1 year caffeine free today, after 20 plus years of heavy coffee drinking. It changed my life

Today marks exactly 365 days without caffeine. I wanted to share my experience in case it helps someone who's on the fence.

I'm a 44 year old man from Paris. I drank coffee for over 20 years, between 5 and 10 cups a day toward the end. I was so dependent that I'd wake up exhausted, make a coffee and drink it lying in bed just to be able to function. Then I'd have several more through the day.

I always thought I was just an anxious person. Intrusive thoughts, racing mind, constant mental noise. I thought that was my personality, and that my poor sleep was just my nature. I could fall asleep despite all the caffeine, but I never woke up rested. Ever. I also remember sitting at my computer in the middle of the afternoon, unable to work, not because I was tired but because I was too stimulated. I had to stop and wait for it to pass.

Then I got a bad flu right before Christmas last year and spent a week in bed. I used it to quit cold turkey, since the flu masked the withdrawal. I'd tried to quit before and knew how brutal the first week could be, so this was my window. After the flu I still had night sweats, extreme fatigue and brain fog. I didn't fight it. I took naps when I needed to, sneaking home at lunch when I could, and let my body recover.

A year later the difference is night and day. The anxiety is gone. My mind is quiet now. I sleep 7 to 8 hours and wake up actually rested, which felt impossible before. My energy is evenly spread through the day, no spikes, no crashes. My focus is unlike anything I've experienced in my life. I can do deep work for hours. The gym is effortless now. And the evening cravings for alcohol to calm down from all the stimulation are gone too.

I also quit smoking over two years ago and alcohol a year ago. Caffeine was by far the hardest. Not even close. My only slips this year were one slice of tiramisu, a few chocolate bars one evening, and 8 to 10 cups of tea after I accidentally bought tea instead of herbal infusion. I'm not extreme about it. I won't refuse a chocolate dessert at a dinner party. But I stay away from coffee completely.

If you recognise yourself in this, the anxiety, the racing thoughts, the unrefreshing sleep, being wired and still unable to focus, just try it. Commit to one month. Nothing magical happened, and yet the gap between who I was and who I am now is enormous. I feel normal. Baseline. Quiet. And that's everything.