffee as much as before. I think this is a naturally reaction of my body against the assumably toxic ingredients of coffee … and I drink in the meantime tea :) Maybe you will experience also such a reaction?
    xx from Germany/Bavaria, Rena
    http://www.dressedwithsoul.com

  • I was having the same feeling about coffee before Christmas so I decided to do my first cleanse this week. I am two days in to a 5 day detox which of course means no coffee. It’s absolute torture. Headaches, grumpiness…general loosing the will to live feeling. I am beginning to think coffee makes the world go round and life is way too short to deny the small pleasures…;)

  • Ah non ! Pas du décaff’ c’est affreux.
    Moi, j’en attrape des extrasystoles de boire du kfé noir tout le temps.
    Alors j’en bois moins mais du fort et du bon ;-)
    Bonne « détox » … Keep Going
    Biz Anne

  • Il faut boire et manger en modération. Si vous pensez que trois café un jour est trop beaucoup ou si votre corps vous ditez ça (faim, stress), peut être c’est le temps le reduire :) (une tasse par jour, le matin?)

  • I wholeheartedly share your sentiments on the morning ritual: I have the same. It’s the only (one.!) cup I have all day, but my life depends on it.
    Not having it gives me a splitting headache for at least 4 days; I sat it out once. And I stayed away from coffee for weeks, but nothing happened. No energy boost, no shiny teeth, no remarkable clarity or insights, nothing.
    Quite possibly no coffee is slightly healthier than one (very sharply timed) cup a day, but the sacrifice of THAT moment, it’s not worth it.

  • À petite dose, le café est bon pour la santé. Un bon espresso le matin est incomparable. Pour déculpabiliser, je bois deux verres d’eau pour une tasse de café. Même chose pour le vin : deux verres d’eau pour un verre de vin.

  • Renata de Rabakoz 14 janvier 2015, 8:32

    ah oui, ça c’est intelligent!

  • I have not tried to quit coffee, but I have tried to quit sugar which is a must in coffee for me. God, everything has sugar even bread, so yea I lasted for like a day. I love my coffee, but I do hate American coffee. I prefer drinks with espresso in them or even Turkish coffee, something good and strong. I do limit myself to one cappuccino when I wake up though.

  • A petites doses, le café est bon pour la santé, non? Tant qu’on n’est pas à 5 serrés par jour (testé, souffert, désapprouvé… mais j’étais en période de concours), ce n’est pas le café du matin qui va nous la ruiner !
    Certains diront que le café du matin n’a qu’un effet psychologique, mais pour avoir essayé de décrocher, je me retrouvais toujours avec le cerveau dans le coton et les yeux ensommeillés une bonne partie de la matinée et ce, même en le remplaçant par du thé (que j’adore en journée).
    Comme dit Vibri, modération!

  • Hélas, moi non plus je ne peux pas concevoir mes matins sans le café. La seule restriction que j’ai réussi à m’imposer, à défaut de ne pas pouvoir arrêter complètement d’en boire, c’est de prendre uniquement une tasse par jour. Parce que moi aussi je remarque que je deviens anxieuse dés que j’en ai bu trop.

  • Hej Garance, je pense que c’est beaucoup plus facile qu’on ne le pense..!! l’année dernière, j’ai du arrêter pour quelque temps aussi bien le thé noir (auquel je suis addicte moi! depuis longtemps) que l’alcool, le chocolat etc. Au debut je pensais vraiment que ça va être trop difficile, vu que c’est surtout le thé que je consomme toute la journée, ça me donne vraiment ce sentiment de bien-être, de confort, un peu de kick-off aussi.. Et puis, très vite, cela ne m’a même trop manqué! Je me suis acheté plein de très bons tisanes et de tchai thés sans thé noir dedans, des bons sucreries sans chocolat, et je me permettais quand même quelques bonnes tasses de thé noir Kusmi le weekend, quand j’avais vraiment le temps de le savourer et de me rejouir de ma tasse.. (du même pour le chocolat, si j’en avais vraiment anvie). L’alccol, je l’ai presque complètement arretée, et depuis, quand parfois je bois quand même en sortant, avec des amis etc, je me rends toujours compte que ça ne me fait vraiment pas bien, pas du tout. Et tout cela, c’était tellement plus facile que je ne le pensais! Après peut-être deux semaines, je n’avais même plus envie de ces choses. Je n’y pensais pas du tout. Pour plusieurs mois. Et je crois que en vérité, mon corps n’en avait plus envie depuis assez longtemps, c’étaient plutôt mes habitudes qui n’avaient pas remarqués ça :-) Aujourd’hui, je prends tout si j’en ai vraiment envie, mais ça n’arrive pas si souvent que ça. Par example, bien sur, quand je suis en Italie, je bois chaque jour mon café de bar déeeelicieux, sinon, ça serait pas de vacances en Italie!! :-) Mais après – ciao!

  • Sais pas moi je suis super accros au the!!! Et récemment on m’a offert des fleurs de the, trop beau! Quand la fleur est bine imbibée les feuilles s’ouvrent dans votre tasse laissant apparaitre une magnifique fleur de the rose. Très poétique!

    http://www.blushandbeyond.com/makeup/soft-pretty-makeup-warm-winter-look/

    Stop le cafe c’est pas bon pour toi et pense a tes dents…
    Bisous quand meme!
    Alix

  • I love coffee! I live for coffee!:)
    I know it’s not healthy to drink too much of it.
    I quit drinking coffee for some time.
    And I did switch to decafe for a while.

    Now I just try to drink maybe 2 cups of regular and 1 cup of decafe a day.
    I think that it’s hard to be totally healthy all the time.
    I don’t smoke, I drink little alcohol… I figure I can drink coffee then. Plus coffee is not entirely bad for you.

    Decafe is still a good alternative if you’re sensitive to caffeine. Just choose quality decafe.

    My life would be really sad without coffee. I just don’t really like tea…
    Coffee is the easiest way to lift my mood.

  • Plus on en boit et plus on en boirait manifestement. J’adore ce breuvage également et je n’envisage pas une seconde de m’en passer!
    ???
    Jeanne
    http://fashionmusingsdiary.com

  • Yes I tried to give up coffee – and was successful! I had a bad headache for about 3 days after quitting. The benefits include more time, better sleep and no jitters or heartburn :-)

  • I had to quit coffee about ten years ago – I have rosacea, and for me, caffeine and red wine make it flare up. Actually, I didn’t HAVE to quit – but I hated having to take rosacea medication every day, and when I asked my dermatologist when I might be able to go off it and he said « probably never », I got upset and asked what I could do about it. He suggested I narrow down what things in my life were triggering it and then do my best to eliminate those things. So I did, and the culprits seemed to be my habit of 5-6 cups of coffee a day, and red wine. When I quit, I had blinding headaches for about a week and a half and mornings were awful as I detoxed off my caffeine addiction. But once I got past all that, I experienced very noticeable improvements in my health. The biggest was that I no longer felt dehydrated, and my digestive system was much better and calmer, I didn’t have high/low energy slumps, and my general mood was steadier. It’s also nice to not NEED a cup of coffee in the morning – sometimes I’ll drink decaf if I’m craving the taste/smell, but I no longer need it to feel awake and functional, and that is a nice change. I truly don’t miss it at all!

    (I do however miss red wine, and still cheat with a glass here and there if my husband has opened a particularly good bottle : )).

  • Deborah Wallace-Fanning 13 janvier 2015, 1:51 / Répondre

    well, Garance I too am addicted to coffee & drink a least 5 mugs of strong black filter coffee per day, without sugar ! I have done for more years than I care to calculate but life without coffee not worth contemplating!

  • I too am part of the morning coffee train! Coffee is just such an enjoyable morning ritual. Then, I switch to tea, including calming teas in the middle of the afternoon. It works well for me!

  • Alexandra Ward 13 janvier 2015, 1:55 / Répondre

    I worked at Starbucks for four years and am no stranger to coffee addiction! Now that I’m working in a creative office space I try and keep it in check. I start the day off with a shot of espresso or an americano, because anything less would be inhumane. Once I get to the office I have a green tea and then a decaf herbal tea. After that it’s strictly water. The way I look at it I start the day off with a bang and then slowly curtail my caffeine intake all day long.

  • I can’t see myself ever not having coffee. I think like anything else it becomes bad when it is excessive. I would miss the morning ritual of it. I do try to do more herbal tea because I just love the warmth of curling my hand around a mug.
    Accidental Icon
    http://www.accidentalicon.com

  • Coffee, specifically black drip, has several health benefits including decreased rates of colon cancer, diabetes, and depression. It is full of antioxidants, just like some teas, and can help with Parkinson’s, Alzheimer’s, and, in women, skin cancer! Drink up! (But only the good stuff!)

  • I was the queen of coffee all day every day in college and the moment it hit 50 degrees iced coffee was always in my hand. I drank water too but there was always a reason to have coffee. Then, I hit a wall. I felt soooo jittery and anxious. So I came to the realization that I needed to cut back. I am at the point that I have one cup of the stuff I love (no decaf….it’s just not the same and I hate the glares I get from baristas when I ask for decaf) and stick to herbal teas the rest of the day. And, it’s not even a full mug of coffee that I have in the morning. Maybe a half to three quarters. It’s just enough to do the trick but not too much. Also, drinking water after helps with the jitters if it is too strong.

  • I just went off coffee a couple of months ago. I only drank one cup (black, nothing in it, super good stuff) a day but even that was affecting my sleep. So, I transitioned–a little less coffee each day until I got to a 1/4 cup–truly. (I was avoiding headaches.) Then I went to tea. I love Earl Grey and there are so many lovely teas, so it has not been so bad. I also loved the smell, the process, the whole culture attached to coffee. But, I love sleep more. And, yes, it’s made a difference. If you change, go gradually enough in your reduction that you don’t get headaches or other withdrawal symptoms. x

  • I was an addicted coffee drinker! It was mostly the Starbucks sweet drinks or whatever was in my office lounge. Anyhow, I had to stop drinking any caffeinated coffee since having bad anxiety and later panic attacks. It’s also combined with having less water and little sleep! That’s where my coffee came in! Coffee gave me energy! This was a health issue, so I had to stop. :( Now I’m much better and calmer. haha! I don’t have my weekend withdrawal headaches. However, I do ask for decaffeinated coffee when I stop at a coffee shop! You can do it Garance but go slow! Have an excellent day!

  • Normalement je suis comme toi. Je le bois noir, et j’adore le prendre au pied du lit et me promener dans mon appart, et me réveiller doucement.
    Sauf que la nuit du 31 décembre, j’ai eu le malheur de vouloir boire un café avec du rhum (on appelle carajillo en Espagne). Je n’ai pas pu boir de café du tout pendant une semaine après, à cause de ma gueule de bois!
    Je my remets petit à petit mais du coup, en ce moment, le matin je bois du earl grey et c’est plutot pas mal…

  • Garance,
    I’m a moderate drinker (1 cup per day). I have tried quitting, but I always come back because it’s more than just caffeine for me. Like you, I drink mine black and enjoy the smell and ritual of it. Sometimes, if I get worried about my caffeine intake, I make a half-caff blend. But as long as I keep it to a small cup per day, I see no harm. On stipulation that I put on myself is this: I MUST drink 2 liters of water per day to balance it all out. And I (for the most part) do. Win win!

    xo

  • Et bin moi je dois pas être foutue comme tout le monde, car le café ça me fait l’effet inverse, ça m’endort! Oui, farpaitement!
    En tous cas, a posteriori (parce que je suis passée de 3 cafés par jour à zéro), je me sentais léthargique après ma dose de caféine, une bonne partie de la matinée et après le déjeuner, tu sais cette impression que tes yeux sont encore bouffis par le sommeil, que tout ton corps ne pense qu’à se recoucher, que tu passes ton temps à bailler etc…
    Depuis, un ou deux thés seulement par jour, et plus du tout cette sensation d’être ensommeillée. Je me sens plus dynamique.
    Et puis du coup, maintenant, j’ai du mal à apprécier le goût du café (c’est comme pour la clope ou le vin, j’ai lutté au début pour m’y mettre et faire comme tout le monde, mais maintenant, si je refume ou je rebois du café, je n’aime pas vraiment!)

  • …. laisser les plaisirs de faire et sentir le café à la maison pour le weekend… et pendant la semaine juste manger la tartine, le jus d’orange et up au travail (ne pas oublier une pièce de fruit !) …et avant monter au bureau prendre le café dans un café (avec bruit et odeur à café avec d’autres gens aussi dormidos que toi en regardant un peu un journal peut-être)… puis au bureau…changer de mug par plus petite tasse… prendre moins serré (voir soluble) ..et puis si on dépasse la limite par jour, prendre un chocolat ou une tisane aux fruits…

  • My parents drink a lot of coffee, and until recently I used to drink for sure 4 cups (black) per day as well. It started hurting my stomach so I decided to switch over to tea during the weekend and at home.

    Luckily I have never really experienced any side-effects (it doesn’t even really energize me most of the time), also not when I don’t drink it for a while. I know some people get terrible headaches, crazy how the body can react to withdrawal!

  • Ladies & croissants 13 janvier 2015, 2:40 / Répondre

    J’ai la solution pour toi: passe au café déca à l’eau (on enlève la caféine par évaporation et non avec des solvants!) Ca a le même goût que le café normal mais sans la caféine!

    http://ladiesandcroissants.blogspot.fr/

  • J’étais pareil que toi avant, accro au café, c’était la première chose que je faisais en arrivant au café et je ne pouvais pas commencer ma journée sans ! Et puis d’un coup j’ai arrêté, alors oui au début c’etait dur j’avais l’impression de me réveiller à 18h… Et petit à petit cest passé, j’ai ressenti les bienfaits sur mon corps et mon esprit et depuis je n’en bois plus une goutte !
    Peut être qu’un jour j’arriverai à faire de même avec la clope

  • Indeed – it’s my second week without coffee (ha, new year resolutions?)
    When I need to wake up, I drink green jasmine tea – it smells different, but as delicious and energetic as coffee. And during the day I drink herbal teas, because I need just some hot drink, not necessarily coffee. Three days of terrific headache, and now I’m all good and it feels have more energy.
    Maybe you just could decrease your coffee to that one morning cup, but no late latte’s, if not give up at all?
    I don’t know about health effects of decaf, but it’s just tastes disgusting.

  • I love my morning coffee, but I manage to keep it to one, sometimes two cups a day. I’m usually a big green tea drinker, and I think that takes the edge off any caffeine withdrawal (plus it’s super healthy!). So, that first cup is basically to make me functional enough to go to work, and then green tea the rest of the day to keep a low amount of caffeine in my body so I don’t crash and reach for another cup of java.

  • J’ai testé plusieurs fois l’arrêt de café. Je n’ai jamais pensé à le faire graduellement comme le dit Cindy mais ça me semble une bonne idée parce qu’à chaque fois c’est migraine assurée pendant au moins 3 jours. En fait j’ai arrêté parce que je déteste l’idée d’être tellement accro à qq chose que je ne suis pas humaine jusqu’à ce que j’ai eu ma dose, je devenais irritable parce que je savais que si j’avais pas mon café dans l’heure ou deux qui suit le réveil c’est parti pour la migraine. Maintenant que je suis « clean » (tisane ou thé le matin, ce que j’ai sous la main, des fois même rien) je peut boire un ou deux cafés par semaine (les jours de grande fatigue ou quand j’ai vraiment envie du goût) sans redevenir accro, à partir de 3 c’est re-migraine si j’en ai pas le 4e jour. Désolée, c’est un peu long mais j’ai testé sur moi au moins 5 ou 6 fois donc j’en fait profiter! ;-)

  • Garance,
    I’ve had a caffeine addiction since the beginning of high school, and often, the benefits outweigh the costs. When off from school last summer, I dedicated time to learning a little more about my favorite drink and how to cut down my consumption: the best option is to not quit cold turkey (killer headaches and withdrawal), but to learn how to control cravings and how different caffeine preparations effect you. For example, a good cup of coffee contains about 65-120 MG of caffeine (remember decaf contains caffeine, just less) vs. espresso with a 40-93MG ratio (single vs. double shot). Black teas (Darjeeling, Chai (remember, concentrate has more) Earl Grey (your fav) contain about 30-40MG per cup. Green and White teas have about 25MG.
    If you want to kick a nasty coffee-only habit, I’d recommend drinking a single shot espresso drink or, if you like the sheer volume of coffee, your favorite variation of black tea. I found my best alternative was Matcha, which is ground green tea leaves mixed with water. It’s sweet and delicious, and the caffeine releases steadily throughout the day- so caffeine side effects are eliminated. Also, you can brew it as shots (for lattes and such) or as a cup, just like coffee!
    Best of luck. Hope some of this info was useful!

    – Mattea

  • I love coffee but it gives me anxiety

    international giveaway on my blog

    http://hashtagliz.com

  • La Grenouille 13 janvier 2015, 3:59 / Répondre

    Ma pauvre, je sais ce que c’est, pour ma part si je n’ai pas ma dose, c’est maux de tête garantit. Donc c’est officiel je suis Addict.

    Mais bon, on est française non ?

    On boit trop de café, on râle et même des fois, on fume !!

  • C’était ma résolution 2015, et je l’ai tenue…une seule journée (le premier janvier). Pourtant j’ai lu des milliards de fois que c’était mauvais d’en boire tous les jours, que ça déminéralisait etc. etc. J’aime pas le thé plus que ça alors j’imagine que si j’arrive à décrocher je passerai direct à la case tisane (bof). Et c’est le drame à Paris car il y a tous ces nouveaux coffee shops qui servent des cafés à tomber un peu partout !

  • i love that you love and drink black coffee!

    you should check out this new-ish coffee roastery in paris – they’re completely changing the quality of coffee in the french capitol: http://cafesbelleville.com/

    they’re served at places like holybelly! http://holybel.ly/

  • I cannot start the day without coffee….I am addicted but it does not affect my health in negative way , so why give it up ? I only give it up for 3 weeks once a year when I do my ayurvedic panchakarma detox cleanse

    otherwise : coffee is my religion

    first thing in the morning I wake up and have green tea.
    After 30 minutes I need a double expresso , with a tiny bit of hot milk
    then a second double expresso

    I wrote a post on my coffee obsessions and where to find the perfect cup
    http://www.fashionsphinx.com/coffee-please/
    it is sooooooo difficult to find good coffee. Bad coffee is rubbish and is everywhere
    Deca is worse for your health
    drip coffee is poison

    I LOVE GOOD COFFEE

  • Try Teeccino herbal coffee’s french roast!! I am an ex-coffee drinker and found this to be a great coffee substitute. It is non-acidic and actually good for you! I love it with a tiny bit of almond milk, so the texture becomes even more like coffee. Hope you give it a try :) Kisses!

  • Some of the researchers where I work have looked at the correlation between our genes and how much coffee we want to drink. What they found suggested that it’s how our body responds to the caffeine which is key – that this differs from person to person is no surprise after reading the varied comments above! The article also highlights some of the health benefits of coffee – not something I had ever thought about, being a dedicated tea drinker…

    « Java genes? Six new variants linked to coffee consumption » – http://www.fredhutch.org/en/news/center-news/2014/10/gene-variants-coffee-consumption.html

  • Princessglee 13 janvier 2015, 4:31 / Répondre

    I’ve tried quitting coffee a few times. Like you, I like the scent of it brewing in the morning. I also like the feel of a warm cup in my hand in the morning. What I do now is limit myself to a cup or a cup and a half. I’ve found that a full second cup gives me caffeine angst–that jittery, nervous, must move feeling that I don’t like. If I’m still wanting a warm cup, I fill it with hot water and drink that. By then my morning ritual is satisfied. Oh, and I wouldn’t even bother with decaf, seems pointless.

  • just ENJOY your coffee!!!!

  • I love coffee. Don’t go with rumor, Garance. Stick with science: http://lifehacker.com/5986506/the-science-behind-coffee-and-why-its-actually-good-for-your-health

  • Lindsay King 13 janvier 2015, 5:50 / Répondre

    Yep. Sounds about right… I am not only addicted to coffee, but my morning routine that coffee is a big part of. It’s comforting to have that warm brew in the morning that « promises » energy and well-being, while I slowly wake to the new day. But yes, too much also aids in my anxiety. Maybe instead of quitting all together, try cutting back?! Good luck on your journey!

  • Seemingly a minor issue, your article touches a lot of interesting subjects.
    – Health fashions and myths
    – consumption, habits, addiction vs. experience, connection, awareness
    – but also recklessness, joy and ! the right to do things to yourself that are not « good » vs. over-awareness, anxiousness, allegiance to ever changing rules in hyper media space
    – use of substances through times, places and societies

    Personally I start with a pot of Darjeeling for breakfast and make me a triple cappuccino by ten or eleven. Usually no more caffeine after. Water, herb or spice teas, for extra boost rather a 2,5 Minute green tea than espresso. But I have done it completely different at other times. For a while I got nauseous every day from drinking turkish tea all day.
    Sometimes first the cup, mug or glass changed and successively the beverage changed, too.
    Yeah, nice. Thanks

  • i accidentally quit coffee when i went travelling about 10 years ago. i kept getting the worst headaches in the morning and it took me a while to realise it was because i wasn’t having a morning coffee. the only thing that would relieve it was another coffee, just a smaller cup. it was quite horrible and i swore i would never develop a coffee habit again. i drink tea now and you can still have a tea ritual that would replace your coffee ritual.

  • Garance – you’re a woman after my own heart.

    Only I’m still trying to kick my milk obsession. DAMN YOU CREAMY CAPPUCCINOS!! So I’m lusting after your black coffee obsession. But, yeah, it IS good to kick caffeine every so often. Give your nervous system a break… but I find that eventually I start to wonder WHAT IS A LIFE LIVED without coffee??? And I return to my love ;)

    Amber Melody at THE BEAUTIFUL LENS XOXO

  • I need a big pot of black tea and milk. The fist hot sip is the best! If I don’t have it, my day doesn’t seem complete. Enjoy it, those are the little pleasures in life, why ban them?

    (Black tea is also not good for your teeth…)

  • Give dandyblend a try. It’s an herbal coffee substitute. I also love matcha lattes (avec non dairy milks). Matcha has caffeine but it doesn’t give you the jitters like coffee can. Sometimes I want a hot bevvie in the aft but I don’t want another coffee and a matcha latte hits the spot. In fact, I just read about a Matcha Bar having opened in NYC.

  • I, too, am a coffee addict:) Have you tried drinking Organic India Tulsi Tea? It’s so great. Caffeine-free, organic, mood boosting. It’s so tasty and good for you too. This tea makes a good coffee substitute when I try to cut back. I love my coffee so much though. Can’t quit it!
    Here’s a link.
    http://organicindiausa.com/organic-india-original-tulsi-tea/

  • Other than alcohol, which is an afternoon affair, I could not live without coffee.
    I wake up and even before washing my face, start getting it going.
    My two cups of black coffee are a NECESSITY. I stopped smoking cigarettes a few years ago (which was the hardest thing I had ever done at that time) so I do not think I will ever think of quitting coffee. There are too few pleasures left in life to keep limiting.

  • I will give up red wine. I will give up organic dark chocolate. I will not give up my coffee.

  • Yes, I know all about this and am in the process of getting off coffee. I wrote this post and hope you find it helpful in your coffee free endeavor: http://victoriamashkova.com/coffee-free/

    Much love,
    Victoria

  • J’ai ralenti le café quand j’ai commencé à avoir des palpitations, sûrement aussi lié au stress mais autant ne pas en rajouter ! J’ai même arrêté le cappuccino instantané en semaine qui était mon rituel. Maintenant je bois du thé avec des perles de jasmin. J’adore l’odeur du jasmin et les feuilles s’ouvrent au fur et à mesure de l’infusion donc c’est aussi « beau » à boire !

  • bavarian_blue 14 janvier 2015, 2:54 / Répondre

    I love my coffee in the morning (black without sugar) … a cappucino in afternoon … a espresso after dinner. But when I’m stressed, I have tendency to drink more and more coffee and go out of balance (nervousness, insomnia …). Then a hard break with coffee at all for a week or two is the way to rebalance. But you know what: it’s a closed loop. Coffee is to delicious to quit it and there is no alternative. Decaf is similiar to alcoholfree beer or nonfat yogurt – I’m preferring the originals and willing to pay the price.

  • Salut Garance!!
    Grosse période de détox sur tous les points pour moi… A 20 ans, grosse parigo de base, café clope dès le matin… c’était mon plaisir, ce qui me fait me lever…
    Puis j’ai eu envie d’arrêter la clope. Qu’on associe beaucoup au café. Ca fait beaucoup de détox à la fois.

    Puis j’étais moyennement motivée. Et puis la vérité a éclaté : début d’ulcère, et remontées d’acides perpétuelles, manque de sommeil …
    Bizarrrement, j’ai réussi à arrêter le café (moi qui était insupportable sans, indécrottable, in-réveillable…) en m’offrant de supers thés supers bons! Kusmi tea ou mieux, connaitre la recette d’un bon matcha green tea avec du lait d’amande! essaye…

  • Hi! I was exactly the same as you for about five years, then a health problem occurred and I had to give up coffee completely for a month. It was the hardest month ever hahahha! When I started getting back to it I reduced the amount four times and hasn’t change ever since. Now I drink probably 50 ml of black coffee combined with 300 ml of milk, twice a day and it works fine for me. I can’t imagine drinking again that 4 cups black a day!
    So, maybe balance is the key once again here – reducing the amount drastically once and for all and then listening to your body and its signals.

    Good luck!

  • Je suis italienne… je ne bois que du café « espresso » ou de la cafetière… Pour ca, je crois que meme si je prends 4-5 café par jour, je n’arrive jamais au taux de caffeine qu’on assume avec le café americain… Achète une cafetière italienne et garde la au studio/chez toi… Tu vas boire un café meilleur et moins de caffeine! :)

  • I agree with many of the above comments… ENJOY your coffee… guilt will do much more damage to your body than caffeine ever will! Be happy, drink your coffee, and have fun!

  • C’est vrai que le café peut rendre très vite addict… Perso je ne pourrais pas m’en passer, surtout le matin ! Apparemment il aurait aussi des vertus contre les maladies dégénératives, donc ce n’est pas si mauvais après tout !

    http://www.pardonmyobsession.com/

  • Mmmmm le café du matin !!!
    J’ai également voulu arrêter le café il y a deux ans. Je me suis alors tournée vers la chicorée et je trouvais que ça marchait très bien. Un an après je m’installais à Londres et j’ai dû de nouveau changer mes habitudes au petit dej parce que je n’en trouvais pas dans le commerce. Je suis alors passée au thé et à présent j’adore ça :)
    Le plus important c’est de trouver ce qui te donneras envie de te lever avec plaisir !

  • Garance, you should try matcha green tea! full of antioxidants,it will wake you up just as a coffee.
    you have to buy a good quality plus a bamboo whisk & a pretty bowl.

  • J’ai arrêté le café quand j’étais enceinte, du coup l’alcool et plain de bonnes choses aussi, à la place j’ai pris du jus d’orange le matin parce que le thé je ne peux pas, mais alors, pas du tout! c’était pas si mal que ça, je n’en suis pas morte! Mais je rebois du café et je ne vois pas pourquoi j’arrêterais, le tout c’est de ne pas en avaler de litres, et se laver les dents après (pas brosser parce que l’acidité du café fragilise l’émail, juste rincer avec de l’eau).

  • Several times a year I give up coffee. I find that it tends to creep its way back into my life… it’s the smell that gets me in the end. I think it’s definitely good to give your body a break from coffee. I just started a break two days ago and it’s remarkable how it affects my energy. I don’t lurch about so much energetically and I find it a lot easier to lead from my heart space.

    Every time I give it up and I tell people what I’m doing, the majority of people think I’m nutso… They can’t comprehend why I do it. I assume coffee doesn’t affect their body the same way. They say why deny yourself one of life’s simple pleasures… However coffee makes my throat pretty much constantly dry, and it gives me bad breath, they are two simple reasons why coffee is not good for me!

  • Renata de Rabakoz 14 janvier 2015, 8:30 / Répondre

    C’est curieux, parce que je ne supporte pas bien le café. Si je bois une tasse entière, j’ai une malaise dans 10 min avec les palpitations et vertige. Donc je ne bois jamais seulement une gourgée quand j’ai envie de sentir son bon goût que j’aime. Pour un addict comme toi, diminuer sur une tasse/jour serais pas mal. Bon courage et chapeau pour la bonne intention, et puis c’est bien d’aimer notre corps!

  • Take apples.

  • Hi Garance!

    I quit coffee a few years ago, I didn’t like the taste anymore. However, I still enjoyed the ritual and I certainly need a caffine boost, I will never tire of that of that! So I swiched to a dark tea, a dark tea with rose petals in it from the Tao of Tea in Portland, OR. The thing I love about rose tea is that it has such a light and floral flavor, I still get my caffine jump and throw in just a swirl of honey. I love how much lighter the flavor is and its not tough on my tummy, as I have no appetite until noon. Maybe try it sometime?

    Thanks, I love reading your blog. Lydia.

  • I simply love coffee, I need that morning boost, you know? But I had to stop drinking it after 5pm, otherwise it just ruines sleep time for me. Recently, I started drinking it with non fat milk, few days a week (otherwise I’ll just have pure coffee, no sugar or anything). Love your blog! Groses bisous!

  • I can definitely relate! The funny thing is, coffee does nothing for me as far as staying awake goes—I just love the scent and the bold taste. I love tea as well. I don’t believe in decaf. « Death before decaf » :)

  • je ne sais pas si les autres ont déjà fait la demande: pour quoi croyez vous que le decaf c’est pire?
    c;est pire pour ceux qui forcement le doivent éviter, parce qu’il contient 3% caféine. Et le gout.
    si vous trouvez difficile pour raisons de gout, je dirai que le decaf reste la solution
    si les effets ”reveillants” sont celles que vous manquent, essayez un thé de gingko biloba.
    j’ai seulement parle de mon expérience il y a 10 ans. C’était bien. Mais maintenant je vive en Italie. On te regarde très très inquiets si tu ne bois pas du café. Puis je laime (sans être victime) Maintenant je bois un expresso bien fait le matin et voila! Bon courage!

  • No! I have never tried it and I never will :D I love coffee! It is the one thing that I can depend on, it’s my best friend, I drink it pure turkish in a mug as you say and I drink it for 2h straight. When I’m done with it, I regret that it’s already gone. I will never ditch it. And please people stop ditching coffee. Especially not for tea. You can drink tea all day, but mornings are reserved for coffee <— my love

    P.B.

  • Mariateresa 14 janvier 2015, 11:53 / Répondre

    w le caffè! Je l’adore et je ne commence jamais ma journèe sens epuis je dois lui la vie pendent mes voyages en voiture!W le caffè! Bisou Garance ici Bari!

  • Lisa Walker 14 janvier 2015, 11:55 / Répondre

    Ditto. Don’t torcher yourself, it’s not worth. I say, have a cup in the morning and drinks loads of water all day– I’m obsessed with La Croix. Coffee helps my morning run, and that helps my brain function. Without it I am unemployable.

  • I just can’t stop drinking coffee… I can’t help it. It smells nice, it’s comforting and since I don’t drink alcohol, I don’t smoke, I work out and have my vegetables every day… well I’m allowed to have one vice, no?
    I’d love to be a tea person.. but I’m not. I’m a coffee person. And I can’t change it. It happens also with pets: either you are a cat person or a dog person. I am a dog person and a coffee drinker!!!
    xx,
    E.
    http://www.theslowpace.cm

  • Enough with all those restrictions!

    If waking up with a cup of coffee makes you happy, then coffee is good for you!

    Life is too short ;)

    -xxx-
    L.

  • Ok! I quit drinking caffeine cold turkey and looking back, I wish I would have done it slowly, alternating decaf with regular. Only because my headaches were horrible. HORRIBLE. Eventually they subsided, but I still love the taste/smell of coffee so I drank good quality decaf everyday. But you are right, and even good quality decaf is not great for your health. It is acidic, processed, and still stains your teeth. I still have the occasional decaf, but I’ve mostly switched to Teecino. It is super delicious if you enjoy and taste/smell/ritual of coffee. I highly recommend. Vanilla nut is my favorite. Good luck!

    P.S. I don’t miss the caffeine at all!

  • Kick by tapering off with black tea, then green tea, then herbal. Decaf coffee will have you feeling like there’s a knife in your head for four or five days. If you want something more « all in », consider something like the Clean program.

  • actually, do your research–you’ll be gratified to know that good coffee (ie Organic, non-chemical, FRESH) coffee is actually GOOD for your health!! coffee decreases the incidence of Alzheimer’s disease and dementia in general, and woman who drink coffee in moderation-ie once daily or so, live longer and in better health than those who don’t. coffee also boosts your metabolism, helping you to process your fats and sugars more efficiently.
    the important thing is to drink GOOD fresh coffee–ie-chemical-free (Organic), freshly roasted (not old and moldy) coffee; you can’t see or taste the mold in coffee much, so just make sure it’s fresh beans and fresh roasted and fresh ground!
    if you are really worried about teeth staining, drink it with a metal or wood straw. Tea stains your teeth worse.
    if you are worried about sleeplessness, only drink your coffee in the morning, before 11 AM.
    if you really want to cut something out that makes you hungry, gain weight, and have lots of ups and downs, cut out: SUGARS! REFINED FLOURS! that will make you a ton healthier. forget the coffee–that’s peanuts…sugar and sweeteners are the real problem.

    ’nuff said!

  • Si tu bois une seule tasse de café par jour, c’est pas une addiction si?
    La façon dont tu décris ton amour du café le matin, ça m’évoque mon propre attachement a mon rituel du matin, avec chocolat chaud et Krisprolls.
    J’ai essaye d’arrêter, je n’y arrive pas.
    Je suis simplement passée au lait sans lactose.
    On a bien le droit a nos petits rituels, si ils nous font plaisir, non?

  • I’m definitely a morning coffee drinker! It’s funny how people always want to get away from coffee but in moderation (I think about 3 regular cups a day) it’s not bad for you, in fact it has great health properties as well.
    xo
    styleontheside.com

  • J’avourais que sans mon café le matin, je me sens complètement désorientée et sans énergie. L’automne passé, j’avais une résolution que j’ai réussi à tenir jusqu’au 1er janvier.Par contre, afin de débuter l’année du bon pied, j’ai déposé mes lèvres sur une délicieuse tasse chaude remplise de café mexicain. La 7 jours qui ont suivi ont été catastrophique … j’ai prit environ 4 tasses (et plus) de café par jour. Depuis que je suis revenu dans le confort de ma maison, je tente désespérement de tuer mon désir pour le café. Ce matin, j’ai réussi à ne prendre aucun café… Il est présentement 11:40 et j’ai toujours l’impression d’être dans mon lit. vivement l’école..

  • I have tried to give up coffee off and on. I think decaf does not taste good. (We drink french press.) I like Mariage Freres Wedding Imperial or French Breakfast tea in the morning to replace coffee. These are strong, caramel-type teas – no bright and sunny bergamot here, rather rich comfort. I would also say perhaps you don’t have to give up that first cup if there is so much pleasure in it for you: the smell, the preparation. That is important. Maybe don’t drink it while you are doing other things but sit and really enjoy one cup. It is so hard to do, especially in American culture, especially in New York culture. I don’t like this habit of always having a drink in hand as we walk about, multi-tasking with our drink plus whatever else we are doing. Call me conservative, but that’s not how it was done up until the millennium, back when people in general were not so overweight and stressed (related?).
    I just posted in beauty minute about how my new mantra when I want coffee or sugar or an energy boost during the day is Breath, Water, Sleep. They are all free, so simple and basic, so against the grain of innovation! new! marketing! technology! Stronger, faster, harder! Buy, buy, consume! So do the unexpected for a New Yorker. A few deep breaths, you feel better. A glass of water, ah, that’s what you needed, not a cookie or coffee. And if you can, a ten to thirty minute nap is the most disciplined luxury there is. I say disciplined because it is so hard to do! And luxury because time is money and time seems so short. But try it, this disciplined luxury – a cat nap – has huge rewards for the rest of your day!

  • I just stopped but I only drank a few cups a week… I was not hard. During peri-menopause and menopause it helps to stop coffee and wine. It helps with the symptoms that can often start as young as your late 30’s. There are a lot of Tisane teas that are great… It’s just a matter of habit.

  • … et si une vie épanouie se composait d’infimes instants de bien-être juxtaposés les uns aux autres…
    J’aime le café, pour toujours !
    Un grand merci pour ton blog Garance… un instant de bien-être que je juxtapose à un « délicieux café sucré »
    Bisoussss

  • I recently gave up coffee. Now I pour boiled water over two lemon wedges and drink that first thing. It’s delicious and makes me happy the same way coffee did. Then I will drink some tea later in the AM to keep me warm. Try lemon water!

  • My favorite part of the day is morning and theres no reason to explane why.. Coffee ofc. It’s such a pleasure for me and, as I believe, something that defines me. My favourite is homemade Italian moca.. Oh!

  • Je croyais être accro et puis j’ai décidé de stopper le café du matin et c’est déconcertant mais pas traumatisant. Je bois du the ou même de la tisane parfois !
    Mon premier café je le prends en arrivant au travail et je me limite à deux trois tasses. Et jamais après 14h.

    J’adore l’odeur du café !

    Se limiter permet de ne pas souffrir d’un sevrage douloureux …

  • I’m glad to hear someone else gets hungry when they drink coffee. I’ve been able to control my cravings much better since I gave up coffee (but I do drink decaf when I’m craving the taste!).

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