Cutting out the Caffiene

Okay I'm looking to remove caffiene from my diet because it combined with my eating habits (soon also to be changed) have me stacking on alot more weight than I would like. My problem is that without caffiene by like 2pm even if I've gotten a full nights rest I'm tired and want to go to sleep. This is of course not an option as it ruins my sleep schedule and also is not possible on the nights I work till 10pm. I know its not really a solution if you substitute one bad thing with another but I need to either a) find a safe and suitable substance to keep me awake and alert in the evenings, or b) a way to up my energy level without medications and such so that I'm not drowsy when I drive home from work. Any suggestions to accomplish this?

I have cut down from 4-5 strong cups a day to less than one. I used to have 2-3 in the morning and then one large one in the afternoon. I did it by slowly 'weaning' myself from it. First, I replaced the afternoon cup with a considerably smaller one. Then I cut the morning down by 1/2 cup for a week, then another 1/2 cup, and so on, untill I was having 1 small cup in the morning, and one small cup in the afternoon. Then I made them a little weaker.

Then I replaced my afternoon cup with a caffeinated tea (Good Earth to be precise) Then one day, I just skipped the tea. Many mornings I just want the taste and little jolt that the first few sips of coffee gives me and then I'm done and I toss the rest. I stay up sometimes till 11 no problem even without afternoon tea.

If I'm feeling particularly tired, I'll make tea and drink half of it. The reason you feel tired in the afternoon is probably because you normally have coffee then. Your body is asking for it.

Don't be fooled into thinking that you can't stay awake without it. Just wean yourself slowly and be patient. And don't be afraid to have a little tea in the afternoon sometimes.

I did quit caffiene for a while (about three or four months) but I could only stay awake in the evenings for a drive home by drinking enough water that I had a strong urge to pee the entire drive home, and that was the only way I was able to stay awake.