Ah... crap.

[camrogers]

I knew. Even on an intuitive level I knew this. Nonetheless it's worth having it all spelled out and bookmarked.

Crap.

- Caffeine: Cup of Pain, Liquid Stress
- 6 Things That Are Secretly Turning You Into A Bad Person

Comments

[greylock]

My experience has been: I don't get caffeine widthdrawals.
So I may be atypical, but I have found (largely) going without coffee no big thing. I'll have the odd cup to be sociable, and I do abuse it on weekends, but I also abuse No Doze on occasion.

Not that I want to argue with the medically-types who might have done the research, but I find the claims a little far-fetched, at least insofar as people might actually notice the symptoms.

[camrogers]

Christ, I notice it after three sips. Dead set. It changes the way I think. Anxiety scenarios just BLOOM.

Not so bad if it's a cup every second day - it's actually fairly benign - but if I have one a day... Jesus.

[greylock]

Anxiety scenarios just BLOOM.

I expect we're starting from different places. I am quite often anxious in crowds, but if I'm in familiar surrounds, or I'm already extremely focused, I just don't get worried or anxious.

but if I have one a day... Jesus.

My standard cup of coffee at home is two teaspoons of instant coffee or three scoops in the plunger.
If I haven't had a coffee in a two or or three weeks the effect of me speeding up can be quite obvious. Otherwise I never really notice the impact aside from, sometimes, a sharpening of the brain at work, but I sometimes think that is as much the impact of going for coffee than anything.

[darren_stranger]

Going without caffeine, i feel tired and wooly-headed. A cuppa clears that up. Don't know if that's actual tiredness, withdrawal symptoms or some sort of placebo effect. Either way, it's always much easier to just grab that cuppa and get on with stuff. (This is why i never tried hard druigs).

[camrogers]

The tiredness and wooly-headedness is a side-effect of withdrawal.

Caffeine fools you into thinking you're getting a kick. The best explanation of it I've ever read I found over at:

http://youarenotsosmart.com/2010/02/22/coffee/

[greylock]

Don't know if that's actual tiredness, withdrawal symptoms or some sort of placebo effect.

Could be any one of the three, I suppose.

All this talk of coffee is making me crave one. But I know I'm not tired, or don't need it, I just want to get up from my desk.