quitting coffee

[jpc]

Has anyone had success quitting coffee? Any tips?

I am an addict and I have several days off of work.

This music describes the rationale pretty well

[instantkamera]

tea

[zefrer]

Tea contains caffeine..

[keyboardlover]

That seems like a tough decision. I recommend thinking about it a little more. Maybe over a cup of coffee.



Seriously it seems like it would be tough. I've been drinking coffee every day for pretty much the past 5 years.

[instantkamera]

Tea contains caffeine..

exactly ... start with black teas, or even oolong. They contain more caffeine than other teas, but less than coffee generally per volume (depends on the leaves and how long/hot you steep it).

Then go to greens/whites. They have significantly less caffeine (but still some). Green teas are great, and you can get some rather delicious green blends. Use loose teas, as they taste better than bagged. Also, Im not sure how tied to the ritual you are. Generally, drip coffee(or store bought) doesn't really involve with a ritual, where as espressos/lattes and even french press have a very addictive preparation ritual. I find tea to be good in this way, when preparing your own loose leaf tea, you can sort of get wrapped up in the preparation to the point that you start to forget about previous addictions.

An alternative is red bush tea (aka rooibos), it is a very delicious drink that is not technically a tea and thus contains no caffeine. There are other "tisanes" as well that are similar (but I find those too gimmicky/fruity).

hope that clears up my response.

[hoggy]

You could try gargling with salty warm/hot water - works if you're feeling snackish, might help.  Don't go cold turkey - allow yourself a treat now and then.

If you limit yourself to vending machine coffee, you might have a reason to give up just there.

[Half-Saint]

Quitting coffee has been scientifically proven to be impossible

[zefrer]

hope that clears up my response.

Yeah, that makes sense I don't know tho, if you keep drinking tea you're still addicted to caffeine. With the way caffeine addiction works you are likely to start drinking more and more tea, so you might not have decreased your caffeine intake at all.

Me I like to get beans and make my own coffee. Get some smooth and light beans that won't have you shaking like Ray Charles.

[keyboardlover]

Why quit coffee anyway? I was under the impression that it's not really 'bad' for you (in moderation anyway).

[Fwiffo]

The reason you'd use tea is to cut off your consumption gradually. It has enough caffeine to prevent withdrawal headaches, but it's still a lot less than what you were getting from coffee. You can keep stepping down your consumption until you can wean yourself off completely.

You can do the same thing by just counting how much coffee you drink, then drink 1/2 cup less each day, but I think tea is easier.

It's not that hard to break caffeine consumption if you have time off of work. Other than the feeling to "need more coffee to stay alert at job" caffeine withdrawal is mostly just headaches, and it takes just a small dose to prevent those.

[jpc]

I'm thinking about going back to one cup per day, and then substituting diet cola.

Diet coke has 35mg of caffeine per hit, vs. 100+ per hit of coffee, so that seems like a good step down.

Coffee makes me anxious, nervous, restless.

When I first started using, it made me feel smarter. I can see all the code I need to write! I can set things on fire by staring at them! That effect vanished over time.

[Scarzy]

First of all, instantkamera, nice to see another green tea drinker, is there a tea forum or anything?

Luckily I'm too young to have ever been addicted to coffee/tea. However, I was addicted to coca-cola for quite a time which was horrible. I used to buy 1/2 cans every day, and my teeth have suffered for it (plus my pocket, 2x60px5=£6.00 a week at least). You may want to add up how much you spend on coffee, not sure if you go to starbucks or what.

It wasn't so much my teeth that made me stop, it was the fact that I had a caffiene addiction, and the fact that I didn't want to spend so much a month on a drink with such a high chemical count, when I can have water from the tap for next to nothing.

I then started drinking green tea, not brewing it correctly to start with, so thought it was horribly bitter. Started reading up on it and realised I was doing it wrong... oops. I think quitting something that's part of a routine is hard, but finding a substitute is what needs to be done, i'd take instantkamera's advice if I were you.

How many cups a day?

[jpc]

That seems like a tough decision. I recommend thinking about it a little more. Maybe over a cup of coffee.

lol

[muchadoaboutnothing]

Coffee itself isn't bad although large amounts of caffeine can be. The jury is still out on whether coffee will let us live to 100 or kill us.

I spoke to my doc recently and I've been having a ton of headaches for years. Finally he asked me to cut caffeine out of my diet as much as possible. And it has helped substantially. I went from daily headaches that were pretty severe (Excedrin Migraine) to once or twice that I take Advil for.

He said regularly timed caffeine is tolerated better by the body. For instance, if you have a cup of coffee every morning to wake up (which I still do), your body gets used to it and the coming down from the caffeine "high" gets lessened (your body compensates).

Caffeine is addicting and your body gets used to large amounts for the positive effects (the more caffeine you drink, the more your body gets used to it, the more you need to get the same effect) but not the side effects.

Anyhow, I'm not saying coffee is evil, or caffeine. If you like it, enjoy it.

[Scarzy]

I'm thinking about going back to one cup per day, and then substituting diet cola.

Diet coke has 35mg of caffeine per hit, vs. 100+ per hit of coffee, so that seems like a good step down.

Coffee makes me anxious, nervous, restless.

When I first started using, it made me feel smarter. I can see all the code I need to write! I can set things on fire by staring at them! That effect vanished over time.

Diet Cola is AWFUL for you. Don't do it. Detox on green tea/water. Most of us are dehydrated.

[jpc]

Diet Cola is AWFUL for you.

Even just temporarily, like for a couple of weeks?

I don't even like the taste of Diet Coke! That's part of why I was thinking it made sense as a step down, it should be easy to step away from.

'Course if it's my daily hit I'll probably start liking that taste.

[Scarzy]

Hmm, do you have instant or brewed coffee? I just wouldn't recommend going for cola anymore, I have a treat of like 1 can at weekends, but that's all I like to drink. I had a period of drinking one 2ltr bottle in a night of gaming, and you feel bad for it, trust me.

I'd really recommend trying to drink water. I tried the 'volvic challenge' of my own over summer (2ltrs per day, tap water) and I felt great, coupled with exercise. Water is amazing once you realise that hydration > taste.

However, I did urinate a lot

[instantkamera]

The issue with cola's are that they are very addictive in their own right, and are horribly non-nutritious.

I drink two teas a day TOPS, and those are greens (plain chinese green tips or gunpowder w/ mint (Moroccan style) or jasmine) or green blends (green walnut and green caramel from teaguys.com are my faves for now).

I can go without with no problems, even though green does contain some caffeine.

[didjamatic]

It helps to have a pregnant wife that projectile vomits if she smells it.  

Diet Coke is an easy replacement, has no sugar so you don't get Type II Diabetes and enough caffeine kick to get you through.

Or, go with good OJ or other whole juice, it's a really good boost in the morning.

[Rajagra]

I stopped drinking coffee and tea for a month just to see what effect it had. I didn't notice any difference at all. There is far less caffeine in our drinks than we expect. I think only those who are hyper-sensitive to it will ever notice any difference.

There was a great Auto Express article about how useless most coffee was for keeping you awake at the wheel:

Motorway coffee too weak for tired drivers

    New research shows motorway service station coffee is so weak that a drowsy driver would have to drink 11 pints to ward off fatigue.


    Of 25 service stations tested, not one served coffee strong enough to keep a driver awake for the recommended two hours, the motoring magazine Auto Express found. The weakest had so little caffeine you would need nearly a gallon and a half to wake yourself up, while even the strongest, a double espresso, would take half a pint to deliver the necessary kick-start.

    David Johns, the editor of Auto Express, said the research showed that government advice was "highly misleading". He explained: "There are more than 100 sizes, varieties and makes of coffee sold to hundreds of thousands of motorists every single day. The bottom line is there’s absolutely no way of telling how much caffeine you’re getting in what you buy."

    Dr Louise Reyner of Loughborough Sleep Research Centre, said her experiments on a driving simulator showed that 160 milligrammes of caffeine could revitalise a dozy motorist for up to two hours. But not one of the cups of coffee bought by Auto Express at motorway service stations came anywhere near that. The strongest, from Costa Coffee at Sandbach services on the M6 in Cheshire, had less than half the necessary dose, while the same double espresso from Strensham services on the M5 had only half the caffeine of its Sandbach counterpart. Dr Reyner said: "The problem is that consumers cannot tell how much caffeine they are getting. There’s nothing written on the cup or anywhere at the point of sale, so they can’t possibly know if the coffee will have the desired effect."

    Furthermore, price is not a reliable guide to caffeine levels, although the two cheapest cups, from McDonald’s and Burger King outlets, were in the bottom three for strength. An espresso from a self-service Coffee Nation machine at the Membury Welcome Break site on the M4 cost only £1.30, but it had a caffeine level 15 times higher than a £1.89 Costa Coffee latté from RoadChef’s Woodall services on the M1.

    This year, the Department for Transport launched a campaign advising motorists to drink two cups of coffee every two hours on long journeys to combat fatigue, as a quarter of serious crashes are "sleep-related". Yesterday, a spokesman for the department insisted: "We are not saying coffee is a panacea. It should be seen as part of the whole package of measures, including taking a rest."

    Mark Kitson, of Costa Coffee, said: "Caffeine levels can vary between coffee beans by up to 100 per cent. But we are not aiming for consistent caffeine levels - we are trying to make the best-tasting coffee each time."

[zefrer]

Depends on your existing consumption level Raj. If you're already addicted I guarantee you will definitely notice

Coffee is one of the most addictive substances known to man. Research has shown that people can get addicted by regular use within just a week.

[lyndon243]

Depends on your existing consumption level Raj. If you're already addicted I guarantee you will definitely notice

Coffee is one of the most addictive substances known to man. Research has shown that people can get addicted by regular use within just a week.

I agree with you dude...

[Rajagra]

Depends on your existing consumption level Raj. If you're already addicted I guarantee you will definitely notice

Well I have coffee in front of me almost constantly. I drink it all day long. But clearly I'm not addicted to it as I gave it up for a month easily. I must be one of the people with high tolerance to it. To me it's more of a 'comfort drink' than a stimulant.

[keyboardlover]

Hu sounds like a smart dude...would be a shame if he types on a rubber dome...

[Lanx]

You can quit coffee, you will NOT feel better. I've quit coffee for almost 2 years, everyday i wake up and take 2 advil cuz i have the post coffee quitting headaches. Yea you basically get caffeine withdrawal, and it can last forever. I haven't gone one day waking up w/o this same nagging headache since i quit coffee.

i've found 5hr energy to be a good supplement of not wanting to go postal, i take one when i wake up then another mid day or something. I do this everyday just to function, and buy 5hr bottles online once a month (a 5 box, 12bottle supply). You can't take 3, 5hr a day or you'll got batsh**, i tried it once and i felt like i was gonna hafta catch my heart.

i found this decent website, scroll down for cafeine withdrawal.

If you get regular 6month dental cleanings your dentist will be amazed, mine was and he said that the improvement was imense but in his 20years he's only ever had 1 other person quit coffee, he's seen more ppl quit cigs than anything (of course usually if you do cigs then you also drink coffee).

http://www.caffeinedependence.org/caffeine_dependence.html

[TexasFlood]

Has anyone had success quitting coffee? Any tips?

I am an addict and I have several days off of work.

This music describes the rationale pretty well

Quit coffee?  That's crazy talk...

[TexasFlood]

You can quit coffee, you will NOT feel better. I've quit coffee for almost 2 years, everyday i wake up and take 2 advil cuz i have the post coffee quitting headaches. Yea you basically get caffeine withdrawal, and it can last forever. I haven't gone one day waking up w/o this same nagging headache since i quit coffee.

i've found 5hr energy to be a good supplement of not wanting to go postal, i take one when i wake up then another mid day or something. I do this everyday just to function, and buy 5hr bottles online once a month (a 5 box, 12bottle supply). You can't take 3, 5hr a day or you'll got batsh**, i tried it once and i felt like i was gonna hafta catch my heart.

i found this decent website, scroll down for cafeine withdrawal.

If you get regular 6month dental cleanings your dentist will be amazed, mine was and he said that the improvement was imense but in his 20years he's only ever had 1 other person quit coffee, he's seen more ppl quit cigs than anything (of course usually if you do cigs then you also drink coffee).

http://www.caffeinedependence.org/caffeine_dependence.html

If you're really addicted, you'll probably get some withdrawal headaches.  Once you're clean and off, you can start taking caffeine again and get a bit more kick out of it, :wink:.

[wellington1869]

Quitting coffee has been scientifically proven to be impossible

they say there is the chemical addiction on the one hand, and the physiological addiction on the other. By 'physiological' they mean bodily and cultural habits. The habit of holding a cup in your hand, or identifying coffee with a "break", or the socializing aspect of drinking coffee with someone. Those are all part of the 'habit' too, and would need to be broken as well. This is why breaking habits is usually so difficult, its not just the chemical addiction (to caffeine or whatever) but a whole "nest" of addictions that have to be broken at the same time, else you'll find yourself 'springing back' to the habit.

I have a friend right now who is trying to quit. He's tried unsuccessfully several times before.  For me, I dont see the need to go cold turkey, so long as I'm not over-doing it.

[wellington1869]

anyone ever try 'quitting' geekhack? same thing.

[jpc]

However, I did urinate a lot

That's one of my motivations for quitting coffee!

Oh hang on... I'll be right back...

[Findecanor]

I am a coffee addict. I try to limit my intake to one or two cups à day, wtih milk. I have tried to quit on numerous occasions, but it has never lasted for more than a month. Each time, I have substituted the drink with tea or hot chocolate milk.

I sometimes get tired from drinking coffee, and I think more often when I have had coffee right after lunch or dinner. Coffee is bad for the intake of iron, and as a vegetarian I don't have as much iron in my diet as omnivores.

[hoggy]

I currently drink around 15 mugs of tea/coffee a day - and I sleep like a log.

I cut back a year or so ago to 2 mugs - with the rest decaf - hoping that I'd realise some health benefits.  I was motivated, and I felt proud that I had the will power so I only cheated by having a third once or twice.  After a couple of months I noticed that I didn't feel any better, and I wasn't sleeping as well so I relapsed to my previous level of 'usage'.

I agree with a lot of the advice here, switch drinks and come down gradually.  There are many flavours of tea out there that you could try.

Oh, and just don't buy coffee - if you don't have it, you can't make it.  If you must have coffee, buy some complete and utter rubbish - the cheapest, foulest, nastiest stuff you can find - supermarket own brands are a good start - but there are worse out there...

Good luck

[zmurf]

Bah! There's no problem stopping drinking coffee. I drink approximately 5-10 cups a day. But every year I go trekking for 2-3 weeks. And then I don't drink any coffee for that entire time. No problem at all. No brain pain or tiredness.

Why stop drinking coffee? It tastes great and is not illegal.

[lowpoly]

You can quit coffee, you will NOT feel better.

Not true.

I quit coffee 2 (3?) years ago and I feel much better. Caffeine makes me nervous. No caffeine, no nervous. I'll never ever go back. So, whether you feel better or not is individual.

Quitting was quite easy. Just tired for a couple of days. After that I didn't miss anything.

If I want a hot drink, I drink hot chocolate. Contains caffeine too in tiny amounts but no effect, at least for me.

[microsoft windows]

Geez. Sounds like a lot of you guys have never quitted smoking. A lot of people I know did..

[didjamatic]

The best I ever felt was when I didn't drink much caffeine at all, maybe a can of pop every week or two.  I slept better, was more focused, less stressed and definitely had more sustained energy through the day.  Stimulants produce artificial energy and then you crash.  It's a fact and there's really no way around it.  I quit coffee years ago and that was the best I felt, then I slowly started drinking more and more diet coke until now I'm drinking too much and my energy levels are lower as my intake increases.

If you just have caffeine once in a while, it's a boost, but if you habitually have it, then it's more of a long term drain than a boost.  Not lecturing, just what I've found to be true for me personally.  Do what makes you happy and works for you.

I also quit smoking.  It was the hardest thing I've ever done.  Well, except for looking at Steve Jobs tucking in his shirt without a belt.

[jpc]

Years ago when I was a college kid, working a minimum wage job at the campus TV station, one of my coworkers there had done all kinds of drugs. Drugs I'd never heard of. Shrooms, acid, cocaine, speed...

He said, "Never touch a cigarette. Cigarettes were the only thing I got hooked on, couldn't stop."

[TexasFlood]

Years ago when I was a college kid, working a minimum wage job at the campus TV station, one of my coworkers there had done all kinds of drugs. Drugs I'd never heard of. Shrooms, acid, cocaine, speed...

He said, "Never touch a cigarette. Cigarettes were the only thing I got hooked on, couldn't stop."

I've heard that, right up there with heroin and crack.

[TexasFlood]

Not true.

I quit coffee 2 (3?) years ago and I feel much better. Caffeine makes me nervous. No caffeine, no nervous. I'll never ever go back. So, whether you feel better or not is individual.

Quitting was quite easy. Just tired for a couple of days. After that I didn't miss anything.

If I want a hot drink, I drink hot chocolate. Contains caffeine too in tiny amounts but no effect, at least for me.

The best I ever felt was when I didn't drink much caffeine at all, maybe a can of pop every week or two.  I slept better, was more focused, less stressed and definitely had more sustained energy through the day.  Stimulants produce artificial energy and then you crash.  It's a fact and there's really no way around it.  I quit coffee years ago and that was the best I felt, then I slowly started drinking more and more diet coke until now I'm drinking too much and my energy levels are lower as my intake increases.

If you just have caffeine once in a while, it's a boost, but if you habitually have it, then it's more of a long term drain than a boost.  Not lecturing, just what I've found to be true for me personally.  Do what makes you happy and works for you.

I also quit smoking.  It was the hardest thing I've ever done.  Well, except for looking at Steve Jobs tucking in his shirt without a belt.

Years ago when I was a college kid, working a minimum wage job at the campus TV station, one of my coworkers there had done all kinds of drugs. Drugs I'd never heard of. Shrooms, acid, cocaine, speed...

He said, "Never touch a cigarette. Cigarettes were the only thing I got hooked on, couldn't stop."

I know you guys are probably right, intellectually I know it.  But yet....  It's time for another cup of fresh ground Kona! :wink:.

[ch_123]

Never got into Coffee. Spent a lot of time trying to get myself off Coca Cola. I get relapses with that stuff and all..

[Rajagra]

Why do people assume you need some kind of fancy replacement if you stop drinking coffee? When I stopped tea and coffee I drank water instead. It's a fine drink. You get in the habit of drinking it the same way you did coffee. You actually enjoy it!

Best quote I ever heard about canned drinks: "the water they contain is excellent." Everything else in there is junk you don't need.

[Rajagra]

Garilc tastes great, but doesn't smell too good to people around you.

[unicomp]

If one finds the smell (and the taste of the smell) to be nearly vomit-inducingly disgusting (and I haven't thrown up in at least 10 years - there is very, very little that makes me feel like hurling), is that generally a sign that it would not be a good thing to attempt to drink?

I should imagine so given that a lot of the notion of 'taste' is formed from what is perceived as 'smell'. However if it was sufficiently appealing then one might attempt to taste some coffee; in reality the worst outcome is likely to be vomiting and even this is fairly unlikely.

As for the appeal, I am not a coffee drinker however I do like the smell a lot, I conjecture that there is somewhat of a societal attraction. Coffee is a drink that is well known and seems to, in certain settings, have a positive social connotation; one can reach into the echelons of the successful and cool young business people by simply purchasing some ridiculous coffee-derivative from Starbucks, sounds good to me. I suppose that the vast variety in coffee and the method of preparation add to it a sort of class and perhaps mystique which other drinks, including stimulant drinks, fail to compete with. It is all conjecture, I do find it rather interesting that coffee manages to have such popularity, there must be a reason for this.

Garilc tastes great, but doesn't smell too good to people around you.

Arguably it is the intrusion of the rather pungent (but not necessarily poor) odour that is off putting. I like the smell of garlic however it is not nice to have to smell the pungent breath of a person who has recently indulged their garlic cravings; perhaps one is reminded that one must, in the course of one's social interaction, come into contact with the breath of others. I don't find the notion that this breath is coming into my airspace to be appealing however it is probably not noticeable unless some strong smelling agent is present within said breath.

[jpc]

Coffee is a drink that is well known and seems to, in certain settings, have a positive social connotation

I'll often ask a lady out for coffee.

Me: "You like coffee? Yeah, so do I. It really helps you wake up. Maybe we should wake up together some time?"

[Keymonger]

All this talk about caffeine has made me think. I drink a lot of black tea, sometimes green, and I love it. I had some issues with concentration so I once did an experiment to see if drinking tea had an effect on stuff that required concentration. I drank tea one day, and rated my concentration. Next day I drank no tea, rated my concentration again. It went on like this for a few weeks. I saw that there was no difference. But maybe I did it wrong... a day is perhaps not long enough for caffeine to get out of my system. A better experiment would be, a week tea, a week no tea, for a few weeks.

I do crave for tea lately, quite badly. My day isn't right without a few cups of piping hot black tea. Yum! I should also look into some medical research into caffeine. I suspect though that this isn't a huge issue, especially because tea has less caffeine than coffee. I never got into coffee.

[keyboardlover]

Betel Nuts!  You'll find them throughout asia.

Betel Nut Beauty Outside Taipai

Show Image

I had them mixed in some chicken that an Indian friend of mine made. They made me feel stoned.

[Rajagra]

Betel Nuts!  You'll find them throughout asia.

Betel Nut Beauty Outside Taipai

Show Image

She looks familiar. How did she serve the betel nuts?

[RickyJ]

If I don't get my morning dose of coffee I'll have a headache by the afternoon.  Day 2 is painful.  Carafe a day keeps the angry clowns away!

I have switched from raw plantation sugar to hot chocolate powder though, still sugary but less of it. :ballchain:

[nanu]

Never got into coffee. I'm revisiting green tea, however, after four years.

I always assumed that your inability to quit caffeine without torturous consequences is probably because your lifestyle isn't suitable without it (something else must change, be it less work/stress or more sleep).

That's what caffeine does right? Just acts as a clever substitute to suppress that feeling of impending death that you otherwise didn't fix (by sleep debt recovery most likely).

[1839cc]

I've been drinking strong black coffee since I was 3 years old. I never felt an energy boost or anything. I just really like the stuff.

I'd rather have no coffee than weak coffee. I've gone several weeks without it for that reason and never felt any difference.

[8_INCH_FLOPPY]

From what I hear, it either prevents cancer, cures disease, and grants immortality, or it causes brain damage and a shortened lifespan.  Researchers haven't decided yet.

[RickyJ]

I always assumed that your inability to quit caffeine without torturous consequences is probably because your lifestyle isn't suitable without it (something else must change, be it less work/stress or more sleep).

That's what caffeine does right? Just acts as a clever substitute to suppress that feeling of impending death that you otherwise didn't fix (by sleep debt recovery most likely).

Um, no.  It's a stimulant for our central nervous system, a psychoactive substance.  The effect leading to dependence/tolerance is it dampens/blocks adenosine (a neurotransmitter chemical) receptors, so your body counters this by increasing the number of the receptors in your nervous system, thus developing a tolerance to caffeine.  Remove the caffeine, and the excess receptors make your body way more sensitive to your standard amount of adenosine (one of its jobs is regulating blood pressure), resulting in reduced blood pressure (mainly in the head) which then causes headaches.

In short, caffeine causes a physical dependence, not a psychological/habitual dependence.

[wellington1869]

i've tried quitting coffee a few times. usually for the first 5-7 days I have *massive* headaches, and I pop advils. After that i'm totally fine.  Then I start drinking coffee again.

[wellington1869]

I know you guys are probably right, intellectually I know it.  But yet....  It's time for another cup of fresh ground Kona! :wink:.

kona is one of my favs. Very smooth, not as bitter.

[Scarzy]

I'll often ask a lady out for coffee.

Me: "You like coffee? Yeah, so do I. It really helps you wake up. Maybe we should wake up together some time?"

In all seriousness, I do. Sitting there, in a comfortable chair, with over priced coffee; give me a intelligent, attractive female, and I can sit and talk for hours, and have done numerous times.

Coffee is something I don't really get, I like it, but I often forget about my warm beverages when on my computer, and rage at myself when I realise that it is cold.

Energy drinks are even worse for you chemical wise, by the way. I'd go back to coffee if I were you, aspartame isn't exactly what I signed up for.

What wellington said about it being psycological is no word of a lie either, you have it in your daily life, and you will have to get over that too.

[pex]

All of my solutions assume the person who wants to quit coffee doesn't have an personality for addiction and also involves new drugs perhaps more suitable than caffeine.  Well, except the last one.

• next-day air some coca leaves from columbia, taking cocaine in moderation and the way it is meant to be taken, alongside the other coca alkaloids
• brew cacao drinks.  I found it incredibly easy to take cacao nibs, grind them in my thai spice mortar/pestle/watevs (the bowl is large and both grinding components are heavy) into a fine powder/paste, pop that into my espresso machine, and receive cacao, which was better than my previous attempt which was to stuff the grinds into a coffee filter and tea-brew like that or even just drink with cacao grinds in my drink (which is fine with me but...)  Personal preference to add honey, dissolve, then milk, so there's your theobromine and theophylline.
• nicotine patch
• adrafinil/modafinil
• adderall/ritalin
• man the **** up.

I think I actually provided you with a weeks worth of drug choices that, because they vary, will prevent the kind of stupid-robot-coffee-drinking the West apparently engages in.  Of course, it's not for anyone, you might just get an addiction for 6 out of 7 of them...

Maybe you're just drinking coffee for fear of what you hate, or in conjunction with what you love.  So just stop already!  Titrate until physical symptoms show but not when you're hating or loving, until you aren't conditioned anymore, and find a new hobby to associate with those strong emotions that are being evoked for whatever reason (and dont get caught.)

EDIT: when i talk about 7 choices, im including coffee since you're not a crazyman drinking it only once a week.
also check yoself b4 u wreck yoself
pex out

[keyboardlover]

I think I actually provided you with a weeks worth of drug choices that, because they vary, will prevent the kind of stupid-robot-coffee-drinking the West apparently engages in.

Where are you from? People drink coffee all over the world. How is the west any different?

[unicomp]

I'll often ask a lady out for coffee.

Me: "You like coffee? Yeah, so do I. It really helps you wake up. Maybe we should wake up together some time?"

I am not quite sure as to whether this is a joke. I can imagine the whole "wake up together some time" is a joke due to the obvious sexual connotation that would clearly be inappropriate (however funny) for a first interaction.

[itlnstln]

I was in Dallas working with some consultants, and they had a VKI Latte Lounge.  It's a pretty sweet machine.  It would grind, brew, create the coffee drink all in one interaction and you would just select the drink you want (cappuccino, mochaccino, latte, etc.) from the screen and the whole process would complete in about 30 seconds.  It's wasn't the best I have ever had, but it was at least Starbucks quality.

[TexasFlood]

I was in Dallas working with some consultants, and they had a VKI Latte Lounge.  It's a pretty sweet machine.  It would grind, brew, create the coffee drink all in one interaction and you would just select the drink you want (cappuccino, mochaccino, latte, etc.) from the screen and the whole process would complete in about 30 seconds.  It's wasn't the best I have ever had, but it was at least Starbucks quality.

When I first glanced at your post I though it said "It would grind, brew, create and drink the coffee all in one interaction", :wink:.

[Lanx]

kona is one of my favs. Very smooth, not as bitter.

in 08 when i was quitting coffee and went to maui i tried one cup of kona and spit it out. Then this year i went to waikiki and tried kona every day (by this time i haven't had a lick of coffee in more than a year) and still spit it out.

long story short if you want to quit coffee for good try hawaii kona coffee!

[Fwiffo]

In America women are pretty loose.

You obviously haven't dated any Canadian women to compare with...

[instantkamera]

Ah, in grad school.  Her parents were professors at Waterloo.

They didn't think much of me.

Did you introduce yourself as "Rispter"?

[keyboardlover]

No, my college nickname was Rip though.

Was that because you would often rip one after falling asleep in class?

[instantkamera]

Her parents ... didn't think much of me.

... I'm gay with a lisp.

Closed-minded scholars? *******S!

[instantkamera]

MUST ... RESIST ... LAMEME ... GAAAAAAAAAHHH:

Hey, you're starting to  pick up Welly's techniques from all those Off-Topic debates!

• Always Misquote
• Always pivot the post from content to the poster's penis
• Don't bother reading.  Who has time for that.  But make the reply long to sound better
• ????
• PROFIT!!

sorry.


Technically though, I didn't misquote, I just SELECTIVELY quoted. Also, when I completely change a quote, it's for the lulz. Don't take it personal, it's all in good fun.

[wellington1869]

Where are you from? People drink coffee all over the world. How is the west any different?

seriously. you should see how much coffee they drink in india.  And stronger stuff than starbucks. And ever have turkish coffee? Its like delicious spicy espresso.  Much stronger than western coffee.

[wellington1869]

Hey, you're starting to  pick up Welly's techniques from all those Off-Topic debates!

• Always Misquote
• Always pivot the post from content to the poster's penis
• Don't bother reading.  Who has time for that.  But make the reply long to sound better

i prefer ripster's technique, its much simpler:

1. Always veer the conversation towards convincing the OP to buy a blue cherry filco. Ignore everything else in the thread. Submit lego pics if in danger of being found out.

[wellington1869]

Was that because you would often rip one after falling asleep in class?

this is why i call him rippy.

[zefrer]

seriously. you should see how much coffee they drink in india.  And stronger stuff than starbucks. And ever have turkish coffee? Its like delicious spicy espresso.  Much stronger than western coffee.

Just don't drink the deposit on the bottom of the cup (turkish coffee). And let it sit for a few minutes before you start drinking.

[instantkamera]

oh yous guys ...

[instantkamera]

Just don't drink the deposit on the bottom of the cup (turkish coffee). And let it sit for a few minutes before you start drinking.

supposedly very awesome, I havent ever had it.

[wellington1869]

indian coffee in general is smoother (less bitter) than the south american beans we get in the US. This is probably why i like kona.  Also in india they boil milk rather than water, makes for a smoother creamier coffee experience, very delish.

But starbucks has warped my coffee sensibilities with its 'gasoline' blends. I've gotten used to the bitter and stronger starbucks style now.

[zefrer]

supposedly very awesome, I havent ever had it.

Oh yeah I recommend it if you like coffee. It's espresso sized and can be made with any type of beans as long as they are ground finely enough (powder fine). Most grinders cannot do this but places that sell beans will usually grind them for you specifically to make turkish coffee if you ask.

Google preparation instructions on how to make, it's not hard and you don't need any special appliances. It is hard to make a really good cup tho

It's funny cause lots of places have their own variants and call it Armenian coffee or Greek Coffee etc. They're all variants of Turkish Coffee.

[wellington1869]

when i was little, maybe 3 or 4 years old, whenever my parents had a dinner party, i'd walk around the house to find the empty coffee cups that people had left behind, and i'd drink the remaining 'dregs' of coffee in each cup

talk about disgusting.

Once my mom discovered that i was habitually doing that she'd scurry around trying to collect all the coffee cups before I got to them

But yea, so I absolutely loved the taste of coffee ever since I can remember.

It was a real treat for me in college when I could drink a cup whenever I wanted. (in my household coffee was considered an 'adult' drink and us kids rarely got to drink it until we left home).  As a result I also always associated coffee drinking with some kind of 'grownup' behaviour.

[jpc]

Bringing this back on topic. I suspect that coffee causes transposition errors.

(Sorry couldn't resist)

[wellington1869]

Filcos>Das.

oh dems fighting words

[wellington1869]

I'll send you a pic of my old Filco Zero.

[instantkamera]

Oh yeah I recommend it if you like coffee. It's espresso sized and can be made with any type of beans as long as they are ground finely enough (powder fine). Most grinders cannot do this but places that sell beans will usually grind them for you specifically to make turkish coffee if you ask.

Google preparation instructions on how to make, it's not hard and you don't need any special appliances. It is hard to make a really good cup tho

It's funny cause lots of places have their own variants and call it Armenian coffee or Greek Coffee etc. They're all variants of Turkish Coffee.

I have an unopened burr grinder waiting for me when I move into my new place. I think I will be drop this tea kick Im on once I have room for a proper espresso maker. Im dying to try turkish coffee now though ...

[instantkamera]

Yea I know, I have friends at work who are mad into it. We actually have several ESE pod machines at work, they are not the best, but better than store bought for lattes (as you can prepare the milk yourself PROPERLY). Since I have moved I have been on the tea since I don't bother with a moka pot without properly steamed milk. I HAVE been eyeing a Racillio Silvia for a while but a buddy told me I can probably get a similar machine from lelit for cheaper, so we'll see.

I may have asked before, but what are you using Rip?

[instantkamera]

You don't wanna know.  Trust me.

a ****ing Breville? or saeco? TASSIMO? Nespresso?? Dolche GUSTO???  TELL ME MAN!

[instantkamera]

A Anita.

This is about as low as you can go for good pours.  And the exchange rate was much much better when I bought mine.

**** son. I thought you were saying you had a POS.

I feel so inadequate (here I go, back to the penis).

I do understand indefinite articles though, so when I own one I'll be sure to call it "an Anita".

[instantkamera]

Im sure there is a joke about pressure in there somewhere ...

Edit:

that was in regards to your post about your penis. Even funnier joke surely applies to the subsequent post.

[wellington1869]

I have an unopened burr grinder waiting for me when I move into my new place. I think I will be drop this tea kick Im on once I have room for a proper espresso maker. Im dying to try turkish coffee now though ...

there's a new type of coffee machine thats all the rage. (or at least, i didnt find out about it recently and suddenly i'm noticing it everywhere). My sister bought one and was raving about it. I forget the name (something with a K). Basically its made for individual cups (like in a small household, or in an office/corporate setting). Basically you buy these individual cups that have the beans. You pop the cup into the machine and it brews one cup and then you toss it. Seems kind of wasteful but the coffee isnt bad and there's no cleanup (the cup acts as holder and filter, both).

[instantkamera]

keurig k-cup machine. I should state, for the record, that I HATE drip coffee of all sorts, there is no craftsmanship to brewing a pot 'o coffee. My wife will drink any old swill, and I recommended she try the keurig. Consistent coffee for yourself, and the k-cup system is fairly wide-spread.

[wellington1869]

my coffee machine has a name too, its called 'welly'.


+



+



Its actually pretty good Well, with 3 spoons of brown sugar in it anyway.

[itlnstln]

So....funny story (but true).

I talk my business exec friend into one.  He buys identical model.  Can't use it worth **** because.... he's a business exec.   Gets divorced.  Wife gets the espresso machine.

Bwahahahaha!

As you can see I have a pretty sick sense of humor.

This is epic.  Unfortunately, that's what happened to my wine fridge.  I would go get that **** back.  I would go get my wine fridge back, but I can't keep wine around long enough to put in a fridge, and it would only get as cold as 50 F, and I like my whites a little colder.  It's OK, I have a BIG fridge.

[wellington1869]

keurig k-cup machine. I should state, for the record, that I HATE drip coffee of all sorts, there is no craftsmanship to brewing a pot 'o coffee. My wife will drink any old swill, and I recommended she try the keurig. Consistent coffee for yourself, and the k-cup system is fairly wide-spread.

yea, thats the one. Keurig.  Its convenient, I'll give it that.


I used to have a coffee press-pot thing.  It was neat (and I suppose the coffee was stronger that way) but the problem I had with it was by the time the coffee was ready, the water in it wasnt really hot anymore. I had a hard time getting a really hot cup of coffee out of it (partly because I put a lot of milk in my coffee, so i need it extra hot coming out of the machine).

[instantkamera]

This is epic.  Unfortunately, that's what happened to my wine fridge.  I would go get that **** back.  I would go get my wine fridge back, but I can't keep wine around long enough to put in a fridge, and it would only get as cold as 50 F, and I like my whites a little colder.  It's OK, I have a BIG fridge.

red. no fridge. Warm and fuzzy. Goes well with steak. Problem sloved.



ya, sloved. Joo gtta porblam/?

[instantkamera]

yea, thats the one. Keurig.  Its convenient, I'll give it that.


I used to have a coffee press-pot thing.  It was neat (and I suppose the coffee was stronger that way) but the problem I had with it was by the time the coffee was ready, the water in it wasnt really hot anymore. I had a hard time getting a really hot cup of coffee out of it (partly because I put a lot of milk in my coffee, so i need it extra hot coming out of the machine).

Show Image

french press is nice with some good fresh beans, a great, ritualistic (hands on) way to make coffee. That I can get behind.

[wellington1869]

french press is nice with some good fresh beans, a great, ritualistic (hands on) way to make coffee. That I can get behind.

yea, coffee rituals are soothing.

When studying for exams I have this ritual of boiling the water in a kettle when i needed a break. You can put coffee grounds right in there. You can put some milk and sugar right in it too. Comes out really nice and hot and well-mixed.

I usually dont bother to filter out the grounds, tho you can do that with a simple handheld mesh strainer as you pour it into the cup.  Else just leave the grounds at the bottom (let it sit for a minute and they'll settle, turkish style).

Then, if there's a gypsy around, you can have your fortune read by turning the grounds over onto a table (again, turkish style

rituals are cool.

[instantkamera]

lol, but seriously, nescafe (is that instant??) + coffee mate?

I feel as though we were in the beer thread talking about GOOD beer and someone said "ya man, coors light ..."

[wellington1869]

lol, but seriously, nescafe (is that instant??) + coffee mate?

I feel as though we were in the beer thread talking about GOOD beer and someone said "ya man, coors light ..."

lol well I have the tasters choice on the shelf at all times, its very easy and quick to make (I have a single-cup coffee maker but usually only use it to give me hot water). So I can have a cup in my hand in less than 60 seconds with no cleanup whatsoever.

of course i'd prefer a real machine... one of these days when I move out of college housing

I did try nearly every available brand of instant coffee out there though, and i find tasters choice is definitely a cut above the rest, as far as instants go.

Have you tried starbuck's instant coffee by the way? I think its called "viva" or something. THey sell packets of it in starbucks. I tried one, its really not bad, comes pretty close to regular starbucks coffee. But at a dollar a pop, kind of pricey for instant (I think my per-cup cost with tasters choice is like 10 cents).

[instantkamera]

lol well I have the tasters choice on the shelf at all times, its very easy and quick to make (I have a single-cup coffee maker but usually only use it to give me hot water). So I can have a cup in my hand in less than 60 seconds with no cleanup whatsoever.

of course i'd prefer a real machine... one of these days when I move out of college housing

I did try nearly every available brand of instant coffee out there though, and i find tasters choice is definitely a cut above the rest, as far as instants go.

Have you tried starbuck's instant coffee by the way? I think its called "viva" or something. THey sell packets of it in starbucks. I tried one, its really not bad, comes pretty close to regular starbucks coffee. But at a dollar a pop, kind of pricey for instant (I think my per-cup cost with tasters choice is like 10 cents).

VIA ... I was just about to mention that. They arent cheap, but my wife swears by them for work, and has started making them in the AM too for herself so she doesnt have to brew a pot. Brother in law said so as well, apparently really good. Like I said, I don't generally drink "coffee" coffee, except the odd Timmies every once in a while!

[MsKeyboard]

My coffee machine............

[wellington1869]

I used to have this self-stirring coffee mug.  To avoid having to even clean the spoon.
It worked really really really well (and was a hoot to use) -- for about 3 weeks At which point it stopped working  I got the impression from online reviews that that was a lot of people's experience with it. Its too bad, I absolutely loved it



see how the girl is giggling in this video as she uses the mug?  I giggled like that every morning while it worked
;-)

fs=1&hl=en_US">

[Megaweapon]

keurig k-cup machine. I should state, for the record, that I HATE drip coffee of all sorts, there is no craftsmanship to brewing a pot 'o coffee. My wife will drink any old swill, and I recommended she try the keurig. Consistent coffee for yourself, and the k-cup system is fairly wide-spread.

Is this anything like Senseo?

It sins against tongues, it verifies the existence of evil. Robert Folger himself could not have devised a taste more foul, even with the use of a laboratory and an electronic supertongue which could taste in the ultraviolet spectrum. It came with a "mild" roast and a "medium" roast, which present a wild inversion of expectations. Imagine that mild and medium are points in a continuum of hideous mouth crimes.

I think I'll stick with my fresh ground local roast run through a french press.

[instantkamera]

similar, im sure, but not as bad as described. Senseo seems more along the lines of the (very popular) tassimo and (much less popular) Dolche Gusto. They suck.

IMO, the only single serving cup/pod systems worth using are the k-cup for drip coffee and ESE pods for espresso. This is mainly because they are somewhat more "open" formats, if you will, which allows one to chose:

a) a machine that suits their needs

b) from a LARGE selection of coffee

[zmurf]

Kopi luwak FTW!
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kopi_Luwak

It cost about 30$ per 100g... but it's totally worth it... best coffee there is. I use about 100g per month. So it's totally affordable.

[zmurf]

@ripster:
Er.... what? Is it my post you are talking about? Cause I really do use Kopi luwak... and yes, I could take a picture on the beans or a cup of it... but neither of them look any different then any other coffee.

[Lanx]

the bucket list coffee.

[wellington1869]

zmurf, and it doesnt bother you that its poop?

[Rajagra]

When you see a monkey crapping out coffee beans and you decide to brew some up to see what it tastes like, I think you can safely say you are a coffee addict.

[wellington1869]

When you see a monkey crapping out coffee beans and you decide to brew some up to see what it tastes like, I think you can safely say you are a coffee addict.

makes you think. what would they taste like if you stick them up your nose first?

[jpc]

I like good old drip coffee.

(Well, before I got sick of the anxiety swings and energy swings I did.)

You gotta make it right with one of these. Rated in gallons per hour. Mine will soon be for sale btw, if anyone's near Boston and wants an excellent commercial grade drip brewer.

[jpc]

So, how are you doing.

Good. Yesterday and today I only had one cup each morning, instead of 4-5. So far there's only a thin mental fog, no headache.

On Monday I'll switch to a can of diet cola each morning, and do that for a few days before stopping completely. If all goes well.

[EverythingIBM]

Coffee is so ewww...

I had one taste of it when I was a kid (perplexed why all the older individuals glugged the stuff ), and I never had coffee since.

Beer and alcohol is pretty gross too. I'll only drink a little jagermeister when I'm sick.

Wine? I hate the flavour of it, ACK! Sour piss. If I'm ever at a fancy restaurant, they're giving me five alive.

[pex]

I sense a troll under the bridge.   I'd say "pics or it didn't happen" but you'd probably post one of your toilet.

I myself have found civet **** coffee too impersonal.  I ferment my beans in my very own intestine.

[wellington1869]

I myself have found civet **** coffee too impersonal.  I ferment my beans in my very own intestine.

hahahahahahahahaha that was good.

[zmurf]

Oh.  Sorry.  Civet poop is pretty exotic stuff there.

Yeah... welll it quite exotic here too. But there is a coffee store in Gothenburg which sells it in bulk. Cost about 300kr/100g. (~ 42$/3.5oz)

As I wrote erlier... I buy approximatly 100g/month

zmurf, and it doesnt bother you that its poop?

Technically it isn't poop. The civet eat the beans to get the shell around the bean. And since the civet isn't able to digest the actuall bean, this isn't "converted" inte poop

When you see a monkey crapping out coffee beans and you decide to brew some up to see what it tastes like, I think you can safely say you are a coffee addict.

Yes.. I love coffee. :smile:

[Lanx]

Coffee is so ewww...

I had one taste of it when I was a kid (perplexed why all the older individuals glugged the stuff ), and I never had coffee since.

Beer and alcohol is pretty gross too. I'll only drink a little jagermeister when I'm sick.

Wine? I hate the flavour of it, ACK! Sour piss. If I'm ever at a fancy restaurant, they're giving me five alive.

This is pretty much how i feel, i hated the taste of coffee and only used it's energy boosting properties, it really is disgusting. same with beer and wine same with champagne dear god that stuff is nasty.

[mike]

No, that's the second best option. It's best licked off ${preferred-body-part}.

Champagne isn't a drink; it's a sex toy.

[instantkamera]

No, that's the second best option. It's best licked off ${preferred-body-part}.

Champagne isn't a drink; it's a sex toy.

which explains why EIBM wouldn't like it.

[Voixdelion]

I'm thinking about going back to one cup per day, and then substituting diet cola.

Diet coke has 35mg of caffeine per hit, vs. 100+ per hit of coffee, so that seems like a good step down.
.

 
OMG I can't stand seeing that... Stick with the coffee or do a 1/2 caff/ decaf to wean instead, please, or tea. ANYTHING but that...  

PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE avoid "diet" sodas/beverages - they are in NO WAY healthier or better for you than regular soda - the artificial sweeteners are actually soo much worse for you than sugar can  ever be. There is actually evidence that diet soda drinkers are more likely to GAIN weight over time because the body cannot process the chemicals the way it can process actual FOOD.  I promise you are far better off with the coffee than with  diet soda.  

And to avoid further ranting here I started a different thread on this topic.

[jpc]

PLEASE avoid "diet" sodas/beverages - they are in NO WAY healthier or better for you than regular soda

It doesn't need to be healthy.

It only needs to contain a dose of caffeine that is less than one cup of coffee. (It is unpossible to drink a fractional cup of coffee.) Cola fits the bill, I'm only going to be drinking one cola in the morning for a few days, before stopping caffeine entirely.

I know cola's terrible, dissolves nails etc. As long as I can still have kids afterward, it's fine.

[didjamatic]

PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE avoid "diet" sodas/beverages - they are in NO WAY healthier or better for you than regular soda - the artificial sweeteners are actually soo much worse for you than sugar can  ever be. There is actually evidence that diet soda drinkers are more likely to GAIN weight over time because the body cannot process the chemicals the way it can process actual FOOD.

Diet Cola can't give you Type 2 Diabetes and that is a far worse problem than ingesting sweetener.  No biggest loser contestant was a diet soda drinker, they were all about the sugar and high fructose corn syrup (rebranded "corn sweetener" to evade stigma)  I'm not saying it's good for you, but it's far better than gulping down the calories in sugary soda pop.

[Lanx]

I think it's about moderation, ppl that are unhealthy just tend to go overboard...
i.e. eating till your full vs. eating till you feel happy.

normal ppl go, oh ok my stomach is saying thats all that can fit, guess i'll pack up this steak as leftovers

vs.

life suxors but doritos is my friend, i love my friend bag, after bag after bag... coca cola never argues with me either! liter after liter.

[jpc]

Diet Cola can't give you Type 2 Diabetes

Yeah that!

Whatever I replace coffee with will be in my diet for less than a week. It won't have any health effects at all. The best choice is whatever works to quit caffeine.

[Voixdelion]

riginally Posted by didjamatic                                          Diet Cola can't give you Type 2  Diabetes


Well, in that case,  I doubt a weeks worth of cola would give you type 2 Diabetes either...  

Soda is probably the single most unhealthy thing I indulge in the most,  but I've yet suffer ill effect from even the somewhat copious amounts I  consume probably because I am in good health otherwise overall.   And I am not convinced that this is a cause/effect of soda alone at any rate.  The worst problem with so many of these studies is that they draw conclusions from data without considering additional linked factors which may be more directly related to the issue.  I'm willing to bet that no "biggest loser contestant" is in that contest because soda alone undid them.

Consider this:  A study claims that black or hispanic folks are more likely to be susceptible to disease x or y and uses a racial risk index to determine insurance costs; however, in reality, the actual linked cause is not biological but cultural-  they just don't know it because they didn't bother to compare data against black or hispanic people who were raised in a caucasion or chinese household that would have negated or mitigated the statistical relationship they had previously encountered.  The researchers and their sponsors will say this is still okay because the likelihood is that race and culture go hand in hand, so the index is still valid, but I think that is also a false relationship because there is no telling what other conditions are directly linked to each other in a dependent chain.

Once this dependency is set even one iteration away from the end result, it becomes exponentially more likely to assign causality to an indirect factor.  I find it shocking how much "research" is done as if all things exist in isolation in order to back a theory.  Sometimes the most learned folk are the ones who are completely unable to see the forest for all the damn trees.


For that matter, then my own attitudes are subject to the same scrutiny.  Perhaps the artificial sweeteners are not the factor which is the link to cancer but instead it is a by product of a body's reaction to unnatural stimulus - perhaps the body prepares to intake calories because the sweetness/taste triggers the process but problems arise in the balance of body chemistry because there is only a 0 calorie diet drink to process and so ill effects occur when the body fails to render sustenance from digestion.  If this triggers cell death instead of cell growth, then the body may react by immediately producing more growth to compensate (like how pruning a plant can revive it to renewed vigorous growth) but there is still a negative return on the process without the input of calories so instead it consumes itself to feed the machine >>>ergo cancer because the body processed the intake of calories where there were none to process due to being triggered by the sweet taste, while the artificial sweetener itself could have been consumed along with calories and not been problematic.

On that note, if your concern is the caffeine itself and not the beverage, why not just switch to decaf coffee?

[mike]

Diet Cola can't give you Type 2 Diabetes and that is a far worse problem than ingesting sweetener.

It seems that type-2 diabetes is more likely amongst those with a generally poor lifestyle - low physical activity, high weight, large waist measurement, etc. Sugary drinks may contribute towards a generally poor lifestyle, but aren't linked directly to type-2 diabetes. The whole "sugar puts a strain on the pancreas" thing always applied far more to type-1 diabetes - which is why my own sugar intake during childhood was severely restricted (and is a bit of a myth anyway).

Moderate use of 'full fat' cola whilst quitting coffee may be helpful not only because of the caffeine content, but because the sugar rush may help combat the perceived lack of energy.

[zefrer]

Keep in mind a regular coke (cola) has 35mg of caffeine in a 330ml can. That's a lot.

[instantkamera]

 Perhaps the artificial sweeteners are not the factor which is the link to cancer but instead it is a by product of a body's reaction to unnatural stimulus - perhaps the body prepares to intake calories because the sweetness/taste triggers the process but problems arise in the balance of body chemistry because there is only a 0 calorie diet drink to process and so ill effects occur when the body fails to render sustenance from digestion.  If this triggers cell death instead of cell growth, then the body may react by immediately producing more growth to compensate (like how pruning a plant can revive it to renewed vigorous growth) but there is still a negative return on the process without the input of calories so instead it consumes itself to feed the machine >>>ergo cancer because the body processed the intake of calories where there were none to process due to being triggered by the sweet taste, while the artificial sweetener itself could have been consumed along with calories and not been problematic.

Holy ****. Before going on a crazy rant, educate yourself:

1) http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cancer

2) http://www.cancer.gov/cancertopics/factsheet/Risk/artificial-sweeteners

For that matter, then my own attitudes are subject to the same scrutiny.

ya.

[Azuremen]

Yeah that!

Whatever I replace coffee with will be in my diet for less than a week. It won't have any health effects at all. The best choice is whatever works to quit caffeine.

I'd say switch to a black tea or green tea, then change that out for herbal tea. You'll still have that warm cup of beverage for when you start your a day (a big part I find to coffee is just the habit) but it will be caffeine free. The other benefit to this is you avoid extra sugar.

I honestly think the bigger issue though will just be the withdrawal symptoms at first. You'll find yourself being rather short tempered to say the least...

[pikapika]

drink a lot of very bad coffee, at last you may stop drinking some

[jpc]

Keep in mind a regular coke (cola) has 35mg of caffeine in a 330ml can. That's a lot.

That's not a lot for me. A cup of drip coffee has 100-125mg (Wikipedia) and prior to last week I drank about 500mg daily. Today is day five of 100mg per day.

35mg per day is the next step down toward zero, starting tomorrow.

Wikipedia says green tea is 30mg per serving. Okay, I will drink green tea instead of cola. It's healthier because it prevents all you health nuts from suffering conniption fits :-P

[Keymonger]

I've started drinking hot water instead of tea.

It's actually pretty good.

[Voixdelion]

Surely you troll...

Actually my mother does that quite a lot.  She seems to like it.

[zmurf]

I drink hot water when I'm cross-country skiing. It good in three ways. It helps heat up the body. Also the body can take up more of the water since it don't have to spend time on heating it before it can process it. And both of this effects help the body to preserve energy since it don'r have to waste energy on heating the body and heating the water to processable temperatures.

[itlnstln]

I drink cold Diet Dr. Pepper.  It's good for the body because it's made by a doctor and it's diet.

[Scarzy]

As a result of the "Geekhack Singapore Members" thread and in honor of Moogle "Ducky" Stiltzkin  I picked up some new tea.

From Ebay - you can buy ANYTHING but love on Ebay

Show Image

From the Cameroonian Highlands in Malaysia.   My wife and I have fond memories of that place, golfing amidst the poisonous snakes.

Pfft. Mother recently took a vacation to turkey, and I demanded that she brought me back some of the turkish green leaves they have over there, it tastes pretty darn amazing! :)

[woody]

Yeah, the Turkish tea is nice. I have about 2kg in the cupboard.
________
Honda GL1200A

[Keymonger]

I drink hot water when I'm cross-country skiing. It good in three ways. It helps heat up the body. Also the body can take up more of the water since it don't have to spend time on heating it before it can process it. And both of this effects help the body to preserve energy since it don'r have to waste energy on heating the body and heating the water to processable temperatures.

That too.

It's good because it's like tea, but without the aroma and flavor. The smell I miss the most, but it's still a hot liquid, and has that same comforting feeling. It's strange that it is considered strange. Even I thought it was silly when I first thought of it. You just have to accept that you normally expect a strong flavor from a hot drink, and get over this bias.

[zefrer]

Somehow I don't think all of this is helping with the op quitting coffee. Oh well. Who wants to see how to make a good cup of turkish coffee?

[microsoft windows]

I drink cold Diet Dr. Pepper.  It's good for the body because it's made by a doctor and it's diet.

Drink the sugary coke instead of the diet stuff. Diet Dr. Pepper. Remember: Those artificial sweeteners can give you cancer!

[instantkamera]

Remember: Those artificial sweeteners can give you cancer!

That is unfounded, bordering on complete BS.

[zefrer]

Troll want a cookie?

[instantkamera]

yes.

[jpc]

This thread is outlasting my caffeine dependency.

Today I drank just one cup of green tea -- 30mg caffeine.

No artificial sweeteners, because I don't want the cancer.

[didjamatic]

Your energy should start to increase over the next several days as your body produces it more naturally than synthecially < my attempt at scientifically explaining it.  You'll notice you're far more mentally alert in the mornings.

[jpc]

You'll notice you're far more mentally alert in the mornings.

I already feel better. I have been falling asleep early, and then waking up early and feeling well-rested.

[wellington1869]

I already feel better. I have been falling asleep early, and then waking up early and feeling well-rested.

good for you man, i'm hearing similar reports from my friend who is currently quitting too.  I think the hard part is staying off it in the long run. Easy to fall off the wagon cuz coffee is so plentiful and cheap and easily available.

i'd like to cut down my intake, but not necessarily go cold turkey. I do like me morning rituals.

[jpc]

Easy to fall off the wagon cuz coffee is so plentiful.

Yeah, that worries me.

There are only so many things to do at work:
 * work
 * surf
 * go to the break room and get a beverage...

[Rajagra]

Troll want a cookie?

Is it sugar-free?

---------------

Actually, while it may not be proven that artificial sweeteners cause cancers (or anything else bad) I do tend to think of them in the same way as other processed food. They are a big unknown.

I used to laugh at people who shopped at wholefood stores. Until I read about what processed foods were. The processing is very well understood chemistry, with unknown effects on biology. Eating processed food is a lot like taking drugs given you by a dealer. Might make you feel happy. Might get you addicted and dead.

[wellington1869]

Everything causes cancer! (Just Wanted to write something via tablet... carry on...)

[godly_music]

Why would black tea be any better than coffee? It has caffeine, the body just transforms it more slowly.

I always advocate the hard cut. Coffee is not heroin, and being able to overcome an addiction is directly coupled with the strength of the decision you made. Substituting it for something else will make you uncomfortable for a longer period of time than just stopping.

[alec]

Tea leaves actually have more caffeine content, but cup of tea has less caffeine than cup of coffee.
I think its less likely to drink 10 cups of tea daily than 10 cups of coffee.

I usually don't drink coffee and drink moderate amounts of black tea. Energy drinks help me combat sleepyness when needed, but also only limited amount.

Then coffee still has a strong acting effect when I drink it.

[zefrer]

Is it sugar-free?

Hell no.

We have a winnah!