Is it bad that I need coffee?

binary visions · Mar 5, 2007

3-4 cups a day is a lot, IMO. And I love coffee.

I used to need 2 cups to get started in the morning and would often have a cup in the afternoon. I made a conscious effort to cut back, though, because it started ruining my weekend mornings - I wouldn't be able to function. When I cut back, I noticed I was more awake the whole day instead of crashing at around 2:00 and needing a cup.

Now I have one cup in the morning, most days. If I miss a day, I notice that I'm a little slower first thing in the morning but within an hour I'm back up to speed. Weekends I have none. I still love coffee and will drink it most times that I have the opportunity, but I'm glad I don't have that crutch any more.

BadDNA · Mar 5, 2007

Sounds a lot like my problem with coffee. I've been weaning myself off of the high-test and trying to drink a lot less. I've been drinking, on average, 24-72oz of regular black coffee daily and I can be a real bear when I don't have at least one cup. I've been experimenting lately with a blend of half decaf when I brew it at home which is 95% of the time. Aside from the initial adjustment period I've been sleeping better, actually have more energy during the day and have been a lot less irritable. I certainly don't see any reason why cutting down the caffeine intake can be a bad thing for anyone, if you decide to I wish you the best of luck with it.

H8R · Mar 5, 2007

Sounds like you need to drink stronger coffee.

binary visions · Mar 5, 2007

2 large coffees per day, assuming you're talking about a pretty standard large, is 40 ounces, or about 5 "standard" cups of coffee.

OGRipper · Mar 5, 2007

I have a problem with alcohol. I can't get through the day without 3-4 strong drinks. I need a drink first thing in the morning or I am pretty useless, then I need more booze at different times during the day to keep my alcohol level "topped off." I know it's bad for me but everyone does it.

Sound like a problem? What's the difference?

(PS: I'm down to two cups a day and I try to reach for the decaf as much as I can.)

SkaredShtles · Mar 5, 2007

OGRipper said:
I have a problem with alcohol. I can't get through the day without 3-4 strong drinks. I need a drink first thing in the morning or I am pretty useless, then I need more booze at different times during the day to keep my alcohol level "topped off." I know it's bad for me but everyone does it.

Sound like a problem? What's the difference?

(PS: I'm down to two cups a day and I try to reach for the decaf as much as I can.)

For one thing, coffee doesn't impair your ability to drive heavy machinery, does it? :think:

DRB · Mar 5, 2007

SkaredShtles said:
For one thing, coffee doesn't impair your ability to drive heavy machinery, does it?

It all depends on your definition of impair.

OGRipper · Mar 5, 2007

SkaredShtles said:
For one thing, coffee doesn't impair your ability to drive heavy machinery, does it?

Ahhh, but if you NEED coffee to operate that machinery, I'd say you have a problem, just like any other junkie who can't function without a fix. If you need a drug to normalize, it might be time to take a closer look at what you're doing.

Whether you want to do anything about it is another question. I mean, as vices go coffee is not that bad.

SkaredShtles · Mar 5, 2007

OGRipper said:
Ahhh, but if you NEED coffee to operate that machinery, I'd say you have a problem, just like any other junkie who can't function without a fix. If you need a drug to normalize, it might be time to take a closer look at what you're doing.

Whether you want to do anything about it is another question. I mean, as vices go coffee is not that bad.

Yeah - that's a good point. Coffee is like booze for me. I like it. I can take it or leave it, but I'd rather take it.

SkaredShtles · Mar 5, 2007

sanjuro said:
<snip>
I think I have been justifying my coffee consumation by that I don't drink coffee on the weekends.

stevew · Mar 5, 2007

SkaredShtles said:

I think consumption was the word he was looking for.

Ciaran · Mar 5, 2007

You're going to die anyway. Might as well be wired.

SkaredShtles · Mar 5, 2007

stevew said:
I think consumption was the word he was looking for.

I think consummation is much more...

interesting? :confused:

SkaredShtles · Mar 6, 2007

sanjuro said:
Constipation

Now we *know* the coffee isn't to blame for that.

I Are Baboon · Mar 6, 2007

*raises hand*

Proud coffee addict here. I like coffee. It tastes good and feels good going down. If I had to choose between giving up beer and giving up coffee, I'd give up the beer.

OGRipper · Mar 6, 2007

I Are Baboon said:
*raises hand*

Proud coffee addict here. I like coffee. It tastes good and feels good going down. If I had to choose between giving up beer and giving up coffee, I'd give up the beer.

BLASPHEMER!!!

I'd be ok with beer and tea.

Westy · Mar 6, 2007

I'd give up beer and coffee before giving up cheese.

mogulskr · Mar 6, 2007

I Are Baboon said:
*raises hand*

Proud coffee addict here. I like coffee. It tastes good and feels good going down. If I had to choose between giving up beer and giving up coffee, I'd give up the beer.

I have given up beer since 1st, actually that's a little off. I have 2 beers after basketball on Wednesdays, but still drinking the coffee. 3rd (10 oz) cup today. There will be one more probably in the afternoon.

Should I be looking into some sort of 12 step program?

TN · Mar 6, 2007

I quit cold turkey & have been off the junk now for a while now...although I did have a 1/4 of a cup today & it buzzed the $hit outta me.

I feel a lot better since not depending on the black stuff & I sleep like a baby on most nights now, but I do miss the tingly scalp sensation.

trailblazer · Mar 6, 2007

Right now I am at work drinking a cup of hand picked Blue Mountain. During our latest tour we stayed at Whitfield Hall Hostel at 4200' in Jamaica's Blue Mountains. This 350 year old haven is the last stop of humanity on the way to the summit and also the hand picked headquarters of the worlds best beans before they head downhill to Mavis Bank.
My 15 pounds of beans were rosted by hand in a 100+ year old hopper after being hand picked above 4500'.
I can only tell you that there is an amazing taste of the sweet beans and they are not dark allthough the taste is full and nutty with an aromatric aftertase. Also the beans contain 2/3 less caffine than beans sold in North America. I have no idea why but I can say that aquiring the coffee as I did was the only way to get real Blue Mountain coffee as the beans are imediately shipped to China and Japan where they get $100.00US/lb. for them.
At Whitfield they boiled a huge pot with whole beans and then let the whole beans steep for 6 hours and then we woke up and Chippy re-heated the huge vat. It was ti die for. Having that much less caffine allows me to drink more joe and not get the zippy/cabbiness that I get from Starsux or Sit and slurp.

ito · Mar 7, 2007

sanjuro said:
Do I have a problem with coffee?

Just tip your barista and I don't think you'll have any problems with your coffee.

I work at a coffee shop in a hospital and I gotta say, alot of those folks are wired pretty hard (surgeons tend to drink decaf though to avoid shaky hands). Personally it isn't that bad of a habit, I've even started to enjoy a cup or two throughout the day, but it isn't anything I NEED. Really what I need is more sleep.

I would look at how you feel when you wake up and if you are resting well. If you aren't then I'd look at changing your sleeping pattern and seeing if you can drop the coffee habit.

You work at a shop right? For the sake of the other mechanics, don't drop the habit right away.

The Ito

llkoolkeg · Mar 7, 2007

trailblazer said:
Right now I am at work drinking a cup of hand picked Blue Mountain. During our latest tour we stayed at Whitfield Hall Hostel at 4200' in Jamaica's Blue Mountains. This 350 year old haven is the last stop of humanity on the way to the summit and also the hand picked headquarters of the worlds best beans before they head downhill to Mavis Bank.
My 15 pounds of beans were rosted by hand in a 100+ year old hopper after being hand picked above 4500'.
I can only tell you that there is an amazing taste of the sweet beans and they are not dark allthough the taste is full and nutty with an aromatric aftertase. Also the beans contain 2/3 less caffine than beans sold in North America. I have no idea why but I can say that aquiring the coffee as I did was the only way to get real Blue Mountain coffee as the beans are imediately shipped to China and Japan where they get $100.00US/lb. for them.
At Whitfield they boiled a huge pot with whole beans and then let the whole beans steep for 6 hours and then we woke up and Chippy re-heated the huge vat. It was ti die for. Having that much less caffine allows me to drink more joe and not get the zippy/cabbiness that I get from Starsux or Sit and slurp.

Lucky bastid. I love that stuff even more than Kona but it is so damned expensive. I have not purchased any in bulk since college when I added a pot to a steeping wort of malt. I was brewing up a 5 gallon batch of stout and it became Blue Mountain Coffee Stout...arguable the best batch I ever brewed. Only my Milka Chocolate Stout drew more accolades from my buddies. Ahhhh the bygone days of college when money was for naught but spending frivolously.

Qman · Mar 10, 2007

OGRipper said:
(PS: I'm down to two cups a day and I try to reach for the decaf as much as I can.)

An engineer friend was telling a composting story. He had a healthy compost going in the backyard, great worms, always put coffee grounds in the compost etc etc.
One night they had a dinner party so decaf was served. After putting those coffee grounds in the compost, all the worms died.

Is it bad that I need coffee?

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