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Originally Posted by DarkDays
(Post 3777566)
Oh please ! It's freezing cold outside and snowing and iam sitting here having a lovely steaming frothy hot coffee as I read the papers etc. 3/4 cups a day is that bad ? Seems to do me no harm whatsoever, not gonna fight puke or miss work , so maybe it's ok :) |
NO--unlike alcohol I do not do anything illegal, immoral or dangerous while consuming coffee |
Originally Posted by ScottFromWI
(Post 3777565)
There are those that can become addicted to caffiene and it can cause fairly significant withdrawal symptoms too ( headaches, nausea, muscle pain,etc.. ) It's probably not as destructive of a drug as alcohol can be to be sure, but addiction is additiction. Making light of it in a forum specifically designed to help those with addiction issues may not be in our best interest. No offense meant to the OP, I do know that caffeine can cause higher anxiety and problems in some people. Everyone reacts differently to it. |
I partially agree with you. Any stimulant in high doses is bad for you. I drunk a lot of coffee and I still love my cup in the morning. I am always careful not to overdo anything. I believe I can get addicted to many things so I am very cautious myself. For example I love diet coke and I know it is bad for you. I try to regulate and keep it to once a week now. Similar with coffee. Once cup in the morning and no more during the day. My blood pressure is back to normal since I implemented that rule. |
Absolutely no offense meant toward the original poster, and I am sorry if it was taken as such. If coffee is a problem for some people, then it should be avoided. I just do not think anyone ( including "scientists" ) can put it on the same level with alcohol and drugs. Yes, caffeine is a "drug".... but it's Not a benzo. I just think we need to keep our sense of humor about some things, folks. We are alcoholics, but IMHO, we do not need to be so SERIOUS about everything. I gave up alcohol, Xanax, am in the process of trying to give up sugar, and wheat ... all things which I believe to be harmful (some people do not. I am fine with that opinion).....I am also working hard to give up anger and resentment and hosility. Also harmful. I work at all this every single day. Just don't take my away my coffee. |
None taken my brothers and sisters! I love coffee as much as the next person. I'm on my 7th cup already! It's just that my intuition tells me there's more to it than what meets the eye, than what most doctors are aware of even. I figured I'd get better medical insight here, from real people, than say the Student Doctor Network. |
I'm addicted to coffee, so what? It causes no problems. To much of anything is not good for the human body. Hell, drinking to much water can kill you. It's just another one of God's gift to mankind. I can sit back, relax, and enjoy a great cup of coffee at home. I can hang out with friends in a coffee shop. I can even drink coffee all night to keep me alert when doing double shifts at work and not have to worry about any issues from caffeine. It's a non issue for me. That said, I roast my own beans. Talk about some good coffee. |
Originally Posted by ScottFromWI
(Post 3777565)
There are those that can become addicted to caffiene and it can cause fairly significant withdrawal symptoms too ( headaches, nausea, muscle pain,etc.. ) It's probably not as destructive of a drug as alcohol can be to be sure, but addiction is additiction. Making light of it in a forum specifically designed to help those with addiction issues may not be in our best interest. I mean no disrespect to your viewpoints when perceived as "making light if it." Things are kind of heavy right now, so I need some lightness. But I take your point about the best interest of this forum. |
Originally Posted by Change4good
(Post 3777641)
Admittedly, I was flip Scott. You are absolutely right. . .it can be addictive, and it can be harmful in large doses. I mean no disrespect to your viewpoints when perceived as "making light if it." Things are kind of heavy right now, so I need some lightness. But I take your point about the best interest of this forum. |
No harm, no foul Scott. Most of us (myself included) are pretty thick skinned around here. Hell, you should venture on over to the "AA is not for me" thread. Great example of people agreeing to disagree, all while honoring the forum rules (well, with a little help from our mighty moderators.) |
Obviously it's nowhere near as bad as cigarettes or alcohol but it is still a drug. If I have too much caffeine I get really bad anxiety. It took alcohol 10 years to cause bad anxiety in me... Fortunately I can cut my caffeine intake down in a way I could never do with cigarettes or alcohol! x |
Originally Posted by Change4good
(Post 3777689)
No harm, no foul Scott. Most of us (myself included) are pretty thick skinned around here. Hell, you should venture on over to the "AA is not for me" thread. Great example of people agreeing to disagree, all while honoring the forum rules (well, with a little help from our mighty moderators.) Anonymity and the internet are great tools but also allow people to say things they never would ( or should ) in public. I do not envy the job of the moderators here, or on any message board for that matter. Regardless, SR is a great place and I value the thoughts & support of all who give it in earnest. I hope I can contribute and help as well. |
I totally get were you are coming from & I recently gave up coffee because it was causing heartburn. Sure, it is a drug & is definately addicting but I don't think it is detremental to ones health. I would rather someone drink coffee than take a pill or worse. I don't remember there being too many coffee shops as a kid, so yes, I think you are on to something. |
Originally Posted by Elisabeth888
(Post 3777526)
Oh, and I don't have to hide to drink coffee. You won't find coffee in my closet in a coat pocket. I love coffee, (I get up at 5AM for work)..I do high octane early in the day...4-6 cups...I adore my Keurig, with the flush feature, the cinnamon color, the sexy names for the k-cups....but come 10 or 11AM, I easily switch to herbal lemon tea only for the rest of the day. If i had been able to stop the booze like that, i would not be here! |
Coffee and tv.....easily. I've seen so much, I'm going blind and I'm brain dead virtually. Natom. |
Coffee in large amounts causes anxiety, so in a sence it can be harmful but nothing like alcohol. I gave up coffee easily and rarely think about it now, I wish I could say the same for alcohol. |
It's true though. I know for me, the thought of giving up coffee now freaks me out completely! I know I would feel like cr@p for quite a few days and not sure I'm ready for more withdrawals just yet. It is a crutch for me. Something in my hand/mouth caffeine kick. Definitely addicted but at the moment it's a better option that Valium/codeine/morphine/oxycodone/alcohol/meth/speed/LSD/heroin/ecstasy/pot/cigarettes! I definitely need to address it down the track though. I think this is a good post, thanks to the poster. |
Coffee, chocolate and a good book 3 of my favorite things |
Originally Posted by timbrodie
(Post 3777472)
To the coffee plant, caffeine is a poison that it uses to protect itself against predators. To us humans, caffeine is a drug. It's a drug that the Western world has built much of its wealth around. The people who profit from it today are among society's elite[1], with ties to government and state controlled media. They indirectly establish coffee associations that sponsor movies and TV series that feature coffee, as well as universities that conduct research that speaks favorably of coffee. Any criticism is largely downplayed. A large-scale Danish study, however, polled more than 80.000 pregnant women regarding their coffee intake. This study found that women who drank large amounts of coffee during pregnancy were more likely to experience a miscarriage. It's a serious drug. We're all hooked, but nobody wants to admit it. I know from personal experience that anything which gets you high or boosts your performance by unnatural means, will "take from that which does not exist" like a bad loan. Hence my question - from a scientific perspective - when trying to recover from drug and alcohol abuse, will caffeine slow down or prevent the body from recovering? Is it like trying to avoid a hangover by drinking more the morning after? Thank you! [1] Like here in Sweden, the owner of one of the country's largest coffee breweries was recently elected mayor of one of its largest cities. Does caffeine slow recovery? I know of an analogy, that I have also pondered: morphine and cancer. My first wife died of cancer. Morphine killed the pain, but it also took a toll on her body and soul. It slowed down her body--so did it not also slow the cancer and prolong her suffering? We make choices, sometimes well-informed, sometimes not. |
Comparing my withdraw of caffeine and alcohol, caffeine was much more physically painful. The amount of coffee I was drinking was insane as I raised two kids on my own, worked, and was working on my masters. Until very recently my high alcohol intake was more of weekend binge type of thing. On the other hand when I was through with the physical withdraws with caffeine I was good. I am on day 12 with no alcohol, and I keep trying to convince myself 1 or 2 beers would not be a problem, yeah right. I don't think this craving will ever go away. |
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