Following on from their recent video where the experimented with giving up alcohol, YouTubers Craig and Chyna Benzine are now attempting to kick another, much more socially acceptable drug: coffee.
While the medical consensus seems to be that coffee, like many things, is fine for you in moderation, Craig feels that he is reliant on it to the point of addiction, and he wants to break the habit. "When I don't drink coffee, my muscles get heavy, I don't want to do anything, I'm basically Jabba the Hutt," he says. "I feel terrible when I don't have it and that doesn't seem good, and historically my sleep has been terrible, and a lot of people say when they quit coffee it cured their insomnia."
The Benzines have already tried giving up caffeine before, but they only lasted a month and they didn't really notice any improvements in their sleep or overall wellbeing, so Craig hopes that by committing to three whole months this time, they'll see more in the way of a measurable result. This time around, they aren't cutting out all caffeine, just anything with a "large bulk dose" like coffee, tea, and soda.
Decaf options are still allowed, so they still get to enjoy the ritual of a cup of coffee first thing in the morning. "It tastes like a cup of coffee," says Chyna. "So much more sustainable."
The first change that Craig notices is that he is suddenly napping much, much more frequently. "Coffee has been masking the fact that I am tired a lot of the time," he says. "I may have slept deeper when I did sleep, because I definitely feel better when I wake up, I feel more refreshed in the morning... But that said, pretty quickly I feel like I could go back to bed."
It isn't until they're nearly two months into the experiment that either of them begin to see any real benefits, which surprises them as they'd expected the side effects to diminish within a matter of weeks. "I still felt lack of motivation throughout the month," says Craig, attributing this to the more psychological impact of going cold turkey than the physical effects. "I want to get things done and be productive in an efficient way, but I'm really lacking focus," he says. "The thing I miss is the energy boost that I feel like I was addicted to."
At the end of the three months, Craig finally feels like the quality of his sleep and his ability to focus have both improved, and they are both content with drinking decaf, although Craig admits he might have the occasional cup of the real stuff if he really needs that boost.
"I like not being dependent on a substance to get through the day," says Chyna. "I've gotten to a place where I feel the same as I did where I was drinking caffeinated coffee, and I still get to drink decaf, which is the best part."
