5 ms·

Do many people temporarily take caffeine regularly? I've been drinking 3 cups a day for most of my life.

philliphaydon 4y ago
95% if my coffee drinking is because I love the taste. The other 5% is due to not wanting a migraine when good coffee is not available. (Like being subjected to instant coffee or Starbucks) I gave up coffee once. But missed the taste. No desire to give it up.
- BossingAround 4y ago
  I suspect liking the taste is somewhat of a Pavlovian response to the effects caffeine once had on us when we were unaccustomed to the effects of caffeine. In other words, I can't imagine many 15-year olds trying coffee for the first time, thinking "this tastes awesome." That'd explain why many people add sugar and milk into the coffee.
  - plonk 4y ago
    I loved the smell of coffee before I started drinking it. The taste takes some getting used to but I liked it the first time anyway. I drink one cup a day with small effects but don't seem to get worse when I stop. It's very different from tobacco, where people seem to hate the first time and start liking it as the addiction sets up.
    - krab 4y ago
      I absolutely love the smell of coffee. However, I don't enjoy drinking it in particular. I like it with a lot of milk and I find the taste of some coffee varieties quite interesting, enjoyable even. But not enough for daily drinking.
  - tetris11 4y ago
    I think there are people who genuinely don't mind the taste, or at least acquire a palette for it. I for instance cannot handle the taste of many German beers. A Pils, sure; an IPA, if I have to; an English Ale fermented in a basement bartub, no problem. But a standard Helles, forget it - I've tried many times, it just doesn't take.
  - brokenkebab2 4y ago
    >I suspect liking the taste is somewhat of a Pavlovian response to the effects caffeine Yup. Let's not forget added sugar however
  - im3w1l 4y ago
    I find I often crave a taste sensation, any will do. Doesn't even have to be a taste I find pleasurable. Kinda to stave off boredom really. Tea (even herbal), coffee, soda or alcohol all scratch that itch.
  - deleted 4y ago
    [deleted]
  - Broken_Hippo 4y ago
    I don't. A lot of things with caffeine in them taste yummy, and the bitterness of coffee appeals to folks (just look at the popularity of bitter cocktails and other foods to see it in play in other areas). Not to mention that a fair amount of folks begin drinking coffee with milk and/or sugar in it - this is especially true if you start drinking coffee by drinking lattes. Plus, there is definitely a social component to drinking it if you are in the right area of the world (tea has some of the same social connections).
    - philliphaydon 4y ago
      I mainly drink black coffee no sugar.
      - Broken_Hippo 4y ago
        As do I - but I started with cream and sugar. I quit using cream and sugar both because black coffee is easier and because I try to drink mostly unsweetened beverages. But not everyone follows our example, and that's really the point. (I'd probably edit to make it more clear, but that time has passed)
      - JoeAltmaier 4y ago
        I wonder if black coffee, which is objectively worse tasting and harder to drink, has something to do with the drinker accepting that it's no longer a social thing but now just feeding an addiction/self-medicating. So taking the 'pill' straight becomes a practical choice.
        tharkun__ 4y ago
        I object to the word "objectively" there. Subjectively to you it is worse. I can't stand coffee with sugar. It's just a sugary drink, not coffee. I drink coffee either black or with a bit of milk - not coffee cream. Coffee does not taste bitter to me. Grapefruit on the other hand I cannot stand. I'll spit that out right away. I would say grapefruit is objectively the worst thing you can eat, yet I have to accept that it's definitely subjective as some people eat it without blinking an eye. Same goes with sour. I love sour stuff and things I drink and eat that are perfect, you might find "objectively too sour", while it's really subjective.
  - necheffa 4y ago
    I add cream and sugar if I'm getting coffee out. At home, I'm drinking it black. Most places, especially ones that don't specialize in coffee, do not properly clean their equipment and prep the brew. If I was just a junkie, I would use cream and sugar at home too.
  - BaseballPhysics 4y ago
    > I can't imagine many 15-year olds trying coffee for the first time, thinking "this tastes awesome." If that's your litmus test then no one would eat (warning: polarizing list approaching) durian or Vegemite or lutefisk. Acquired tastes are a thing. I personally used to hate olives and now I love them, and they don't, to my knowledge, induce positive psychoactive effects that would create a Pavlovian response.
    - philliphaydon 4y ago
      I hated pumpkin as a kid. Now I love it. Especially pumpkin soup.
- Aleksdev 4y ago
  It’s not the migraines from Starbucks. It’s the upset stomach. Starbucks is hard on the GI.
- blitzar 4y ago
  I gave up heroin once. But missed the taste. No desire to give it up.
  - willcipriano 4y ago
    If you know addicts you see this for what it is. You'll find the same excuse from alcoholics.
mirekrusin 4y ago
I do January without coffee and alcohol, recommend.
AdrianB1 4y ago
Yes. For me it is a mild alergen, so I can drink coffee a few days in a row but then I take several weeks of break. I drink coffee when I have a change in schedule, like waking up earlier than usual for a few days for some projects.
kzrdude 4y ago
I did a very healthy 2 year complete abstinence from coffee and it did my sleeping very well. I've been able to go back to controlled amounts of coffee since.
Blahah 4y ago
I can take it or leave it, and only use it as a tool when it's convenient. I will sometimes drink caffeinated drinks several times a day for a week or two (usually when I have to shift my sleep pattern), and then go weeks or months without it.
pengaru 4y ago
I regularly go on and off caffeine, it's far more enjoyable that way. When I never take a break the tolerance completely kills the high, and I treat caffeine mostly as a recreational drug but also as a tool to Get Shit Done when that mode is especially required. A pro-tip I've stumbled across that seems to work really well is to always supplement with Lions Mane. It has two notable effects combined with caffeine: 1. it takes the edge off high doses, I can consume 200+% the amount I normally would before getting really jittery and short-tempered. 2. it seemingly eliminates any withdrawal effects except for the pronounced lower activity level/motivation of the first day, and of course less active bowels. No headaches or any of that hangover-like shit, none. It feels like Lions Mane is a sort of caffeine antidote while still permitting the desirable effects to occur. The combination has made caffeine a much more attractive tool in my life, which I will employ and discard at will without ever thinking about headaches etc. YMMV

95% if my coffee drinking is because I love the taste. The other 5% is due to not wanting a migraine when good coffee is not available. (Like being subjected to instant coffee or Starbucks) I gave up coffee once. But missed the taste. No desire to give it up.

BossingAround 4y ago
I suspect liking the taste is somewhat of a Pavlovian response to the effects caffeine once had on us when we were unaccustomed to the effects of caffeine. In other words, I can't imagine many 15-year olds trying coffee for the first time, thinking "this tastes awesome." That'd explain why many people add sugar and milk into the coffee.
- plonk 4y ago
  I loved the smell of coffee before I started drinking it. The taste takes some getting used to but I liked it the first time anyway. I drink one cup a day with small effects but don't seem to get worse when I stop. It's very different from tobacco, where people seem to hate the first time and start liking it as the addiction sets up.
  - krab 4y ago
    I absolutely love the smell of coffee. However, I don't enjoy drinking it in particular. I like it with a lot of milk and I find the taste of some coffee varieties quite interesting, enjoyable even. But not enough for daily drinking.
- tetris11 4y ago
  I think there are people who genuinely don't mind the taste, or at least acquire a palette for it. I for instance cannot handle the taste of many German beers. A Pils, sure; an IPA, if I have to; an English Ale fermented in a basement bartub, no problem. But a standard Helles, forget it - I've tried many times, it just doesn't take.
- brokenkebab2 4y ago
  >I suspect liking the taste is somewhat of a Pavlovian response to the effects caffeine Yup. Let's not forget added sugar however
- im3w1l 4y ago
  I find I often crave a taste sensation, any will do. Doesn't even have to be a taste I find pleasurable. Kinda to stave off boredom really. Tea (even herbal), coffee, soda or alcohol all scratch that itch.
- deleted 4y ago
  [deleted]
- Broken_Hippo 4y ago
  I don't. A lot of things with caffeine in them taste yummy, and the bitterness of coffee appeals to folks (just look at the popularity of bitter cocktails and other foods to see it in play in other areas). Not to mention that a fair amount of folks begin drinking coffee with milk and/or sugar in it - this is especially true if you start drinking coffee by drinking lattes. Plus, there is definitely a social component to drinking it if you are in the right area of the world (tea has some of the same social connections).
  - philliphaydon 4y ago
    I mainly drink black coffee no sugar.
    - Broken_Hippo 4y ago
      As do I - but I started with cream and sugar. I quit using cream and sugar both because black coffee is easier and because I try to drink mostly unsweetened beverages. But not everyone follows our example, and that's really the point. (I'd probably edit to make it more clear, but that time has passed)
    - JoeAltmaier 4y ago
      I wonder if black coffee, which is objectively worse tasting and harder to drink, has something to do with the drinker accepting that it's no longer a social thing but now just feeding an addiction/self-medicating. So taking the 'pill' straight becomes a practical choice.
      - tharkun__ 4y ago
        I object to the word "objectively" there. Subjectively to you it is worse. I can't stand coffee with sugar. It's just a sugary drink, not coffee. I drink coffee either black or with a bit of milk - not coffee cream. Coffee does not taste bitter to me. Grapefruit on the other hand I cannot stand. I'll spit that out right away. I would say grapefruit is objectively the worst thing you can eat, yet I have to accept that it's definitely subjective as some people eat it without blinking an eye. Same goes with sour. I love sour stuff and things I drink and eat that are perfect, you might find "objectively too sour", while it's really subjective.
- necheffa 4y ago
  I add cream and sugar if I'm getting coffee out. At home, I'm drinking it black. Most places, especially ones that don't specialize in coffee, do not properly clean their equipment and prep the brew. If I was just a junkie, I would use cream and sugar at home too.
- BaseballPhysics 4y ago
  > I can't imagine many 15-year olds trying coffee for the first time, thinking "this tastes awesome." If that's your litmus test then no one would eat (warning: polarizing list approaching) durian or Vegemite or lutefisk. Acquired tastes are a thing. I personally used to hate olives and now I love them, and they don't, to my knowledge, induce positive psychoactive effects that would create a Pavlovian response.
  - philliphaydon 4y ago
    I hated pumpkin as a kid. Now I love it. Especially pumpkin soup.
Aleksdev 4y ago
It’s not the migraines from Starbucks. It’s the upset stomach. Starbucks is hard on the GI.
blitzar 4y ago
I gave up heroin once. But missed the taste. No desire to give it up.
- willcipriano 4y ago
  If you know addicts you see this for what it is. You'll find the same excuse from alcoholics.

mirekrusin 4y ago

I do January without coffee and alcohol, recommend.

AdrianB1 4y ago

Yes. For me it is a mild alergen, so I can drink coffee a few days in a row but then I take several weeks of break. I drink coffee when I have a change in schedule, like waking up earlier than usual for a few days for some projects.

kzrdude 4y ago

I did a very healthy 2 year complete abstinence from coffee and it did my sleeping very well. I've been able to go back to controlled amounts of coffee since.

Blahah 4y ago

I can take it or leave it, and only use it as a tool when it's convenient. I will sometimes drink caffeinated drinks several times a day for a week or two (usually when I have to shift my sleep pattern), and then go weeks or months without it.

pengaru 4y ago

I regularly go on and off caffeine, it's far more enjoyable that way. When I never take a break the tolerance completely kills the high, and I treat caffeine mostly as a recreational drug but also as a tool to Get Shit Done when that mode is especially required. A pro-tip I've stumbled across that seems to work really well is to always supplement with Lions Mane. It has two notable effects combined with caffeine: 1. it takes the edge off high doses, I can consume 200+% the amount I normally would before getting really jittery and short-tempered. 2. it seemingly eliminates any withdrawal effects except for the pronounced lower activity level/motivation of the first day, and of course less active bowels. No headaches or any of that hangover-like shit, none. It feels like Lions Mane is a sort of caffeine antidote while still permitting the desirable effects to occur. The combination has made caffeine a much more attractive tool in my life, which I will employ and discard at will without ever thinking about headaches etc. YMMV