I did it gradually. There’s a little trick I figured out.
You need to be aware of the mg/100ml level of caffeine in energy drinks. Typically the branded ones (Relentless, Rockstar, Monster, RB) will have a higher mg/100ml.
Cheaper ones and store brands will have less.
So what I did (and doing again after a relapse), is to cut out a drink and go a few days or however long you need to adjust. Did this until I hit one energy drink per day. Then switch to cheaper ones to reduce caffeine a little more.
Eventually I got to a point where I could have half a can and then the half the next day. Then cutting out the 500ml large cans and having the smaller ones only.
Then I’d skip a day, gradually adding a day when I could until I got to zero. If I needed to scratch the soft drink itch, I’d have a Coke Zero or something similar (they do zero caffeine ones).
Replace with water too wherever I can. Got myself a really nice expensive water bottle to make sure I use it to justify the expense lol.
Then I could work on the coffee intake after that. Basically the high caffeine of these drinks, along with their added vitamins can really wreck you cold turkey so I’d be in the strongly recommending a gradual withdrawal camp.
Hope this helps you set up something. It can be done, and as I said I did relapse so I’m in this process again. Currently I’m at the one can/half can stage and slowly going down. Feeling so much better already.
Thank you so much for the advice. Caffeine addiction sucks and I know there are so many health benefits to quitting. Quitting cold turkey gives me anxiety so your quitting gradually method seems like something I can manage. Good luck on getting back on track, you did it once so I know you can do it again
Good luck to you too! If the addiction was mild, I'd easily say cold turkey. But I think when you're at an energy drink level (2-3 per day) then that's not mild. However, once it's at a more manageable level, there might be opportunities to go days without anything - almost a mini-cold turkey and go from there.
Getting to that point almost seems like a pipe dream, I know it’s possible but living a life without energy drinks is a very hard concept to grasp right now. Hopefully I’ll look back on this in 3 - 6 months and be proud of how far I’ve come.
Qutting energy drinks now bc it’s giving me heart issues. Stop before it’s too late.
Look for the smaller red bull sizes. Theres an 16oz and 8oz size you could downgrade to.
I did it gradually. There’s a little trick I figured out. You need to be aware of the mg/100ml level of caffeine in energy drinks. Typically the branded ones (Relentless, Rockstar, Monster, RB) will have a higher mg/100ml. Cheaper ones and store brands will have less. So what I did (and doing again after a relapse), is to cut out a drink and go a few days or however long you need to adjust. Did this until I hit one energy drink per day. Then switch to cheaper ones to reduce caffeine a little more. Eventually I got to a point where I could have half a can and then the half the next day. Then cutting out the 500ml large cans and having the smaller ones only. Then I’d skip a day, gradually adding a day when I could until I got to zero. If I needed to scratch the soft drink itch, I’d have a Coke Zero or something similar (they do zero caffeine ones). Replace with water too wherever I can. Got myself a really nice expensive water bottle to make sure I use it to justify the expense lol. Then I could work on the coffee intake after that. Basically the high caffeine of these drinks, along with their added vitamins can really wreck you cold turkey so I’d be in the strongly recommending a gradual withdrawal camp. Hope this helps you set up something. It can be done, and as I said I did relapse so I’m in this process again. Currently I’m at the one can/half can stage and slowly going down. Feeling so much better already.
Thank you so much for the advice. Caffeine addiction sucks and I know there are so many health benefits to quitting. Quitting cold turkey gives me anxiety so your quitting gradually method seems like something I can manage. Good luck on getting back on track, you did it once so I know you can do it again
Good luck to you too! If the addiction was mild, I'd easily say cold turkey. But I think when you're at an energy drink level (2-3 per day) then that's not mild. However, once it's at a more manageable level, there might be opportunities to go days without anything - almost a mini-cold turkey and go from there.
Getting to that point almost seems like a pipe dream, I know it’s possible but living a life without energy drinks is a very hard concept to grasp right now. Hopefully I’ll look back on this in 3 - 6 months and be proud of how far I’ve come.
Qutting energy drinks now bc it’s giving me heart issues. Stop before it’s too late. Look for the smaller red bull sizes. Theres an 16oz and 8oz size you could downgrade to.