Some people have coffee. Doron Zeif had Dannon coffee yogurt.

For nearly 40 years, the lawyer in West Orange, N.J., started his day with the creamy concoction. "It's what I got out of bed for," Zeif says.

The withdrawal has been severe since Dannon discontinued the flavor, known to its most loyal fans as "DCY."

For a slice of the population, the coffee yogurt was the best part of their day. After all, each 5.3-ounce cup contained about 32 milligrams of caffeine, or about a third of an 8-ounce cup of coffee. The 11 grams of added sugar also didn't hurt.

The most devoted fans ate several containers a day. Some bonded with others who shared the same weakness. When shortages arose, they exchanged tips on the Dannon Coffee Yogurt Fanatics Facebook page about how to find "the magical mixture."

Lisa Signorelli, a retiree in St. James, N.Y., took extreme measures to feed her own "50-year obsession."

"I'd wipe out everything on the supermarket shelf, whatever I could get my hands on," she says.

Then she'd ask if there were more in the back.

"You want one or two?" staffers would ask.

Her reply was always the same: "I want the whole case."

The yogurt was "creamy and sweet, yet perhaps a bit tart," says Miriam Feller of Lawrence, N.Y. "Like a pudding treat."

Yes, fans were aware there were healthier options. They didn't care.

"It was the taste, but it was also the consistency," says Marc Hollid-Ausset, chief executive of the CM Performing Arts Center in Oakdale, N.Y. He amped up the experience by mixing in crushed pretzels or Ritz crackers.

"I'd eat one or two spoonfuls, and then add the toppings," he says. "It was just the perfect yogurt."

Then, just like that, it was gone. Earlier this year, Dannon stopped selling the product.

Hollid-Ausset suspected he was in trouble when he couldn't find his yogurt at the local market. There were empty spaces in the yogurt sections of other stores, too.

"I started Googling it--that's when I discovered the bad news," he says.

Family members worried about how fanatics would cope.

"Don't tell Mommy," Feller's daughter posted on a family chat -- excluding Feller -- "but we have bad news."

Feller's son-in-law started a petition asking Dannon to reconsider.

More than 800 DCY addicts have signed it. Others have called the company to complain. They commiserated in the Facebook group and sought advice on Reddit about how to replicate the flavor.

Dannon told devotees its decision was final, without providing an explanation.

"While we understand the disappointment some may feel, we hope our loyal coffee yogurt lovers enjoy the many other delicious and nutritious alternatives," said Rafael Acevedo, president of its yogurt division.

The company, which also owns Activia, sells other flavored Dannon yogurts, including vanilla, blueberry and strawberry.

None compare to coffee, devotees say.

For them, Dannon's move is one last affront. Over the years, the company has eliminated flavors, including cherry, while shrinking its containers -- from eight ounces to six to 5.3.

Those cramped containers weren't conducive to a spoon, says Hollid-Ausset. "But we stayed loyal."

When Signorelli heard the news, she bought as many DCYs as she could find.

Zeif got his hands on 75 yogurts, which he stored in a freezer. He searched local spots, finding one in Passaic, N.J., with over 20. He went back three times.

"I was waiting for curious looks, but I didn't get any," Zeif says. "To be safe I went to the self-checkout."

Now he faces a different dilemma: When should he dip into his precious stash? He initially limited his indulgence to special occasions, like a birthday, but that was too infrequent. Zeif settled on slow Sunday mornings and other occasions when he knew he'd have time to savor the treat.

"It takes planning, though," Zeif notes. "I have to put it in the fridge to defrost, but you can't put it there too far in advance" or the yogurt will go bad.

Many who've already been forced to wean themselves off the habit are on the hunt for alternatives.

Hollid-Ausset asked -- fine, pleaded -- with Dannon to "at least release the recipe and let us make it ourselves." It wasn't willing.

Hoping to lift his spirits, actors and others at his Long Island theater gathered to try to find a recipe that might hit the mark.

"They couldn't get it right," he laments.

Signorelli landed on a combination of Greek yogurt, cappuccino powder and agave syrup. Karen Kraus Cohen, a DCY addict in Walnut Creek, Calif., mixes Trader Joe's plain nonfat yogurt with coffee ice cream. "Adjust the ice cream amount to the sweetness you remember," she recommends.

Others have resorted to Icelandic Provisions Cold Brew Coffee Extra Creamy Skyr or a coffee yogurt made by Mehadrin, a kosher brand.

"It's passable," Zeif says. "I wouldn't call it close."

It may have to do. His stash of DCY is down to 63.

There might yet be hope for the addicts. Last week, as this story prepared to publish, Dannon provided additional comments indicating executives may have had a change of heart. The news might not satisfy connoisseurs' cravings for their beloved yogurt, however.

"Dannon Coffee Yogurt will come back," Acevedo said, "in ways that reflect the taste preferences, flavor profile and nutritional benefits many consumers seek in the yogurt aisle today."