Caffefine, a modern day poison or a sweet elixir of energy?

[The-DDR-Philosopher]

I drank for two decades until I learned the long-term and short term effects on the body. It wasn't till 19 that I realized it wasn't benifitting me in anyway. Since then I have religiously drank water. Personally, i've felt more focused and less irratiated after quitting soda. I rarely drink soda now but if I do, it'll be for a brief moment.

My personal experience with caffefine has made me despise the daily usage of it among my peers and now little children.
What is everyone's opinion on this subject? Sure you can say that it taste good and your used to it, but is that a good enough arguement of why you do it? Or are you addicted to the caffefine that triggers the dopamaine in your brain?

I will be glad to share some facts and statistics about caffefine once we commence the discussion.

[Arch0wl]

well, I am ADHD, so my dopamine and noradrenaline levels are low to begin with.

this is worth reading: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Low_arousal_theory

if you liken dopamine in ADHD to testosterone in men who are low testosterone, things make a lot more sense. and I *am* high testosterone, which is known to deplete dopamine faster. e.g. https://www.reddit.com/r/DrugNerds/c..._depletion_by/

in fact, if you look at my old post history on this website like 10 years ago -- that was all ADHD shit. I used to start arguments because that was what woke me up + engaged me. with stimulants, I do this a *lot* less. (make no mistake: it's still fun, but I don't get nearly as much out of it.)

so really, caffeine is too weak of a stimulant for me. stimulants like amphetamine (adderall) will make me not only functional and in a far better mood, but allow me to perform at 100%. to really drive this point home, my IQ increased by something like 10 points after a year or so of using stimulants. my ability to produce, evaluate and retain information was augmented massively. it was like someone turned on a power supply to my brain when I was previously running on low-battery mode or something.

I will say that methylphenidate (ritalin) doesn't do much for me though, so dopamine isn't the whole picture.

otherwise, I am lower-than-average dopamine and will be the grumpiest asshole you don't want to interact with. this has been more or less the case since I was a teenager.

so to directly answer your question, I am not 'addicted' to caffeine or stimulants so much as if I didn't take them, I'd function at 60%, and taking them helps me function at 100%.

[MinaciousGrace]

yes i agree the entire universe is binary and everything exists as either good or evil good discussion

[TheThong]

I like the taste of caffeine. (I'm a huge tea drinker, as well as coffee - mostly during work). I wouldn't say I'm addicted to it, because I usually drink for the taste rather than the effect it has. I normally only drink coffee socially, or if I'm on a night shift and just need that extra energy boost to get me through a shift. I start work about 8:45pm and ended up hitting a wall about 4am, so coffee tends to help

[Nullifidian]

Why do you write it as caffefine? Or is that something different from caffeine?

[Dinglesberry]

Caffefine is fine by me, straight espresso shots through the eyelid yo

[trumaestro]

Caffeine is a drug like any other. Too much can be a real bad thing. I learned that the hard way. My sleep schedule was always way out of whack for the longest time. Sometimes I would try to fix it, having a cup of coffee at 2 am. And another at 5 am. And I'd have another at 8, trying to stay awake for the whole day just to crash at a reasonable time but then sleep for 14 hours and have to try and do it again. You know what it's like to wake up at 7 pm? It's brutal.

Nowadays I've learned to manage it a bit better. I wouldn't give it up completely because I just love coffee too much. But in general if I only have 1 cup of coffee a day, and as long as I have it before lunch, I've been able to maintain a more normal schedule for myself.

So, it's fine in moderation. Fuel of the modern world and all, don't you know.

[Travis_Flesher]

Caffeine. A sweet organic elixer if there ever was one. However I think it should be outlawed
and classified along with cocaine, marijuana, and opium. Caffeine and cigarettes are two of nature's
sweet little plants that slipped through the cracks of America's infrastructure and justice system and found
it's way into the cold little hands of strung out snaggletoothed baffoons everywehere.(edit: forgive me if you happen to have snaggleteeth. i myself am snaggletoothed i just thought it was a funny word choice here.) Although these
drugs are cool when used responsibly we are just going to have to say no people! Cigarettes and coffee
have ruined too many lives because of their addictive nature, low cost, and easy access. Be a man and just drink ice water.

[Funnygurl555]

lol without caffeine i'd be rip so the second one

[rushyrulz]

definitely not a sweet elixir of energy.

Luckily, I find myself to be either immune to caffeine addiction or extremely tolerant.

[inDheart]

caffeine is caffefine

a lot of the things i like to drink are also caffeinated which is a nice perk (literally). also coffee/tea > soda

i have an unfortunate tendency to want to work in spurts and stay up late because daytimes make me want to talk to people and be social instead, so a caffeinated beverage helps the eyelids not droop so much. i have an enormous and comfortable bed now though which makes catching up on sleep actually awesome

[Arntonach]

I like the taste of caffeine, even if it's a poison that forces the brain awake. Considering how I get adrenal fatigue at the worst times, caffeine's a job saver.

[Azpb Djbread]

i like caffeine

i don't have any reasoning for why

i just do

[Soundwave-]

Option A: Best case scenario, barely keep my head above schoolwork, with absolutely no time to do anything else, worst case scenario, performance tanks.

Option B: Have time to actually have a life. Get all my schoolwork done. Run on a 48 hour schedule should exceptional circumstances require it.

Yeah, caffeine is neither harmless nor even something to carelessly consume.

But it also works miracles.

[MinaciousGrace]

so if this thread was just as disappointing as i expected it to be, should i still be disappointed?

[lofty rhino]

take a drink of soda and find out

[darkedge22]

I actually tried coffee for the first time last week and the cons outweigh the pros. If I stop drinking coffee I get caffeine withdraws that give me headaches which are really annoying and it cost money (I'm Stingy with my money). You get addicted and you cant stop drinking it to a point that you need it to normally function and it will no longer act as a boost of energy. The only pro is that it taste good I honestly don't see the benefit of drinking it. But hey for other people it works miracles. To me though I don't like the factors involving coffee.

[MinaciousGrace]

i would like to state for the record that as the only person with balls in this thread i straight chew a pure caffeine tablet in the morning

i'll post some interesting statistics and facts about chewing cafnifne tablets later after some discussion about how i'm much more manly than all you prissy misguided coffee and/or especially tea drinking bitches

ps. on a serious note i do love me some jasmine every now and then

[lofty rhino]

minaciousgrace is a dote

[inDheart]

Originally Posted by MinaciousGrace

ps. on a serious note i do love me some jasmine every now and then

heck yeah

i'm actually interested in caffeine tablet info if you really do that though, haven't heard of anyone taking them before