Later in the day I would have multiple cups of green tea. When I finished my latte, I immediately wanted another, but to keep things in check, I would order a decaf Americano as a follow up. But on day five, I noticed that the buzz wasn’t quite as good as it had been on previous days. And that ride lasted through about day four. Mood was improved, productivity was up, smiles were in plentiful supply. On day one, I had a rush of euphoria that lasted an entire day. Caffeine addiction and developing a toleranceįor about 10 days in a row, I ordered a Turkish Latte, which is offered at Lofty with house made coconut milk, and cardamom.

It was time for me to join the ranks of the coffee tribe.

The people “inside” looked so happy and content sipping on their various black water beverages. Here’s this completely outdoor coffee shop, with great branding and a fine selection of different caffeinated drinks to warm you as the marine layer rolled out. On these walks, we’d stroll past an open air coffee concept called Lofty Coffee, in San Diego’s Little Italy neighborhood. I was on Austin time, so I’d wake up at 5:30 every morning and walk my dog, Ned. The first time in recent memory I went on a sustained coffee blitz, I was hanging out in sleepy San Diego, which if you haven’t been, is a city characterized by the country’s best weather, and a corresponding dearth of work vibes.Ĭaffeine seemed in some strange way necessary to prevent joining with the collective slumber. When I come to my senses and quit the coffee, inevitably a withdrawal period begins, usually with a headache for a couple days and a feeling of sluggishness.Ĭaffeine may be the world’s most popular drug, but it’s still a drug and experiencing withdrawal is a great reminder of this fact. However, despite knowing that large doses of caffeine don’t work well for me, I will occasionally still go on a run of morning espressos for a few days straight. If I were to drink a latte before bed, I’d be up half the night tossing and turning, so I usually choose green tea over coffee. When I was first reviewing my genetic charts, this information made perfect sense to me as I’ve always felt caffeine affected me to a greater extent than many of my friends. I am homozygous for the CYP1A2 gene, which means I metabolize caffeine more slowly than some of my buddies who drink espresso rather than warm milk before heading off to bed.

Caffeine withdrawal – breaking the addictionĬaffeine gives me the jitters, which makes sense in light of my genetics.

Caffeine addiction and developing a tolerance.

Caffeine withdrawal symptoms