I think you gave up giving it up too soon.
I've done the caffeine thing before. I used to drink a pot or so a day. I went to visit my mom after her doctor told her to stop, and so there was nothing but decaf there. I was a zombie for maybe 5 days, maybe less, then everything got back to normal. Caffeine withdrawal seems to get over with pretty quickly.

Washing your hands with soap and warm water is probably not less effective than hand sanitizer, plus your hands also get clean. All soap is anti-bacterial. The gunk in the sanitizer dries and can build up on your skin, but soap pretty much rinses off. They both can dry your skin, although there are effective sanitizers that are alcohol free. Soap and water are cheaper.