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The First World's Biggest Addiction

raptitude.com

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Re: The First World's Biggest Addiction

#11

Post by precisioncoder »

zxcdw wrote: post #5
thret wrote: post #4

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I agree, morning coffee doesn't seem to apply here. Smoking would be a better example.

Strangely enough I started to feel the same with morning tea, until I quit having any. Now I function "normally" even in the morning and can take a "boost"(hardly noticeable) if needed as long as it's not more than a few times per week or so. It still sucks having nothing to sip on though. Taking a glass of water instead helps this somewhat.

I highly recommend drinking a cup of hot water in the morning. Actually at least some of the benefit of a cup of coffee is the warming effect on the body. (Which is why showers are a great way to wake up in the morning) You also can't discount the placebo effect which is equally effective even if you know it's a placebo. Oh also hydration is important for wakefulness. It's also just damn comforting to have a warm drink, especially in the morning. I normally drink 2-3 cups of hot water each morning.

Re: The First World's Biggest Addiction

#12

Post by jon-wood »

cottonseed wrote: post #9
zxcdw wrote: post #5

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Strangely enough I started to feel the same with morning tea, until I quit having any. Now I function "normally" even in the morning and can take a "boost"(hardly noticeable) if needed as long as it's not more than a few times per week or so. It still sucks having nothing to sip on though. Taking a glass of water instead helps this somewhat.

There is conflicting evidence the enhancing powers of coffee, but it seems like it isn't a cognitive enhancer for the kind of activities we're talking about here, and might even be detrimental (tasks that depend on working memory), except maybe for 'suboptimal alertness conditions'. So you're probably better off overall getting a good night sleep and saving coffee for those times when you can't. -Hi, my name is cotto…

> So you're probably better off overall getting a good night sleep and saving coffee for those times when you can't.

Such as when you have a 5 week old baby sharing a bedroom with you. I've never been shy about drinking coffee, but the amount I've consumed in the last month is terrifying. I'm actually trying to be a bit more sensible about it after a horrible caffeine comedown recently, which could have competed with those in my past from far harder substances!

Re: The First World's Biggest Addiction

#14

Post by AlisdairO »

I take the point (and approve) of the article generally, this quote struck me as ill-founded:

> Why drink a liquid that costs a fortune and makes you fall down, unless you believe there is something seriously wrong with what you would otherwise feel like?

Maybe just because it's fun? This almost feels like an appeal to the naturalistic fallacy.

I'm an infrequent drinker (I drink perhaps 3-4 times a year), but when I do I get a kick out of it. I access a different state of mind that's extremely fun to be in. I'm moderately gregarious in general, but after a drink I become extremely outgoing and confident. I probably wouldn't enjoy being like that all the time, but it's a great place to be now and again.

The quote seems to imply that one might change one's mind state simply to escape - which should of course be approached with caution. I just think we should be careful not to lump that in with changing mind state simply for fun.

Re: The First World's Biggest Addiction

#15

Post by zxcdw »

AlisdairO wrote: post #14

I take the point (and approve) of the article generally, this quote struck me as ill-founded: > Why drink a liquid that costs a fortune and makes you fall down, unless you believe there is something seriously wrong with what you would otherwise feel like? Maybe just because it's fun? This almost feels like an appeal to the naturalistic fallacy. I'm an infrequent drinker (I drink perhaps 3-4 times a year), but when I…

I think the quote refers more to people who use alcohol as a form of escapism.

Re: The First World's Biggest Addiction

#16

Post by bryanlarsen »

About 10 years ago I kicked my caffeine addiction. Now:

- the number and intensity of my headaches has reduced substantially

- I fall asleep in about 5 minutes rather than 120.

- I wake up without an alarm clock

- my energy levels throughout the day are regular

- and if they aren't, I can fix it with a 5 minute nap

- because I am no longer tolerant towards it, caffeine makes other drugs such as acetaminophen (aka paracetamol aka Tylenol) and acetyl salicylic acid (aka aspirin) much more effective.

- because I am no longer tolerant towards it, caffeine can be used as a powerful stimulant on the rare occasions when the need of such is a life and death situation. (aka driving late at night)

Kicking caffeine is hard. I recommend quitting gradually rather than going cold turkey, but even so I had a month of crippling headaches. I took time off work to do it. (More accurately, I took advantage of unintentional unpaid leave)

Re: The First World's Biggest Addiction

#17

Post by jkbyc »

basicallydan wrote: post #3

Worth reading to the end. It's not just about coffee, but really about dependence on things which distract us from uncomfortable moments, and why it might be worth trying to reduce dependence on these things.

There's a nice movie that touches the topics of addiction, dependence and dreams: The Congress (2013): http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1821641/

Re: The First World's Biggest Addiction

#18

Post by bryanlarsen »

jon-wood wrote: post #12
cottonseed wrote: post #9

Earlier quoted context omitted.

There is conflicting evidence the enhancing powers of coffee, but it seems like it isn't a cognitive enhancer for the kind of activities we're talking about here, and might even be detrimental (tasks that depend on working memory), except maybe for 'suboptimal alertness conditions'. So you're probably better off overall getting a good night sleep and saving coffee for those times when you can't. -Hi, my name is cotto…

> So you're probably better off overall getting a good night sleep and saving coffee for those times when you can't. Such as when you have a 5 week old baby sharing a bedroom with you. I've never been shy about drinking coffee, but the amount I've consumed in the last month is terrifying. I'm actually trying to be a bit more sensible about it after a horrible caffeine comedown recently, which could have competed with…

I'm so glad I quit drinking coffee before having kids. Being able to fall asleep easily at almost any time is a great benefit when you may be woken up easily at any time!

Re: The First World's Biggest Addiction

#20

Post by bmj »

bryanlarsen wrote: post #16

About 10 years ago I kicked my caffeine addiction. Now: - the number and intensity of my headaches has reduced substantially - I fall asleep in about 5 minutes rather than 120. - I wake up without an alarm clock - my energy levels throughout the day are regular - and if they aren't, I can fix it with a 5 minute nap - because I am no longer tolerant towards it, caffeine makes other drugs such as acetaminophen (aka par…

How much coffee were you drinking a day? I'm curious, because I kicked the habit about a month ago [0], and didn't suffer any ill effects. In fact, I actually felt really good the first few weeks. My habit, though, was relatively mild--I would, at most, have 3 cups of coffee a day.

[0] I am not 100% caffeine-free. I still drink decaf coffee, and will occasionally have a cup of green tea during the day.

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