For the past 2-3 years I had the same new year’s resolution: quitting caffeine. Every year I would get a week of two in and I would fail. Between the headaches and the sugar cravings I would always give up. I have tried many times to quit caffeine and I always failed. I thought I would never quit caffeine, but one day I realized I needed to make a change. I wasn’t feeling confident and frequently felt sluggish. I set my mind to it and I did it. I finally did it. I no longer rely on caffeine to get me through the day. Want to know how I kicked one of the most commonly used drugs in the USA? Keep reading!

At my worst, I would drink anywhere from 6-10 cans of soda a day. Can you imagine the amount of caffeine that I was ingesting? I replaced water with Diet Mt. Dew. I would buy 2 12-packs a week and would finish those sodas in record time. I knew it wasn’t good for me but I couldn’t stop. When I worked at different bars, I was excited to go in for the free soda. My skin constantly broke out and was experiencing discoloration because of the sugars and caffeine. On top of the cosmetic effects, I was holding in water weight and felt tired and sluggish. It also took a toll on my wallet, considering each 12 pack was anywhere from $4-$5. Now that we know my backstory, let’s talk about how I did it!

One day after watching some inspirational videos, I knew I had to make a change, and a big one. I finally had my head and heart set on quitting caffeine. One of my biggest issues was finding drink replacements. I don’t care for sweet sugar-filled drinks so I knew I didn’t want to drink juice and water forever, so I had to figure out what to replace it with. The first thing I tried was caffeine free diet coke. Come to find out, it is a fantastic replacement to regular diet coke! It tastes the exact same! Now that I found a caffeine replacement, I needed to find something to decrease my sugar intake. I tried zero sugar juices, smoothies, and even tea but none of it really worked with me. I remembered my sister used to drink those packets of Raspberry Iced Tea so I thought I would try that next. I picked up some fruit punch sugar free crystal light and I have never turned back! The sugar free fruit punch is now one of my go to drinks and when I am really craving a soda, I just have a caffeine free diet coke! No caffeine and no sugary drinks. I finally did it, I quit caffeine! Every now and again when we are out, I order a diet coke (if they don’t have caffeine free) and I’m actually experiencing what a caffeine high is! But with every high, comes a crash. Every time I crash from having one diet coke, I remember why I quit caffeine in the first place. Instead of having a soda at restaurants, I now bring one of my fruit punch flavor packs with! As I am writing this with my Ice Mountain (the best water) on my desk, I realize that I have done it, and I feel immensely better.

Not only do I not get caffeine headaches anymore, I don’t feel sluggish! I feel like I have energy to do things! This is a little TMI, but since switching, I don’t have a sour taste in my mouth and it feels fantastic! My skin discoloration has pretty much stopped and I am experiencing little to no acne (also had to figure out a proper face routine). If I did it, I know you can too.

The moral of this story is it’s okay if you fail, as long as you try and try again. When you get back up, you are putting in the effort and if you fail, it’s okay! I am currently trying to cut back on candy and I am not doing very good. Gummies are my guilty pleasure! It can take many times to achieve something and for me it took almost 8 years. With the right mindset, and a little dedication, you can do anything you set your mind too! Quitting caffeine was my own personal goal, what is yours?

Thanks for reading everyone! My job is currently on pause due to the virus so I will be chatting with you all week! If you know someone that needs a little inspiration, send this post to them! What are you hoping to quit/break this year? Let me know in the comments or message me on Instagram @sunshineandseasoning! I have new posts going up this Thursday and Saturday and I can’t wait to chat with you all week! I will also be spending a good chunk of my time on Pinterest so come check out everything I’m in love with! Thanks so much for reading and supporting my page, subscribe if you want to keep up with all my newest posts!

Remember: Good seasoning leads to sunshine!

-Bre 🙂