Great piece, Alex. I quit again in January and so glad I did.
From a nervous system and trauma perspective - if you’re trying to heal from trauma and regulate your nervous system while on caffeine - it’s like trying to slow down by using the breaks a little here and there while still pushing down the accelerator fully. Caffeine is adrenalizing and creates a stress response in our bodies - not very conducive when trying to heal.
That's quite impt context on NS regulation that I now want to add into the piece - thank you so much, Conni.
(Also, I didn't know you had a Substack (!!) and I've been wondering why it's been so long since I received one of your newsletters, so glad to have got that sorted!! Much love
All of this! I've experimented with all sorts of alternatives, and sometimes I enjoy them, but I'm back to coffee--but it's different. I mix 2/3 to 3/4 decaf with 1/4 to 1/3 normal beans, both similar medium-roast Peruvian, and drink it black. I've found that for me, I can enjoy coffee this way, without what I've come to feel as very unpleasant high-caffeine effects.
At a higher level, I've found that it's far easier to change even deeply ingrained habits that I ever imagined. Coffee is no biggie for me, but changing my relationship with alcohol was a truly major change, and even that was basically painless. I've written about that extensively here:
Oooh, that's a nice strategy because then you still get the fresh ground beans (which is impt for the quality homebrew ;). And thanks so much Bowen, congrats on quitting booze and writing about it, stoked to dig into your work
And yeah for the coffee another big upgrade is a little burr grinder with a bean reservoir, so now I just mix my custom 33% caf beans into the hopper and then can grind away at will!
I LOVE this. I tell so many of my friends who struggle with *what they think* are adrenal or hormonal issues to try quitting caffeine. I quit in 2021, relapsed once for like a month, but otherwise have one cup of decaf per day. My natural energy is just so much more stable, no whacky cortisol spikes, etc. I’m just getting into tea myself, so I’ll use your recommendations for some research.
Ohh that's v interesting, I want to add that into the piece! Like first check your intake before you decide you have hormonal issues (or adrenal, considering coffee is adrenalizing). I also love ice tea for the midday bc I find it gives a minor lift but no crash
Fair play Alex. Quitting anything is hard but worth it. Good on you for examining your relationship to things. It’s a constant joy/battle of living an examined life rather than life as a sheep.
Great piece, Alex. I quit again in January and so glad I did.
From a nervous system and trauma perspective - if you’re trying to heal from trauma and regulate your nervous system while on caffeine - it’s like trying to slow down by using the breaks a little here and there while still pushing down the accelerator fully. Caffeine is adrenalizing and creates a stress response in our bodies - not very conducive when trying to heal.
Will be sharing your piece with my community!
🙏💛
That's quite impt context on NS regulation that I now want to add into the piece - thank you so much, Conni.
(Also, I didn't know you had a Substack (!!) and I've been wondering why it's been so long since I received one of your newsletters, so glad to have got that sorted!! Much love
All of this! I've experimented with all sorts of alternatives, and sometimes I enjoy them, but I'm back to coffee--but it's different. I mix 2/3 to 3/4 decaf with 1/4 to 1/3 normal beans, both similar medium-roast Peruvian, and drink it black. I've found that for me, I can enjoy coffee this way, without what I've come to feel as very unpleasant high-caffeine effects.
At a higher level, I've found that it's far easier to change even deeply ingrained habits that I ever imagined. Coffee is no biggie for me, but changing my relationship with alcohol was a truly major change, and even that was basically painless. I've written about that extensively here:
https://bowendwelle.substack.com/t/alcohol
Oooh, that's a nice strategy because then you still get the fresh ground beans (which is impt for the quality homebrew ;). And thanks so much Bowen, congrats on quitting booze and writing about it, stoked to dig into your work
Right on, I appreciate your eyes on my work.
And yeah for the coffee another big upgrade is a little burr grinder with a bean reservoir, so now I just mix my custom 33% caf beans into the hopper and then can grind away at will!
Gong fu cha is restorative. I like it because it’s intentionally sloppy.
The intentional sloppiness is so key, if you know you know :)
I would love a follow-up called How to Start Tea (or anything else for that matter)
I LOVE this. I tell so many of my friends who struggle with *what they think* are adrenal or hormonal issues to try quitting caffeine. I quit in 2021, relapsed once for like a month, but otherwise have one cup of decaf per day. My natural energy is just so much more stable, no whacky cortisol spikes, etc. I’m just getting into tea myself, so I’ll use your recommendations for some research.
Ohh that's v interesting, I want to add that into the piece! Like first check your intake before you decide you have hormonal issues (or adrenal, considering coffee is adrenalizing). I also love ice tea for the midday bc I find it gives a minor lift but no crash
Fair play Alex. Quitting anything is hard but worth it. Good on you for examining your relationship to things. It’s a constant joy/battle of living an examined life rather than life as a sheep.
Thank you Dee, cheers to the Socratic examination of life