Why I Decaffeinated
— Wednesday, February 3rd, 2010 —
This time two weeks ago, if I had dropped dead, my body would have twitched for 72 hours before I could’ve been embalmed.
Last week I noted over on Twitter that I felt two golden tablets away from Mormonism. It’s not because I’m aspiring to rule my own planet or because I’ve added the Osmonds to my iPod. It’s because I’m doing what I never thought I’d do. I’m withdrawing from caffeine.
Lots of folks are asking why. Is it because I think caffeine is an “evil drug” that shouldn’t be used by Christians? Not at all. I think caffeine is a good drug. It is one of those blessed herbs of the field the Lord God declared to be “very good” (Gen. 1:29-30).
I don’t think there’s anything spiritually superior about being without caffeine or being with it, anymore than I think there’s anything superior about vegetarianism vs. carnivory (Rom. 14:2-5).
So why am I, a lover of all things coffee and Coke Zero, cutting back to almost nothing?
It’s simply because I didn’t know how much of it I was consuming. A friend asked me not long ago how much coffee and soft drinks I drank in a day. I sat down and recounted it all, starting with a full pot in the morning that I’d just drink without thinking about it being there. And that was just getting started. I hadn’t thought about it at all. It was just there, and I liked it, so I drank it, and slowly over time the amount ratcheted upward and upward.
Because I wasn’t mindful of how much caffeine I was consuming, I also wasn’t mindful of what it was doing. A little bit of lots of things are beneficial: a little bit of sleep, a little bit of work, a little bit of meat. But there are consequences that come with too much or too little of almost anything, consequences that ought to keep us on balance.
A friend asked me if I found myself irritable, especially in the evening. Yes, I remarked, I sometimes would think, as my kids bounded through the house, “Will you please just GET QUIET!”
He asked if I have trouble sleeping. You bet. Animals being tranquilized on “Animal Planet” drift easier into unconsciousness than I do.
He asked if I felt “crashed” and exhausted throughout the day, needing more caffeine to perk up and press on. Kind of.
The lynch-pin for me was irritability with my kids. That’s not the caffeine’s fault; it’s mine. But why would I give myself a stumbling block to raise my stress levels for something as (relatively) meaningless as coffee and Coke?
So last week I started backing down, little by little, my caffeine intake, until I’m down to two (or less) half-caf cups in the morning, and a green tea or two during the day. Yes, the first week or so I felt like I was in a haze, but, now, I feel incredibly energized. I don’t “crash.” And I don’t feel irritated with my kids at night.
I told my folks at the church Sunday, as I preached in a sweater, that I felt all calm and “Mr. Rogers”-like now, and that they could expect a trolley to go riding by on the platform at the end of my sermon.
So that’s why I’ve cut back on the caffeine. I don’t miss it (well, kind of). I’m writing this post partially to hold myself accountable, because I know I’ll be raring to fall off the wagon next week.
It might not be that that’s what’s best for you. Maybe you need as much (or more!) caffeine than you’re taking in now. I don’t know. Maybe your design will allow you to drink as much or more than I was drinking without it ever affecting you badly.
If so, I raise my mug of decaf in your honor. There’s nothing immoral about drinking coffee.
In my case, though, coffee was making it harder for me to be loving. The amount I was consuming was enabling my flesh to do what it wants anyway, to be “irritable or resentful” (1 Cor. 13:5). I have enough trouble being “patient and kind” (1 Cor. 13:4) while fighting the world, the flesh, and the devil.
I didn’t need to fight caffeine too.
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Good for you! I drink very little caffeine, but it doesn’t take much to make me grumpy and jumpy. It also keeps me from sleeping. Hope giving up most of your caffeine is making you feel better!
It’s amazing how much effect caffiene has when we pack it in all day. I’ve dropped down to a max of one cup of coffee per day and have replaced it with a few pots of green tea through out the day.
I find that my afternoons are much more productive because I’m thinking more clearly.
@Mike Anderson, agreed. And, once you get used to green tea, it’s actually pretty good.
News flash: Coke shares plummet, bottling plants in the South closing due to Dean’s decision to decaffinate
@Tracy Irvin, true enough. But here is the impetus for a caffeine-free Coke Zero!
Dr. Moore,
Thank you for sharing this insight into your personal sanctification. After reading your testimony regarding coffee / caffeine - it causes me to look more closely at myself to see if I am guilty of anything similar.
I wonder, could the bodily twitches and irritability have been caused by your choice of music? Maybe it was Merle rather than the caffeine! :)
@Josh Buice, No, no! Merle makes me happy, not irritable!
I too have noticed the benefits of a cup or two of green tea.
On a related note, considering the amount of sodium that’s in the average American diet today, our bodies might not need to be embalmed even after they stop twitching!
@Tyler Wittman, true enough.
Funny. This correlates with my own recent decision to cut out the caffeine, though my decision was prompted for health reasons (stomach issues). Anyway, I have definitely noticed that caffeine causes irritability in the evening. So, I would be fun, creative, and energetic during the day, and when I would get home, I would be irritable with my family… not acceptable.
Anyway, I will definitely miss caffeine for its ability to instigate creative thinking.
As you know - I am glad you decaffeinated, but not just for the caffeine and its affects, but the aspartame, colorings, and syrups too. Give yourself a few months and see if it affects your weight as well. When I went off soda at the end of college (before I got into health foods and alternative stuff) I lost 10 lbs in a year - I attribute it almost solely to the big change in my lack of soda consumption, since I wasn’t working out or doing much else at that point.
I have often wanted to encourage other leaders I know in their health and making good food choices, mainly because I want some of our great christian leaders to be around as long as possible, and I think we often “brush off” the idea of our health because we think we have more important things to deal with.
And since you already know I like to tell people about health stuff - my next soapbox for you would be to consider taking Cod Liver Oil to improve your vitamin D levels. Vitamin D affects so much in your body, energy, depression, brain function, etc etc. Study after study has shown that kids and adults in the US are deficient at astonishing rates. Instead of supplementing with synthetic vitamin D, which doctors and pediatricians are doing, its best to get it from natural sources, like Cod liver oil. I recommend Green Pastures Fermented Cod Liver Oil in cinnamon flavor in case you and Maria ever consider getting it!!! : )
Thanks for sharing this. I need to make a similar examination of my habits. I really do enjoy coffee, but I must make sure it is not an idol. We have enough of those, don’t we?
Didn’t Johnny Cash have a song called Cup of Coffee?
After reading the comments, I thought it might be helpful to give a heads-up in case anyone was unaware that green tea is caffeinated. In fact, one cup of green tea has almost as much caffeine as one can of coke, 30 mg versus 34 mg respectively. (stats from wiki, but other sites give similar estimates)
If you really want to go caffeine free tea-wise, you’ll need to drink herbal tea. It is naturally caffeine free because it doesn’t really contain tea leaves (which is where the caffeine comes from). One of my personal faves is Stash brand Licorice tea. It doesn’t even need sugar because licorice root is 50 times sweeter than sugar cane.
While on the topic of caffeine and coffee, a strange fact I ran across recently is this: the darker your brew (coffee) the less caffeine it contains. In other words, your nice ‘breakfast blend’ has more caffeine in it than an espresso. I just thought that was odd enough to share. :)
In regards to the original article, good for you Dr. Moore! It’s always difficult to recognize and choose to change a behavior that isn’t inherently sinful, but is a stumbling block. May God bless your desire to be faithful.
Dr. Moore,
Thank you for sharing this….I too went off caffeine a few years ago. Our son that we adopted from the Philippines has multiple disabilities, and I would have to drive a bit of distance for his medical appointments…I soon found myself saying “I can’t do this without some caffeine!” God quickly corrected me. His Spirit spoke to my heart “You depend on Me and not caffeine, you are finished with caffeine.” What a blessing it has been, and I applaud you for recognizing the effect it was having in your life and removing it. I agree with you completely, caffeine is not the problem, it is the sin in our hearts. Mine was dependence on something other than Christ…so glad that He showed me the truth.
Well, I must admit I never thought I’d see the day (at least not so soon) you cut back caffeine consumption, Dr. Moore! Ruthanne might be out of a job soon since restocking the fridge with Coke Zero was half my job!
I am thankful for this post though and planning to “happen across” it when my diet-coke drinking husband comes home :)
Good for you. I suppose I’ll just have to enjoy a warm bagel and a hot, hearty, black cup ‘o Joe alone. That’s one of the reasons that caffeine free Coke works for me.. and no artificial sweeteners, please.
Any word if Caffeine-Free Coke Zero is in the works? This would be the greatest thing since…well…since Coke Zero!
Great thoughts, and helpful for me–a “caff-a-holic” myself who has sensed a need to cut back, and has seen some benefits. I appreciate the underlying emphases on grace and freedom in your article, as much as your encouragement toward a Christ-like disposition.
I also don’t think this is just a personal issue–caffeine figures prominently into our collective decision-making process as Christians. Consider, for example, the business of caffeine and its recent proliferation in our Christian church lobbies, schools, agencies, etc. If pressed, would we would be able to explain how it all really fits into our mission?
I completely decaffed over 2 years ago, and it was not as easy as I thought it would be. Though I agree caffeine is not an “evil drug,” for me it was an idol due to the same reasons you mentioned. I “needed” it to be normal and loving. When I am groggy headed I still crave it to this day.
I drink a Japanese tea called hojicha which is like a very low caffeinated oolong tea. I recently found guava leaf tea to be pretty good too. Give them a try. I am sure you can find hojicha easily at any Asian market. I used to easily get it in Lexington when I was there.