coffee menace
I’ve been drinking way too much coffee this term. For years, starting when I was 19, I was a cup a day person. Then my consumption began to creep up to two cups in the morning, either out of the coffee maker at work and home, or one plus a refill at school. Now this year I’ve noticed I’ve started drinking my two cups in the morning and then a cup in the afternoon the days I’m at school.
Caffeine doesn’t affect me much. I can drink tons of caffeine before bed and go right to sleep. I don’t drink coffee to keep me alert, because it doesn’t make me more alert. I drink it because I love the taste and the comfort and ritual of it. I’ve been wondering lately, though, if I am indeed addicted to the caffeine even if I’m not drinking coffee to wake up. I’ve tried switching to decaf and it just doesn’t taste as good, as full-bodied.
I dislike the idea of being addicted to a substance. I smoked half a pack of cigarettes a day for four years in my early 20’s and am glad I kicked that years ago. So this coffee thing is irking me. Plus, I’ve recently read some horrifying things about coffee I know are true. It really is a worthless poison of a beverage.
So this past week I’ve taken to drinking tea in the afternoons at school - trying yerba matte for the first time and indulging in my beloved peppermint. Anyone else kick the coffee habit and how’d you do it?
SorchaRei said,
February 24, 2005 @ 12:56 pm
I had a 4-cup-a-day habit, and it was clearly going to keep growing. So I just went cold turkey. I do drink some tea, but it isn’t the same.
brad said,
February 24, 2005 @ 4:41 pm
Criminy. Thanks for ruining my day. (Never mind - just caffeine-induced crankiness.) But I gotta tell ya, after reading those links, I’m ordering some teeccino today (http://www.teeccino.com/) and giving up the bean. Or maybe cutting back. On weekends. Except the ones where Ihave to get up early. Maybe. Oh god, I’m pathetic. And to think that I made it all through college and several years as a daily newspaper reporter without drinking coffee. Wasn’t until I got in a bind working two jobs, 16-18 hours a day, that I picked up the habit. We used to swap caffeine-laced chocolates called Turbo Truffles in the parking lot like they were bennies or something. Jeez. Now I’m a many-cups-a-day guy, but I swear I’m gonna quit. Heck, I can quit any time I want. Really.
Jack Bog said,
February 25, 2005 @ 2:39 am
There are some decent decaf coffees out there. Try Peet’s Water Processed Decaf Mocha Java. Make it strong. It may not be the “body” that you’re missing — it may be the caffeine.
Whatever you do, don’t substitute diet sodas wih caffeine and aspartame. Getting off those a couple of years ago is one of the smartest things I ever did. Actually lost weight. Have a Sprite a day; it won’t kill you.
Timothy Klein said,
February 27, 2005 @ 9:39 pm
Ah, I wouldn’t sweat the caffeine addiction at all. Coffee is also a wonderful elixir of a beverage. No really. Several recent studies have shown the health *benefits* of coffee. I have also read Army research on the effects that caffeine has on the body. In short, they are nothing to worry about. If you had a problem, you would know it.
Don’t give up something you love out of some misguided feeling of “if I like it must be bad for me.” There are much worse things than drinking coffee. Cut back a little if need be.
Mike Goodman said,
February 28, 2005 @ 1:14 am
Um, the army? Hardly the people I’d trust with these research matters. I’ve heard some scary stories about what they give to soldiers to keep them alert and fearless at all times.
I’ve been addicted to caffiene for several years. I tried to quit cold turkey recently. I lasted about a week before I caved. I was feeling very anxious one day and decided I just needed to get wired. Reading those articles makes me think I need to quit again. I certainly did notice a difference when I stopped. I felt far more relaxed. But I also just wanted to sleep all day which while nice, wasn’t too conducive to getting my work done, and thus caused me to stressed out. Ergo, back to the large cup of coffee….
Interesting bit about caffiene taking 60 days to leave the system. Maybe the next time I quit I’ll try to go two weeks without the beverage. Then 3, then a month, etc till it’s up too 60 days.. gives me something to shoot for anyway. Though I know come end of the semester it will all be for naught…
Dan said,
March 1, 2005 @ 5:12 am
I’m on the same boat, but caffeine does affect me. When I let myself go I drink coffee all day and never sleep. But then I get bored eventually. I used to be a barista and while that obviously made it easier to drink coffee all the time, it also made it easier to quit when I wanted to. I’d just start drinking something else. Tea’s for wimps…don’t start drinking tea all the time. Mabye here and there. Hot chocolate’s good. And if you’re making your own coffee and the caffeine/health thing is an issue for you, you can put some decaf in when you’re making it.
Wendy said,
May 9, 2005 @ 3:34 pm
I’m the same way - “Caffeine doesn’t affect me much. I can drink tons of caffeine before bed and go right to sleep. I don’t drink coffee to keep me alert, because it doesn’t make me more alert.” And I really want to know why? Why doesn’t it do (to me) what everyone says it does?
I’m also non-addictable to cigarettes. I started smoking 16 years ago, and today, a pack lasts me a few months. Sometimes it’s weeks between drags. I don’t carry them with me unless I’m going to a bar - and they do get stale - but no-matter…
I’ve also found that most drugs (that I’ve tried) don’t give me the usual expected-effect as well. I’ve found this with pain killers, as well as speed/uppers, downers, LSD, vallium, and others.
I’m looking for anyone who shares my uniqueness regarding these… or, any information as to why I don’t respond as most people…
Sorry to babble; so, back to the coffee menace subject - I don’t agree that it’s all that bad… and I recently read: “Coffee may be good for life. A major study has found fewer suicides among coffee drinkers than those who abstained from the hot black brew.” within the FAQs at howstuffworks.com (exact link: http://health.howstuffworks.com/framed.htm?parent=caffeine.htm&url=http://coffeefaq.com/caffaq.html) Under Caffine and your health — studies on the side-effects of caffeine…
Subsist sonsy,
Wendy