This page shows how to quit energy drinks, coffee, or caffeinated soda in thirty days with the “T Minus 30” gradual caffeine withdrawal method. I used this method to end my 25 year caffeine addiction!
To follow my daily progress using the method, click on the links below:
Day 1: Getting Started
April 26, 2013
In this video, I try my first drink. It tastes really good!
Day 2: Transitioning
April 27, 2013
To help with the transition, it’s a good idea to start this program with a little more caffeine than you normally have. Really liking the drinks! No withdrawal symptoms.
Day 3: Naming the Program
April 28, 2013
I came up with a name for the program: The T Minus 30 Method!
Day 4: Connecting with Nature
April 29, 2013
Is there a way to replace caffeine with some natural experience to wake myself in the morning? Tried going for a walk — with mixed results…
Day 5: Making a Pledge
April 30, 2013
Discontinued the connecting with nature idea. Is it impossible to quit caffeine? Decided to make a pledge “out loud” to continue the program!
Day 6: Library Books
May 1, 2013
Time for some research. Got a bunch of books at the library!
Day 7: If I Should Fail
May 2, 2013
What should I do if I fail, and go off the program?
Day 8: World of Caffeine I
May 3, 2013
Book Report on “The World of Caffeine”: Coffee, tea and chocolate all converged on Europe in the 1600s. The world would never be the same!
Day 9: World of Caffeine II
May 4, 2013
Does caffeine cause anxiety or make it worse?
Book Report: Tea vs. Coffee and their cultural impacts. The rise of Coca-Cola.
Day 10: World of Caffeine III
May 5, 2013
Book Report: Caffeine is a natural pesticide. How it works: Caffeine disrupts a natural neurotransmitter Adenosine from performing its function!
Day 11: World of Caffeine IV
May 6, 2013
Book Report: Is caffeine good for you? Is caffeine bad for you? No definitive answers!
Day 12: Statistics
May 7, 2013
Some interesting caffeine statistics,and the meteoric rise of the energy drink market in the last ten years!
Day 13: Starbucked
May 8, 2013
How big is the coffee market? How big is the entire caffeine market?
Book Report on “Starbucked”: Starbucks is the second biggest restaurant chain in the world!
Day 14: Halfway Point
May 9, 2013
Almost halfway there and still no withdrawal effects!
Day 15: Starbucked II
May 10, 2013
Book Report: the explosion of gourmet coffees and the coffeehouse culture.
Day 16: Buzz
May 11, 2013
Book Report: “Buzz”: the science and lore of alcohol and caffeine.
Day 17: Withdrawal Symptoms!
May 12, 2013
The first significant caffeine withdrawal symptoms hit!
Day 18: Withdrawal II
May 13, 2013
Second day of withdrawal symptoms…
Day 19: Caffeine Advantage?
May 14, 2013
Book Report on “The Caffeine Advantage”
Day 20: Withdrawal III
May 15, 2013
More withdrawal symptoms.
Day 21: Caffeine Blues
May 16, 2013
Book Report on “Caffeine Blues”:Wake up to the Hidden Dangers of America’s #1 Drug.
Day 22: Day Off
May 17, 2013
Relaxed day off! Transitioning to a caffeine free life?
Day 23: Easing Down
May 18, 2013
Drinks seem to be help in easing down from the withdrawal symptoms!
Day 24: Precision, Convenience, and Taste
May 19, 2013
“T Minus 30 Method” offers precision, convenience and taste for caffeine withdrawal!
Day 25: Pandora’s Box
May 20, 2013
Did allowing caffeine in soft drinks open up the Pandora’s Box we find ourselves in today?
Day 26: Improvements
May 21, 2013
Sleep getting better, anxiety getting better, acid reflux getting better!
Day 27: Temptations
May 22, 2013
Watching kids chugging energy drinks on YouTube has effected my dream life!
Day 28: Following the News
May 23, 2013
Following breaking news in the fast-changing world of caffeine and caffeine regulation.
Day 29: Caffeine Slavery
May 24, 2013
Caffeine is a powerful drug. Not free yet!
Day 30: Anti-Climax
May 25, 2013
Last day of the program! Would “T Minus 30” work for sugar withdrawal too?
Day 31: Caffeine Free!
May 26, 2013
First day living caffeine free! Definitely seeing the benefits of living caffeine free from a social point of view.
Day 32: Herbal Tea
May 27, 2013
Experimenting with herbal teas!
Day 33: Herbal Tea II
May 28, 2013
More herbal teas! Early history of Coca-Cola.
Day 34: TMinus30Method.com
May 29, 2013
Selected “TMinus30Method” as my website address, YouTube channel and Twitter handle.
Day 35: Zen State
May 30, 2013
Living caffeine free is like living in a Zen State!
Day 36: Commencement
May 31, 2013
Graduation Day! Periodic updates to come….
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Day 51: Breaking my Record
June 16, 2013
Broke my record of going 21 days without caffeine.
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Day 60: Living Caffeine Free
June 24, 2013
Have lived caffeine free for 30 days, and pledge to stay off caffeine for the rest of the year!
7 replies on “How to Quit Caffeine in 30 Days”
Hi. I’ve struggled with caffeine addiction for some years. I need/want to quit and have enjoyed your videos. I have a challenge when I try and quit that I haven’t heard you refer to, so I wanted to ask if you came across it and get your view. It’s a bit of a strange one – when I start to taper off, a bit of me (pride, ego ?) tells me that I’m not “really” quitting. Because I’m not stopping cold turkey, I’m somehow cheating. I end up persuading myself to go back to coffee, promising that I’ll then quit again in future “properly”. When I write it down it sounds crazy, but it’s a powerful thought !
Thanks so much for the comment Rob! I have tried both ways: cold turkey and gradual withdrawal. In both cases my mind played tricks on me to get back on the drug. I think this is unavoidable in either case. I think that gradual withdrawal worked better for me because it gave me time to get mentally prepared for a caffeine-free life. Even so, if I hadn’t committed myself publicly by publishing these videos on YouTube I might easily have fallen back in to addiction. I think a useful adjunct to these videos might be caffeine withdrawal support groups, where people might share their stories publicly (and/or hear from others engaging in the same process). I don’t know of any such support groups at the present time, but even if you had one or two friends who got together and tried the project together and shared your stories with each other it might help!
I would also like to say that I’ve been meaning to do a video on New Year’s Resolutions. It seems the best time of year to start this project is late winter/early spring. (I began in April). I hope to do a video on why this is so, but the gist of it is that I believe the human body is strongest and best able to undertake a major life change AFTER the winter season is almost complete. The reason that many New Year’s Resolutions fail is that they are begun in the dead of winter when the body is not primed for change. This is particularly true for people living in the colder parts of the world.
Thanks for your reply. I really need to quit – it makes me feel awful when I don’t have it, but when I do it also makes me feel bad – stomach issues, brain fog etc. I need to get past this perfectionist idea I have that if I don’t quit it cleanly all in one go then I’ve somehow cheated or failed. I really don’t know why I do that – it’s the end result that’s important, not the method.
Like you say, it’s the mind playing tricks on us. That I guess is the very nature of addiction – ending up in a situation that is clearly insane yet carrying on doing it and rationalising why it’s OK.
I found your videos hugely useful and encouraging, not least for the reason you outline above. Realising that I’m not alone and that others suffer from this issue (and have found a solution) is very encouraging. Are you still caffeine free ?
Thanks Rob. Yes, I’m still caffeine free. It will be four years on May 26, 2017!
I just recently started quitting coffee. I started 30 days ago on my own, before finding your video. I did a gradual withdrawal method too. I now am finishing my full first week of no coffee.
THANK YOU so much for your videos. I only have watched the first 3 so far. It feels really good to see someone else going through this. What you are going through on there is like what I experienced.
Last week was so very hard on me, with all the withdrawals. I finally am starting to see the light. I wondered if I would every feel better, I felt I was going into a clinical depression. But today was the first morning I woke up in YEARS, when I did NOT feel tired upon waking up! And yesterday was the first day in years that I did not feel incredibly depressed and tired in the afternoon around 2pm. Very exciting.
I only hope this keeps getting better for me as I keep going without coffee. I can’t wait to see how it goes for you on your youtube after you progress. And your style of sharing so honestly and openly, it is very nice to watch.
Thanks for the nice comment and good luck on your progress, Debi! Quitting caffeine is definitely a big challenge – as I’m sure you’re finding – but it’s worth it in the end!