coffee: to drink or not to drink

[good bird]

This week I decided to quit coffee, and I went rather crazy from withdrawls. At first my mind felt like mud, as days passed it began to whirl with panic. I tried drinking caffeinated tea, didn't help much.

Today I broke down and went to Starbucks, have had about 4 cups of coffee, and I'm feeling much much much much more normal and sane, though speedy. Which makes me think 1.) thank god 2.) if I'm this addicted, perhaps I should quit??

Any thoughts? What are the real benefits of quitting coffee? Is it worth it? I'm really curious...

[Hemlock]

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[Hemlock]

OMG, I've tried so many times Each time, weeks of hideous migraine headaches and falling asleep at 4 in the afternoon. If someone could give me a magic cure I'd be so pleased.
You really need 4 weeks off work so you can spend that time withdrawing from caffeine undisturbed under your duvet.
My next attempt will not be cold turkey, it's way too traumatic - I'm going to try cutting down by one cup a day and reduce the numbers of cups by one each week.
In 10 weeks time it should be in the bag
I guess the benefits are not going crazy when you run out of coffee on a camping trip 10 miles walk from anywhere or (as happened to us a year ago) going to stay with non coffee drinking friends in the wilds of Wales, waking up with a stinking hangover and finding out there is no coffee in the house

[veggiemaya]

OMG, I've tried so many times Each time, weeks of hideous migraine headaches and falling asleep at 4 in the afternoon. If someone could give me a magic cure I'd be so pleased.
You really need 4 weeks off work so you can spend that time withdrawing from caffeine undisturbed under your duvet.
My next attempt will not be cold turkey, it's way too traumatic - I'm going to try cutting down by one cup a day and reduce the numbers of cups by one each week.
In 10 weeks time it should be in the bag

i agree...its too difficult to just cut it out one day completely. i have decided to just cut down. it makes it easier if you do that slowly, until you can finally almost stop all together. cut down to one cup less per day maybe. baby steps, right?

[Maisiepaisie]

I rarely drink caffeinated drinks, however I'm considering digging out my old coffee machine again. The last few times I've had coffee its curbed my appetite a little, which is good. Is caffeine an appetite suppressent I wonder?

[sponge]

I believe that caffeine is a slight appetite suppressant.

I never have symptoms when I quit drinking coffee. For me, I think it's more of a habit to sit down and drink it to begin my day, and decaffeinated coffee serves this purpose just as well as regular. I think it depends on the individual as to whether you have withdrawal symptoms or not.

[xrodolfox]

There is no benefit to coffee other than to mask the symptoms of too little sleep... and masking those symptoms isn't ideal either.

There are so many good reasons to quite... not to mention generally supporting an economic system that generally promotes poverty and single crop rotations in Africa and Central America. Coffee, generally speaking, isn't good for labor, humans, the environment, and least of all the person who drinks it.

Cut down. Or quit. Life is much better without it.

[Maisiepaisie]

There are so many good reasons to quite... not to mention generally supporting an economic system that generally promotes poverty and single crop rotations in Africa and Central America. Coffee, generally speaking, isn't good for labor, humans, the environment, and least of all the person who drinks it.

I didn't realise it was bad for the environment. What about fairtrade? Is that harmful to the environment?

[sponge]

I do choose fair trade, shade-grown and organic when I buy coffee.

[good bird]

Good to know I'm not alone--

[rainbowcarousel]

I had a huge shock the first time I tried to cut out caffeine - headaches, nausea, and the tiredness OMG it was awful.

I've pretty much been reducing it for the past 6 weeks by a couple of cups every 2 weeks, and I've gone from drinking 10-12 cups of tea, to maybe 3-4 in a day. I do still need the morning one to start me off but I want to get onto green tea, trouble is I don't like it that much but I found a green tea/black tea blend (60:40) which is pretty nice, and I'm hoping to bridge the gap with that, so to speak, until I can go 'green tea' fully.

[ellaminnowpea]

Oh God! I've gone back and forth on this issue since I was 17! I started drinking a ton of coffee in college...last year the culmination of about 6 coffees each day. I cut out coffee a couple times for different reasons. First, I did it cause I was using it as a meal replacement since it does really take away your appetite = not healthy!! I started up again a few months after that. Then quit again when I was getting so much caffeiene that I developed anxiety and insomnia. My arm muscles would twitch all night long and I could never sleep! I started up again when school started again... same thing. Then I quit again when I started interning cause I didn't have the time to drink coffee on the job. I recently started up again since college courses just started a month ago.

Anyway I think I justify drinking it so much (lol) because:
1. It's usually fair-trade.
2. It helps with my chronic fatigue.
3. It helps with mental clarity = better studying = better grades.
4. I could be doing much worse things - drinking alcohol, doing drugs, etc. I know, not much of an excuse but still!
5. energy for going to the gym
6. NO headaches when I have it!
7. I don't drink artificial sweeteners, eat animal products, drink much alcohol, eat preservatives, etc so I should be allowed my ONE vice!!

hehehe well yeah... I think it's okay to drink it in moderation. The "medical community" recommends no more than 500mg of caffeine each day.

[snivelingchild]

What are the real benefits of quitting coffee? Is it worth it? I'm really curious...

YES!! Caffeine has terribly detrimental effects on the body.

It wears out your adrenal glands by forcing them to produce extra hormones for as long as it's in your system.

It leaches bone minerals from your skeletal system.

Fewer oxygenated blood is circulated to all of your extremities, including your brain.

It dehydrates your body.

It can double your risk of miscarriage (and should be avoided completely during pregnancy and nursing, as the child gets the same effects).

It can cause migraines, and reduce your body's ability to cope with stress long term, because it releases the anti-stress neurochemicals so much.

It unbalances female hormones particularly, causing major PMS symptoms and endometriosis.

It disrupts the digestive process.

While caffeine does increase your metabolism by increasing the amount of fat and sugars released into the bloodstream, this increases cortisone levels, making you CRAVE fats and sugars more.

It can cause mood swings, and make anxiety or depression worse.

If you take it for help with exercise, it causes fatigue and muscle soreness after a few hours.

If you think caffeine is all right in small amounts, try going 2 months without it, and then eating a small amount of chocolate. I can almost guarantee you will get a migraine.

Your body quickly builds up a resistance to caffeine, making you take more and more of it for the same effects, increasing the negative effects it has on the body. I used to drink 3-4 energy drinks a day, where each one had the caffeine of 5 cups of coffee. Now I can barely tolerate chocolate. I'm so glad I've given up chocolate, though. It's REALLY worth it. It's really not good for you, even in moderation, just the same as dairy and meat aren't good for you in moderation. Just because the side effects are lessened so that they aren't "serious" doesn't mean it's good.

Oh, and coffee actually makes a hangver WORSE, not better! Try water instead.

[Roxy]

This week I decided to quit coffee, and I went rather crazy from withdrawls. At first my mind felt like mud, as days passed it began to whirl with panic. I tried drinking caffeinated tea, didn't help much.

Today I broke down and went to Starbucks, have had about 4 cups of coffee, and I'm feeling much much much much more normal and sane, though speedy. Which makes me think 1.) thank god 2.) if I'm this addicted, perhaps I should quit??

Any thoughts? What are the real benefits of quitting coffee? Is it worth it? I'm really curious...

You might find this thread really helpful:
Giving Up Coffee

[cedarblue]

must admit to a lovely single espresso decaf after eating out today

[sugarmouse]

I have coffee for brekkie. I have it weak though, I think it is the warm drink I liek rather than the coffee..I never crave it or anythign.

[cedarblue]

.. i read that apparently cardamon is a traditional ayurvedic antidote to the caffine in coffee. anyone tried chewing on a seed or two?

[harpy]

I don't know about that but cardamom in coffee is delicious.

I gave it up a few years ago and switched to green tea for a while which meant I didn't get the withdrawal headaches. Now I can have the odd cup of coffee without any apparent ill-effects (famous last words!).

[good bird]

I don't know about that but cardamom in coffee is delicious.

Must try this!

A note: I've had about 5 cups of coffee today (aaahhhh) and am speedy speedy... Much more so after quitting for a week. There must be some kinda healthy balance--Coffee Only When Necessary. I still want to quit, but not if the lack makes me suicidal Incredible, the difference it makes... I suppose for a vice, coffee isn't too bad...?

[Orange-powered]

I think coffee is awesome, though I rarely drink it - Its a treat I think, a bit like chocolate really, but what I do find is that it affects me a lot more these days - raises my pulse to an even more insane level than it normally is, sleeplessness, whereas when I used to drink it more often it didnt affect me the same -interesting. But I dont think I could switch to decaffeinated - it just isnt the same. Good luck if ur trying to quit, or maybe just lessening it would be easier than going cold turkey?

[Orange-powered]

I love vanilla and/or almond syrup in lattes....mm, sorry I'm probably not helping!

[veganlinda]

I quit drinking coffee and tea about 17 years ago and it gives me the shakes if I drink it now. There is a still a caffeine kick to be had from chocolate if you really need it. Warm water and lemon is more natural boost to your body to start the day. I kind of recommend getting enough sleep and eating properly though and not needing the boost!

I miss the milky drinks so drank coffee substitutes or decafe for ages. I just drink lots of roobosh/redbush tea now though (an African caffeine free tea-like beverage).

[Roxy]

I really do like my morning coffee. I like a flavoured soy latte for the occaisional treat.

[KrissStress]

I gave up coffee a few years ago after I quit my barista job - I've since defected to a cup or two of tea a day (helps keep the Grim Reaper away from what I've heard)...

[eve]

I wish the assistants in the coffee shops here had barista training. Well there is one cafe where the soya latte is delicious, and they are all trained, but they charge over the top in my view. But I don't take coffee every day.

[Anik]

Coffee & I have a love/hate relationship; I used to consume though venti Starbucks along with a few regular lattes for a couple of years but noticed I'd have a major "come down" affect which would leave me feeling insanely sleepy etc, plus I was relieing heavily on it as a means to supress my appetite because I was so busy. Anyway I started having funny heart palpataions/panic attacks & I don't think/know if it was coffee related but I pretty much cut it out of my diet for a while, switching to green tea. I seriously feel so much better for doing so as tea slowly awakens you wheras coffee is like a hit then a drain. Plus I've got a lot more cash considering soy costs extra etc. Oh & my skin looks better as I suffer from mild acne...I still drink Starbucks occasionally but mainly the iced coffees as these are piss weak anyway.

[emzy1985]

I don't drink the stuff cuz it's toxic. I'll have a green tea occasionally but mainly stick to water and homemade juice.

[Russ]

I quit drinking coffee and tea about 17 years ago and it gives me the shakes if I drink it now.

looool ... I get the same thing with WINE ... or I just SIT IN THE CAR looking upset while a sprightly VBB LAUGHS at me ...

As for coffee, giving up isn't really an option ... a couple weeks back I woke up and impulsively decided I'd quit. Biggest fail ever. I felt really irritated whenever anyone said anything, felt really tired and grouchy ... after I'd caved in I felt so much better.
It's only one cup a day ... I'm pretty sure that living in/near London alone does me more damage than the caffeine I'm sure my body is used to coping with by now ...

[Pilaf]

This week I decided to quit coffee, and I went rather crazy from withdrawls. At first my mind felt like mud, as days passed it began to whirl with panic. I tried drinking caffeinated tea, didn't help much.

Today I broke down and went to Starbucks, have had about 4 cups of coffee, and I'm feeling much much much much more normal and sane, though speedy. Which makes me think 1.) thank god 2.) if I'm this addicted, perhaps I should quit??

Any thoughts? What are the real benefits of quitting coffee? Is it worth it? I'm really curious...

You have to give yourself a good two weeks away from any addictive substance to really recover from the affects of withdrawel.

Caffeine is the most commonly abused drug in the entire world. People rely on it for energy, but I've personally been off it for quite a while and feel better than ever. The problem with a dependency on it is that people try to replace things crucial to energy levels such as working out and sleeping with the coffee. It produces an artificial energy and a great strain on the nervous and cardiovascular systems.

I'd say quitting coffee would be a great step, especially if you feel you can't live without it. That's your body telling you that there's a problem.

[sandra]

I love coffee............but I only have one cup a day, not to limit my intake but just because it's all I feel like.

There are so many conflicting studies about coffee...........one day it's good for you and the next it's bad!

[snivelingchild]

Yeah, it basically tells your body that you're under a huge amount of stress (in the "fight or flight" sort of reaction) for 6-8 hours from coffee in the morning. If you continue drinking it through the day, it'll last about the whole time your awake. Can you imagine how bad for you being under that much stress is? That's what coffee's doing. I think we all know how much health is related to stress levels. Who would want to be stressed all day?

Like anything you build a resistance to, phasing out to lower leves of caffeine is easier. Try and develop a two week plan of reducing your caffeine intake, then the following two weeks of no caffeine should be a bit easier. The worst withdrawal symptoms happen in between 24 and 48 hours, so if you make it through that, remember that the rest will be much easier.

Scroll down this page to find out amounts of caffeine in different teas and coffees.

[snivelingchild]

There are so many conflicting studies about coffee...........one day it's good for you and the next it's bad!

Nothing in coffee is good for you, there are just studies that say drinking it in small amounts isn't THAT bad. Well, I think that's speculation. If anything is bad for you in large amounts, and you can easily survive without it, why have it in small amounts.

I get mad whenever I hear about studies that 'prove' that red wine, eggs, and other things are good for you. They contain chemicals that are good for you, along with some that aren't. In practically every case, those 'good' chemicals can be found in much safer sources. The antioxidants in red wine can be found in the red grapes they're made from.

Drinking in moderation is not actively 'good' for you. It just thins your blood every day (if you drink everyday) to prevent a bloot clot (leading to heart attack or stroke). This is, of course, only if you have a poor diet that raises your cholesterol. It's the same as taking an aspirin every day, which my sister the nurse SWEARS is good for you and every person should do it every day. Preventing something from a condition you have is not as good as preventing the condition.

[Corum]

I guess the benefits are not going crazy when you run out of coffee on a camping trip 10 miles walk from anywhere or (as happened to us a year ago) going to stay with non coffee drinking friends in the wilds of Wales, waking up with a stinking hangover and finding out there is no coffee in the house

... luckily there was a corner shop nearby that had a coffee vending machine!

Having no coffee in the house is bad when you've got a hangover!

[Healthy]

I quit coffee for four years, then this past summer I'd have an occasional cup (like once every other month or something) ... I love the taste, but like someone else said, it's a treat.

Strange, though, it used to make me hyper and shaky in my younger day (this is when I did a lot of my creating, when I wrote short plays and poetry performance art things, coffee was great for keeping me writing until 4 a.m.!) ... now it either makes me tired or doesn't do anything for me at all ... I miss the coffee high I used to get ... I wonder why I don't get it anymore?

[Russ]

Ahhh ... the shakes come with the territory ... being a student the most obvious solution is that I balance it out with an EVEN MORE LETHAL drug ...

[sandra]

[quote=snivelingchild;418401] If anything is bad for you in large amounts, and you can easily survive without it, why have it in small amounts.


A lot of things are 'bad for you' in large amounts though. I read one time of a woman dying because she drank too much water!
I just think one or two cups of coffee a day isn't going to kill you, our bodies are probably under far more stress from breathing in the polluted air we have to live in.
At the end of the day life is too short to worry, my mum and dad drank loads of coffee all their lives and they both lived well into their 80's!
Plus, they were both smokers!

[ellaminnowpea]

I would agree with a lot of people. It is definitely not healthy to put your body under the constant stress of high levels of caffeine. I also think that moderate amounts are fine -- around 2 or 3 cups max each day. Right now I'm doing well and hovering around 3-5 cups each day. I hope to quit again when the semester ends. As of now, I know it will take me quite a while to quite completely. Last time it took three months for any symptoms to disappear. And that was with proper hydration, exercize, sleep, etc... it just takes a long time for me and giong through that during the long nights of studying and long days of working is not going to do me any benefit.

[mjnewbould]

[
Quote sandra A lot of things are 'bad for you' in large amounts though. I read one time of a woman dying because she drank too much water!
I
Well yes - water can be pretty dangerous - it is not for nothing that throughout history no one ever drank water!

Basically we see a few people die each year from water poisioning (results in brain swelling). The big problem is that it is too hypotonic. this is OK if you are fully concious and alert but can be a major problem if you are not. essentially if you need hydration the water must have something in it to make it is less hypotonic.

But to get it into proportion it is only a few that die from water- far more die from alcohol!

[sandra]

Too true mjnebould, far more do die of alcolhol poisoning................although I did have a bad experience of hydrocephalus myself as a child! So, I know what it's like first hand!
The example I gave of the woman who drank too much water was a sad case of someone who thought that water could rid her of cancer so she continuousily drank large amounts of water which resulted in her death.
The point I was making was that it is best not to worry too much about things like an odd cup of coffee in life.......................there are far more pressing things to worry about!

[harpy]

Seems to me some people are fine with coffee and others are less fine. When I stopped drinking it every day my PMS symptoms seemed to get a lot better, and I didn't get as many headaches around that time of the month. If I ever start drinking significant amounts of coffee (e.g. on holiday) I seem to get more headaches again.

So I try not to have it very often, but I know there are plenty of people who don't get headaches or PMS even though they drink coffee regularly

[sandra]

I have to confess, I'm drinking a cup of coffee right now with my toast!
I hope I'll survive the day!
I shouldn't really be sarcastic............sarcasm is the lowest form of wit after all!

[Roxy]

I gave up coffee a few years ago after I quit my barista job - I've since defected to a cup or two of tea a day (helps keep the Grim Reaper away from what I've heard)...

I must be tired. When I first read that, I thought Kriss said:

"I've since defecated into a cup or two of tea a day."

I had to go back and re-read it twice!!

[sandra]

Going back to my point about everything being 'bad' for you in large amounts, it is indeed the case that drinking too much water can kill you. It is called hyponatremia. When someone consumes too much water for their body to regulate, it causes a critical loss of sodium.
Generally speaking, the liquid part of the blood (blood plasma) starts rising and diluting the salt content, even as the body is leaching salt by sweating.
So, as far as drinking 1 or 2 cups of coffee a day.............I'm not going to worry too much!

[mjnewbould]

I agree entirely with harpy and sandra - I'm sure some people are sensitive and some people are OK. personally I quite like it but it took me ages to be able to like it and I don't drink it everyday. Still even at my age (50s) I still find a lot of the coffee that one buys from places in the high street a bit strong. I have to say I don't think I could do proper expresso. I have them make a specially weak Americano with Soy Milk that's just about OK.
Sandra - what a sad story about the woman who though that water could cure her cancer. In fact people who have some of the side effects of cancer are told to drink water to help them. My sister died of cancer and she did get one of the complcations (a high calcium). Her oncologist told her to drink "several" litres of water each day meaning one-two litres - she misheard and thought he said "seven" litres - which she had a bit of trouble doing - luckily she came to no harm from that and the mistake was quickly sorted out -she did what he said - got some releif from the symptoms and died when her time came a year or two later

[sandra]

I'm really sorry to hear about your sister mjnewbould, and I didn't know that people with cancer are told to drink water to offset the side effects.
I think the woman I read about actually thought that water could somehow clear the cancer from her body, so she drank it obsessively.

Like yourself, I don't like coffee to be too strong. I think though I'm addicted to the smell of coffee.............each time I open a new jar I have to stand for a few minutes just sniffing the delightful aroma!

[aubergine]

Ahhh ... the shakes come with the territory ... being a student the most obvious solution is that I balance it out with an EVEN MORE LETHAL drug ...

Cake?

Be wary of it's effects on Shatner's Basoon!

[Marrers]

I drink one cup of coffee most days but really feel no effect from it and feel no different without it. Coke doesn't affect me at all either.

But if I have a couple of coffee shop lattes (or one very large latte) I can sometimes get stomach ache.

And a few sips of red bull made me feel very ill the other day - in fact I almost vomited. (Red bull also makes my sister sick.)

[dreamqueen]

I remember reading somewhere that quitting coffee cold turkey, if one drinks a lot of it, can actually cause seizures so it's really best to wean off it slowly.

I'm now caffeine free and have been for about 6 months. I actually feel much more alert than I ever did on it. Peppermint tea increases mental alertness as so supergreens like spirulina and EFA oil blend mixes and none of these stress out the adrenal glands.

Sometimes I miss the deliciousness of coffee but I can't go back because I get addicted way too easily!

[snivelingchild]

If anything is bad for you in large amounts, and you can easily survive without it, why have it in small amounts.

A lot of things are 'bad for you' in large amounts though. I read one time of a woman dying because she drank too much water!

Note the "you can easily survive without it" part. I'm not trying to convince everyone to give up caffeine, I'm just saying that if you're trying to have a healthy diet, then caffeine shouldn't be a part of it. Many people enjoy things in moderation because they don't want to give it up, but don't want SERIOUS health effects of it. For example alcohol, marijuana, trans fats, pesticides, and parabens in skin products.

I just have a different dogma. I try and cut out anything harmful that I can easily live without. That's one of the reasons I'm vegan. I definately consider caffeine (as a psychoactive substance) to be as serious, if not moreso than the substances listed above. It has effects in the brain similar to antidepressent medication. It actually IS a pesticide, and paralyzes or kills insects. That's plants with it grow so well. It has even been shown to have short term negative effects on short term memory, thus not making it conductive to late night study sessions. So many people don't realize the effects of caffeine, and I simply want to let other people know, especially if they want to improve their diet.

Anyway, there's a good book on the effects of caffeine called Caffeine Blues, if anyone's interested.

[xrodolfox]

I'm going to back up snivelingchild.

I have a similar philosophy about what I consume... but that doesn't mean that if you consume differently a person is evil or unhealthy. My partner, the person that I share children with, consumes coffee daily.

However, knowing what it is, what it does, and whom it affects outside of oneself is quite different than consuming coffee without any prejudice.