CN alcohol and food/fasting in this post
I took a month off caffeine and alcohol, ending today. I did a similar thing last year, ditching caffeine for about six weeks just to see what happened, inspired in a big way by this article and Michael Pollen's related (and excellent) This is Your Mind on Plants.
Neither this time nor the last has been sufficient to have me contemplating giving up either for good. My goal with them isn't specifically about physical or mental health, but instead about maintaining an intentional relationship with two psychoactive drugs that we're largely socialised to consume without reflection. The act of stopping is a way to remain conscious of the effects they have -- not in a moral sense, but what they change about us, be those good or bad things. I do a similar thing when I fast once a month -- it's partly about the physical benefits, but most of all about having a habit or system which pushes me to engage with how I consume.
I've definitely missed the mental pep that caffeine brings. I've had a fair few days where I feel I could have gone further, done more, or just had more fun working on what I was working on with that chemical boost. But also... it wasn't necessary on those days. Another completely valid -- and probably healthier -- option is for me to reconsider what I 'need' to do and what expectations it's appropriate to set for myself (and how sustainable they are). I am not an individual prone to underworking or underthinking.
But on the other hand, I think I mostly do work for intrinsic more than extrinsic reasons. (I'm immensely lucky on this front..) Which is to say: I love what I do, and opportunities to do more of it (sustainably) and enjoy what I'm doing more by being more mentally engaged with it more of the time. That's not just the ravages of productivity culture; it's a big part of my joy in life.
I've had really good experiences, for the first time, with decaf coffee and non-alcoholic beer, though. Square Mile Coffee's seasonal decaf espresso has been a genuine pleasure (even if the lack of dopamine kick is always going to work against decaf). Beavertown's Lazer Crush is so good that it will probably replace most of the alcohol I would consume at home -- and elsewhere, if I'm lucky enough to find places that serve it. Sampling that and other great non-alcoholic beers has been a pleasant surprise, and a treat.
Today's blog post brought to you by: overcaffeination.