The Big Caffeine Thread
 

Hi everyone.

I decided to start a discussion thread about caffeine, and see how much opinions we can gather here about it. Mostly always I've thought of caffeine to be an everyday beverage that helped with tiredness, but now... All I can think of it as is a major health hazard.

Here's a short article that's a good read for anyone:
Caffeine Blues

The problem came with caffeine's addictive nature. It is a drug and an addictive substance. This is clearly documented and proven in science. Also the so-called benefits of caffeine have greatly been debunked by science. This left me with the idea or realization that caffeine actually has zero or near to zero benefit. The only benefit is the removal of withdrawal symptoms.

So what do you think about caffeine?

I dont think it about tbh

i drink tea

I also drink tea.
Tea has a third to a half of the caffeine that coffee does so it reduces my intake.
That will do for me for now.
Progress not perfection.....
But i agree that caffeine, excess sugar and others are being shown to have some damaging side effects so moderation is encouraged.
Moderation? Moi!!!
G:)

I only drink coffee, no sodas or caffeinated teas. I have noticed that now that I am not drinking I am more sensitive to the caffeine as I have less to balance out I would guess.
I drink about 2 cups of percolated Italian style coffee in the morning (I think it would be like ordering a cafe latte at starbucks). Very occasionally I will have an espresso after lunch, I'd say once every couple of weeks. Very, very rarely I have one after dinner. Generally I cannot drink any caffeine after 16:00 or I can't sleep, this was also when I was drinking heavily.
When I was drinking I drank much more coffee, probably 2-3 cups in the morning and maybe 1 or 2 more throughout the day.
I haven't thought too much of the negative aspects of caffeine, I suppose I should. I am more worried about sugar, which I eat little of but don't deny myself.
Several years ago I cut out the sugar in my coffee. The first day it was horrible. The very next day, it was ok. By the third day it was great and I could never go back to drinking coffee with sugar in it. I couldn't believe how easy it was to cut out those daily spoonfuls.

I am not going to give you the long explanation about the merits of tea and coffee and indeed caffeine on its own, I will just ask, did you read that author's other titles?


Here they are, some parts bolded for emphasis:


Alternative 3: Evidence that we Landed on Mars in 1962
Reference and Education: Science • Published: September 6, 2006
"Alternative 3" was the final documentary done by the well respected "Science Report" of Anglia Television in England on April 1st 1977. Within an hour of broadcasting the television station issued a hurried statement stating that the show was a hoax. We believe that the film is 95% fake but that 5% of it is the most important footage of the 20th Century and totally accurate. That is the NASA footage of people on Mars. We believe that much of the story is also the truth.

Why Blessing Your Food is So Important
Self Improvement: Spirituality • Published: August 15, 2006
Why not blessing your food can ruin your day

Court Systems Need Existing Truth Technology Now
Legal • Published: August 13, 2006
Our court systems are based on a system that relies on people telling the truth if they swear on the bible. That system is obviously no longer working. Technology now exists called Brain Fingerprinting which can tell if someone is telling the truth. It has been used in court successfully. It's time it was in all courts.


I don't think it's reasonable to assume that author is credible as a source of nutrition and health advice, given the obvious quackery in those titles.

I drink a pot of coffee every morning and maybe a gallon of strong iced tea throughout the day. Maybe I'm missing something but I feel fine.

lol a gallon of coffee. that would put me right in the bathroom for a while.

i heard about the coffee police..im keeping my eyes on those rascals

I don't think it's an aid to withdrawal.. Being a stimulant I believe it makes withdrawal worse!! Just my thoughts..

I think caffeine is a core part of my issues with sleeplessness, poor quality sleep when I do sleep, headaches, anxiety, gastrointestinal issues and stress.

And yet, try as I might.... every day I get up and I have it again.....

It's just like alcohol. I tell myself Today I Will Stop. Then I don't. I tell myself "I'll wean my way off it..."

I make a little progress.... then I'm right back to binging.

I get up in the morning and I'm not sweating and I'm exhausted but relaxed.

I have a cup or two of coffee and my hands and feet are sweating and my heart rate is elevated.

I try to stop - but the headaches I get within a few hours of waking are unbearable.... so I take excedrin with caffeiene and coffee to kill the headache and it all starts again.

I feel like a slave to it.... I intuitively know that overall, it is not contributing positively to me physically, emotionally, psychologically. But I fail to get out from under it.

After I got sober, caffeine and I had to part ways.

I'd say in hindsight, it was a contributor to my first slip. (I was finding the "down" from coffee was giving me hangover-like symptoms - and hey, we know what cures a hangover, right?)

Personally, this is what I had to do. Everyone is different. I just found everytime I reintroduced it, it would bring out alcohol cravings or dire mood swings that of course would star the AV chatting away. Made sense for me to cut anything addictive or mood altering.

I've gone back and forth since getting sober. I'll do really good then slowly start adding more and more to my day. I would definitely say I can't do without it. I don't even have a year sober yet, so I guess I'm waiting until I get more sobriety from other substances before I remove caffeine and cigarettes. I guess you can be an addict with sugar too, but sugar isn't my vice. Caffeine definitely is. Thanks for the post - definitely made me think.

I'm struggling with my coffee intake as well. Most days I'm having about 3. There are days when it could 4/5, depending on how busy and tired I am.
I also drink copious amounts of green/white tea in between those coffees. I have no doubt it is contributing to my lack of "restful" sleep.
Yet, every morning...it's the first bloody thing I do. If I can get down to 2 a day...I'd be happy.

didn't you previously have a different thread about the "dangers of chamomile tea? and STOPPING caffeine?

I enjoy my morning coffee but stop before noon. I drink high octane Caffe Verona, and Italian roast. I now use a flavored creamer, but mix it with some milk. A good cup of coffee in the morning is a pleasure!

Coffee served a ritualistic need for me in getting sober in several ways. First off, it has a flavor complexity and impact on the palette reminiscent of the liquor I used to drink, so early on before the obsession to drink had lifted it served to be a substitute for a "strong beverage" and helped me to miss liquor less. Also, socially coffee gave me a place to go other than a bar to share this beverage with others - i.e. the coffee shop. And since coffee is available at every AA meeting, I also equated coffee (however bad!) with recovery, which was nice. In addition coffee became part of my morning ritual - it provides me a much needed few quiet minutes while it's brewing in the morning to sit, pray and be. So for me the net gains outweigh any health risks, although I am aware of caffeine's ill-effects.

I will say that those with anxiety should watch their caffeine intake, whether from coffee or anything else - can make a person jittery which can touch off a panic attack. Nothing wrong with the debate on the merits/liabilities of coffee. Bottom line is it won't kill me like alcohol will, nor does it make me mentally ill, so I treat caffeine intake like other normal health concerns such as sodium and saturated fat intake.

the ritualistic aspect is big for me too... I work from home and one of my rituals that gives me social interaction with real people - is going to the coffee shop.

and it's a roaster... so when I get there and smell the aroma, even if I SWORE I'd have herbal tea instead.... BAM. Coffee.

And I only drink 2-4 cups a day but they are STRONG cups.

I think I'm hooked on it.

Well, the material and claims in the original book are very well referenced. And those studies are beyond doubt valid scientific research. I don't know about those other works, but I concentrate on this issue.

What comes to benefits of coffee, teas and coffee themselves. For that there is a long explanation for some benefits, or rather the elimination of their validity. Once more referenced studies. I know that some chemicals in coffee and tea can have positive health benefits, but I'm not counting caffeine as one of them, and they can be obtained from non-caffeine sources as well. Nice answer anyway. :)

I only drink tea and have it very weak but drink a lot - maybe ten cups a day. Probably equivalent to 5 normal cups. Which is probably still too much. What are the alternatives though if you don't like juice or fizzy drinks? I should drink more water but it's boring lol

I love love love coffee. Always have! I don't eat sweets, drink sodas, indulge in anything "bad" for me. If coffee is a vice, it is the only one I have and I love it. I do drink a LOT of water. . . it is the only thing I drink other than coffee. Yep, love it and not giving it up.

I need it to get me going. I've been slow to get out of bed since I was a kid. I never liked coffee though so didn't touch it and never thought of using it to help me in the morning.

Now I have one every morning and it gives the spark I need to get going.

I accept it's a drug, but I've been using it for 2 years and it's mostly been positive.