So, I have a story for you

Sat., Oct 31
For some reason today I imagine that I'm consuming to much caffeine. Entirely too much. Now, I'm not one of those anti-caffeine types. Quite the contrary. But I did feel like I was perhaps having too much of the stuff. It might have been the third in four days iced coffee. It might have been the half a pot that morning. Who knows? And it wasn't a health thing as much as it was a test. A test and a challenge. A test, challenge and sorta cleanse. All designed to once against bestow on caffeine the zoom it once had. Anyway, I decide that Monday is just the day to start this project. New week. New month. New thingy.

Sun., Nov. 1
Today's the last day with caffeine, and I'm not planning on going soft or easing into this at all. Coffee in the morning to start my day. Then an iced coffee prior to dinner. For the final flourish, I limited myself to a single cup of coffee with dessert. Time to start the redux.

Mon., Nov. 2
Morning. Ah morning. No problemo here. None at all. Renee has convinced me that full on stop isn't necassary, so I have a cup of Lipton tea when I get into work. But around noon I start to feel a headache. I've done this before, so I'm expecting the headache. Then then headache is joined by sluggish. If sluggish means nearly falling asleep at my desk. Literally, can't keep my eyes open. Monday night rolls around and its a struggle to even stay awake from about 8 p.m. on. I skip working out. I fall asleep even though there is a Phils game and a Monday night football game to keep my attention.

Tue., Nov. 3
This morning I go with decaf bags. I don't know if this upset the energy gods, or the caffeine gods, or the tea gods, or what, but the sluggishness really hits. Again, it sneakily waits till after noon. From about 12 to 2 its bad. But from 2 to 4 its nearly unbearable. I'm functional on a minimum basis only. For the second day, pain relievers do little to stem the broad, expansive, dull pain in my brain. Websites helpfully point out that caffeine is a great pain reliever, and when taken with NSAIDs can up their effectiveness by 40%. Thanks for nothing. The dull headache, achy feelings, tiredness - its like having a hangover. Except without any of the fun the night before as a partial reward. Plus, I'm a touch irratible. I guess its the withdrawel. Though it could be because I'm having such a wonderful day. I revolted even at the thought of playing my video game.

Wed., Nov. 4
I wake up feeling great. Absolutely invigorated. And its a good thing: today's deadline today. Unfortunatley, its at 2 p.m. I work the morning, and again my afternoon sucks. A softer, but still there, headache. Now I'm more achey than before. I do my usual lifting. Its not much, and I'm feeling a little better after dinner, though I still feel somewhat hungover. I fall asleep during the Phils game - again - and head to bed after I wake up.

Today, Nov. 5
I wake up rested once again, but again, it doesn't last. By noon I'm getting tired again, though not nearly as bad, and by 2 I'm barely awake. But I fight through it and by 3 I'm starting to feel better. By 4 I'm feeling fine. Maybe a tinge of tiredness remains, but its hard to tell. What's the new normal and what is the withdrawel? No fewer than twice today I walked past the coffee maker and thought about how nice a cup would be. Ditto my tea cupboard.

The future
Thanks to the results of a google search, I know that all my symptoms (headache, tiredness/exhaustion, hang-over-like symptoms, agitability, achiness), are pretty normal for caffeine withdrawel. I also know the symptoms set in after 12 to 24 hours (about right), and that caffeine is entirely out of your system after 9 days.

I'm not planning on quiting caffeine entirely. But what was supposed to run through the weekend will now run through mid next week to hit that 9 day line.

I can already taste that first cup of coffee or tea.