It’s been a couple of months since I started detoxing from caffeine, and I wanted to share how it’s been going. For most of last year, my mornings started with a can of Celsius — my favorite energy drink brand — and usually didn’t end there. At work, caffeine is everywhere. Cold teas, sodas, and even decaf from Bilgewater (Riot’s campus version of Starbucks). I’d often grab one or two more throughout the day.
Caffeine was just part of my routine. About 200mg every morning to kick things off, then whatever I felt like grabbing later in the day. Before Celsius, it was regular coffee, or the occasional Red Bull. It became normal. Almost invisible.
Why Detox?
The funny thing is, I’ve always done caffeine detoxes whenever I visited Korea. I’d go off coffee and energy drinks without thinking too much about it. But after coming back from my most recent trip, I decided to keep the detox going.
A big part of the motivation was seeing coworkers at Riot who don’t touch caffeine at all — and they’re healthy, energetic, and sharp. That blew my mind. Meanwhile, I had acid reflux, bruxism, and this low-key dependency on my morning drink just to feel “normal.” I wanted to see what life without it would look like.
The Withdrawal
I’ll be honest: the detox didn’t hit me that hard while I was in Korea, probably because I was on vacation (even though I ended up working a lot more than I planned). But once I got back to the U.S. and returned to full-time work, the withdrawals caught up to me.
For weeks, I felt like I was never fully awake. The brain fog was real, and it was frustrating — especially when your job requires you to think on your feet. My HIIT workouts were definitely tougher than before as well. The worst of it lasted almost a month. On top of that, I got hit with a stomach flu during that time, which definitely didn’t help.
But slowly, things started to get better. Now, two months in, I feel like my brain is finally adjusting. Some days are better than others — just today, I felt like my brain was moving in slow motion again — but the fog is lifting.
What I Replaced It With
I didn’t go completely stimulant-free. These days I drink tea almost every day, and occasionally decaf, but nowhere near the caffeine levels I was used to. I’ve also been trying to drink more water, though I’ll admit I’m not great at that yet.
I expected to have headaches and other rough withdrawal symptoms, but surprisingly, I didn’t. Going cold turkey was more about sluggishness and fog than physical pain.
What’s Changed
So far, the biggest improvement I’ve noticed is feeling less anxious than before. That surprised me. I also thought my bruxism (jaw clenching) was getting better, but it came back as my stress levels rose again — so I think that’s more stress-related than caffeine-related.
Even though I’m not seeing huge physical improvements (yet), I think just proving to myself that I can function without caffeine has been valuable. My workout this morning felt pretty great. I actually felt energetic, like when I used to drink caffeine!
What’s Next
Honestly, I’m not sure how long I’ll stay on this detox. Two months already feels like a milestone, but I’ve come this far, so it feels like it’d be a waste to go back now. I might reintroduce caffeine eventually, but for now, I want to see what other improvements come with more time.
If I ever go back, I’d want to use caffeine more intentionally: start the morning with one drink, then cut it off for the rest of the day. What I don’t want is to fall into the “caffeine all day” habit again like most working people.
Closing
Caffeine isn’t “bad.” But for me, it stopped being a boost and started being a baseline. Detoxing has been a reminder that my body can adjust, even if it takes longer than I’d like.
I’m curious now: have you ever tried detoxing from caffeine? What was it like for you?
johnro 
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