Coffee Effects on Socializing and Mood...

[dereklance]

I am currently 18 years old and I have been drinking coffee for about 4 years. However, in the past year I completely quit coffee. Even though I drank a lot of coffee I didn't seem to have any withdrawal symptoms at all other than taking long naps for like 2 days. But that's besides the point. The reason I quit drinking coffee was as an experiment just to see what would happen. Now, I have started drinking coffee almost every morning again and now I feel so much better than when I wasn't drinking the coffee. For some reason it makes me much better in social situations and also has a very noticeable effect on my mood. With coffee I also don't feel a "crash" at all after a coffee high, I just feel good for the rest of the day. My question is why I can't always have that degree of well-being and always be that social? I eat a very clean diet and almost always get enough sleep, so I just don't know what's causing it. I suspect that I may have depleted serotonin levels because I heard that coffee can raise serotonin and maybe that's the issue I'm having. Anyways, I'm hoping someone that knows more than me about brain chemistry and how coffee affects the brain can shed some light on this situation because I just don't understand. Coffee shouldn't be necessary for me to feel normal. I literally quit for almost a year and still didn't feel 100% normal.

 

[peterjschmidt]

You are obviously wired to be a drug addict.

Try experimenting w/ decaf... 100%, 75%, 50%, etc. See how that works. For a real test, it would have to be blind. Is there perhaps a placebo thing going on? Was that the only variable in your life during the time you stopped drinking coffee?

 

[PinkRose]

Hi Dereklance"

Welcome to the Coffee Forums website.

Peter made a good point when he asked, "Was that the only variable in your life during the time you stopped drinking coffee?"

It would be helpful to give some thought to what else was going on in your life back then, and what's going on right now. Where do you live? Have you been cooped up indoors and not getting enough sunshine? You'd be amazed at how much that can bring a person "down," especially this time of the year. A cup of coffee can help elevate your mood, but it won't keep it that way.

You mentioned that you're wondering why you "can't always have that degree of well-being and always be that social?" I'm also wondering what's "normal" for you. You seem to be looking to feel normal all of the time. I have a feeling that you're not naturally outgoing and social, and it takes an effort for you to be that way.

It's great that you're exploring these feelings now. I'm assuming that you haven't started using alcohol or other drugs to help you in social situations.

You're absolutely correct when you wrote, "Coffee shouldn't be necessary for me to feel normal." I'm amazed that the coffee that you drink in the morning makes you feel good for the rest of the day. I wish my coffee did that!

Rose