Thread: Caffeine can kill your productivity!

I tried going cold turkey last year. Had massive headaches, etc. the first couple days. Pushed through it and went without any caffiene for 2 or 3 weeks but I just never got the "natural energy" boost that some people claim they get after quitting. I went back to having my caffiene. =)

I hated coffee all my life and was a late bloomer to the caffeine craze. I only discovered these great energy drinks you guys have here in the US when I came back here two years ago. We have "energy drinks" in Norway too, but they don't work at all because government regulation on caffeinated drinks make them severely tame and pointless.

But now I'm pretty hooked on Wired, Full Throttle, Rockstar, NOS, and Monster. I do try to limit usage though because I don't wanna get addicted. So once a week I will treat myself to a can - and BOY do I get productive on those days!

The orange Wired, with its massive 344 (!) mg of caffeine has the strongest effect, but I also sometimes crash off of it in the evenings. After having tried many drinks now, I have narrowed it down to the two best cans that work for me: green Wired (B12 Rush), and the black Full Throttle. B12 also puts you in a really good mood, which is nice if you're having a down day.

I see no point in quitting caffeine. But I also see no point in going on it daily as there are many negative health effects on too much daily consumption.

Here's a related article about coffee I read the other day. Hopefully it helps support your caffeine-kicking initiative!

Coffee! The Good, the Bad, and the Ayurvedic Perspective. | elephant journal

Yeah, the energy drinks and little energy shots are terrible. I used to take several monsters/redbulls and 5hr energy shots a day. But they're not only full of caffeine - it's the sugar that's addicting you. They're also filled with tons of artificial flavorings, preservatives, and coloring substances. Not good at all.

For the past year I've stuck with Starbucks lattes, which are a lot better tasting, all-natural (as is everything at Starbucks), and not addictive. Get a gold card and you'll get every 15th drink free, plus at most locations, if you buy anything at Starbucks in the morning, after 2pm you can use your receipt as a coupon to get any grande drink for just $2.

Disclosure: I don't work for Starbucks, I just love going there, a lot.

By the way, I haven't tried this but my friend posted it on Facebook the other day...
http://www.deathwishcoffee.com/ (it's apparently the strongest coffee ever)

Originally Posted by hustleEveryDay

it's the sugar that's addicting you.

Um, no it is the caffeine you get addicted to actually

Originally Posted by PatrickP

Can't relate.

I do use a LOT of caffeine. BUT I go caffeine free every 3 days so I don't get addicted.

Everything in moderation I believe.

Uh Patrick I told you a long time ago that you are my road dog...but if you don't get yourself over in the insiders I am going to tell everyone you can't afford it?

Now In my best MC Hammer voice "COFFEE TIME."

You guys need to try Yerba Mate. This is the 'South American' equivalent of coffee and will keep you alert but doesn't jitter you out & send you crashing later. It is packed with nutrients (24 vitamins & minerals) and chocolate like chemicals instead of all of the caffeine (but it has that too). Tim Ferriss is a big fan - he calls Mate plus some red wine his "creativity elixir".

Here's a guy talking about what caffeine does and how it's not really an energy source, but rather an energy thief.
Coffee: The Great Energy Sapper

I however, am quite addicted to caffeine still. 200 mg tablets whenever I feel drowsy. It works, but in the big picture it also don't.

Caffeine helped me. didn't discover into until my senior year of college and practically pulled a 3.0 out of my ass all thanks to Caffeine keeping me going.

I hate the taste of coffee through. For this reason, I drink two expresso shots at 6am. No suger or any of that shit. Make it, close your eyes, throw your head bad and take a shot

So the last few jobs I've had all had free coffee. Half-decent stuff to boot. I drank a TON of it. Like, almost a cup an hour for every hour I was there. Really fogged up memory, made it hard to concentrate, work was suffering, etc...

Then I would quit cold turkey. Like Whole Paradigm I was rewarded for this choice by a 4-5 day long terrible headache. Really opens your eyes to see exactly how addicted you were when you start going through withdraw symptoms...

Eventually I'd end up drinking it again a few weeks later or whatever - a glass a day or what have you. Without noticing I'd find myself with a coffee in hand almost constantly again. Damnation...

This last month I've had a very positive change - I have a SINGLE coffee in the morning and then drink water for the rest of the day. So far no crash and the jitters/scatter-brain are gone. I think this will be my modus operandi going forward.

RED BULL GIVES YOU WINGS

Originally Posted by Vigilante

RED BULL GIVES YOU WINGS

And a hang over... oh wait. Maybe it was the vodka I mixed with it... not sure now.

Originally Posted by Vigilante

RED BULL GIVES YOU WINGS

I once left a half drunk Red Bull can in a car for a day, when I came back the smell was so terrible I thought someone died. I drink it, but did you know Canada required Red Bull to take out 40 ingredients before importing, unlike the US version?

Originally Posted by Vigilante

RED BULL GIVES YOU WINGS

Amazing what first to market and/or marketing can do.

Of all the people I have spoken to who use Red Bull, not one of them say they like the taste.

Originally Posted by Rawr

I drink it, but did you know Canada required Red Bull to take out 40 ingredients before importing, unlike the US version?

I can't find reference to this anywhere - where did you hear this? I'd be interested in seeing which ingredients and why.

Originally Posted by Rawr

I once left a half drunk Red Bull can in a car for a day, when I came back the smell was so terrible I thought someone died. I drink it, but did you know Canada required Red Bull to take out 40 ingredients before importing, unlike the US version?

How is that possible, really?



Looks like that would leave the Canadian version at approx at NEGATIVE 25 ingredients.


Doesn't your BS meter go off when you hear or read something crazy like that?


Canadian version http://www.redbull.ca/cs/Satellite/e...21242762475036


USA version http://www.redbullusa.com/cs/Satelli...pvt=ingredient

Originally Posted by PatrickP

Looks like that would leave the Canadian version at approx at NEGATIVE 25 ingredients.

Uh, they're called anti-ingredients Patrick. Don't let them touch our American Red Bulls regular ingredients. Causes a massive caffeine explosion.

Personally, I think coffee is super-awesome stuff.

Caffeine helps boost up your metabolic rate, and a higher metabolism is almost always positive. It's also got a good chunk of magnesium in there as well, which is a great mineral for metabolism as well.

I'm happily addicted
-Sean