It's incredible what a powerful drug caffeine is!

Apr 29, 2020
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Hey guys;
I almost gave up coffee.
I have an anxiety problem. So I do some Googling and find many blogs on how caffeine can exacerbate anxiety. So I thought maybe I should try cutting it out.
Of course, I was also aware that when these 'experts' (most of these articles I read were on reputable websites) were talking about caffeine and anxiety, they were talking a much higher level of caffeine than what I was taking in my one 12oz cup of FP brew. I think they referred to 400mg as the upper limit on 'acceptable' levels of caffeine. I seriously doubt that I am getting more than 150mg in my cup.

In any case, I told myself I would give up my morning joe, (and anything else caffeinated) for 30 days. I was nearly out of beans by the end of last week, so instead of buying more, I just used up what I had for a 6oz cup. That would be my last cup of coffee for 30 days...

My first couple of days without caffeine went fairly well. But after that, I fell into a downward spiral. I was experiencing more anxiety, not less. And to boot, I had increase in depression - which is also a problem for me.
Now let me mention that I was also taking CBD in the morning. Usually a gummy containing 50mg full spectrum CBD + 5mg THC. I have found the CBD helps with the anxiety and depression. But while I was 'off coffee', I also found that the CBD appeared to have less of an effect on my mood.

On Tuesday - only four days after I had sworn off caffeine, I purchased another 2lbs of beans from my usual roaster. I didn't brew a cup until Wednesday, but wow! What a difference it made. Along with the CBD in the morning, the single 12oz cup of coffee I brew in the French Press makes me a different person.
Occasionally I will drop 1ml (100mg) CBD oil into my hot cup of joe (in lieu of eating the gummy). The CBD seems to work very well in coffee - at least for me.

I have talked to my doctor about caffeine and CBD. While he has never told me I should get away from caffeine (my BP and other vitals are fine), he does not approve of the use of CBD.
I think it's mostly a professional thing: Very few medical professionals will recommend taking anything that hasn't been through the rigerous testing required by the FDA before a med can be released to the public. But we all know that the market for 'herbal remedies' is a multibillion dollar industry, and it's only getting bigger.
We all know what coffee (caffeine) does for us. Most of us also enjoy the flavor. I have been drinking my FP brew black with no sweetener, and enjoy it. Most people I know say 'yuck' when I describe my coffee. I won't even bother to offer them a taste. My sister will dump sweetener and creamer into her Kerug K-cup brew. It was the washed out taste of that Kerug brew (if you can actually call it a brew) that got me into French Press brewing.
I have considered trying other methods, such as pour-over, and maybe I will try it someday. Or perhaps I'll spring for an Espresso machine. But at least for now, I'm sticking with the French Press. Not only do I enjoy the brew, I find the whole process of brewing - especially grinding my beans in my 1ZPresso JX Pro a very pleasing experience. It is something I look forward to when waking each morning.

I might consider my short-run experiment a failure. But in science, there is no such thing as a failed experiment. One does not always get the result that was expected, but then if we did, what would be the sense of the experiment in the first place?
 

mscott89

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Oct 21, 2021
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Caffeine is, (like everything else) to be consumed in moderation, thats just the bottom line really.

There really is no denying that caffeine is a drug, but not all drugs are bad - same with the THC/CBD you're describing here.

Controlled use of CBD has helped a few of my friends and family fight depression, and i have nothing bad to say about it (as long as it's being controlled by professionals).

I also tried quitting coffee, and i quite instantly felt terrible and tired.

However i did manage to scale down to a single cup in the morning a day, which helps wake up properly for me, and i dont really feel "addicted" as i did before(used to drink 4-6 cups a day easily).

Everyone can get addicted to pretty much anything, and it can be hard to realise you have an addiction, safe to say i definitely had an addiction to coffee, but feel like i have controlled it somewhat now.

That being said, i am to some extent still addicted, as without that 1 cup in the morning i'd probably see some pretty wild redrawals.

I do think its okay to have small things you include in your daily life, be it coffee, sweets, sodas etc.

We just have to find that fine line, where it goes from being consumption, to addiction :)

Thanks for coming to my TED talk! :LOL:
 

CaffeineHunter

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Feb 22, 2022
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It is a amazing beverage that does wonders, I really enjoy finding different coffees that out do the other as in taste and the feeling you get from it. Coffee will always be my #1 daily mourning drink.
 

JeffD

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Jan 27, 2022
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I quit coffee cold turkey once, and after two days I had argued and irritated everyone I knew. Friends and family encouraged me to get back to coffee.

One time I quite gradually. I had ankle surgery and they put me on a morphine drip for pain. I did not drink coffee at all, while in the hospital and the morphine masked any headaches or irritations. I got home totally unaddicted to coffee. I probably could have gone without coffee for the rest of my life, and for those wanting to quit, take advantage of any time you are on a prescribed pain killer to simultaneously quit coffee.

But I had no intention of quitting, I like the taste and I like the blast, and I like how it seems to make everything matter more. So I was back on coffee within the day.

Caffein is an incredible powerful drug, and it is legal, and when taken as coffee is delicious. I am not saying I couldn't do without it. But I am not sure I see the point of that.
 
Sep 13, 2021
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San Francisco, CA
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First, let me start by saying that I couldn't quit coffee if I tried. I mean, I've tried to quit lots of things before (smoking, eating junk food, staying up late). But for some reason, kicking the coffee habit seems harder than all of those other things combined.

Coffee is insanely addictive! The caffeine in coffee can cause dependency and withdrawal symptoms when you try to quit. And even if you manage to wean yourself off the caffeine, there's still the fact that coffee tastes so good!
 

JeffD

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Jan 27, 2022
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Upstate New York
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I am sure that a lot of the addiction is mental. How many of us have a dedicated coffee mug, at our place of work, or next to computer at home. Just one look at that coffee cup, before we even taste the coffee, and the cravings start.
 
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