Author Taramere Posted May 15, 2016 Author Share Posted May 15, 2016 Sitting here with my second cup of tea before having my morning shower....I think your friend was rude. She's pretty outspoken, for sure. If I'd known she was looking for flaws of mine to distract herself from the fact that she maybe drinks a tad too much at times, I would have been happy to prepare a list. The moment I was able to drag myself away from chugging down coffee and procrastinating on the internet. 2 Link to post Share on other sites
Emilia Posted May 16, 2016 Share Posted May 16, 2016 In the UK, we tend to have three main coffee chains - Starbucks, Costa and Caffé Nero. We tend to more be tea-drinkers over here so there's less choice. If someone wants a coffee, they might use McDonalds or Burger King but it's sad there's so little choice. Starbucks is my least fave out of the three 'mains'. The coffee is nice but quite boring. . I drink coffee from those - well, not so much nowdays - though I didn't think Americanos were bad because they are pretty watered down. It's good to save money for sure! I've been up for over an hour and haven't had coffee yet, won't do for another half an hour Link to post Share on other sites
Els Posted May 16, 2016 Share Posted May 16, 2016 I can get jittery in court, and I don't think coffee helps. I'm always reminded, on those days, of Nice Guy Eddie telling Mr Pink that the last thing he needs is another cup of coffee. The main thing is that I can be prone to migraines. Received wisdom seems to say that coffee can help with an imminent migraine (ie helps body absorb painkillers faster) but that in the longer term it contributes to them. I've been reading up on some of the health benefits though, and on balance I reckon so long as I can restrict it to two or three cups a day my life will be better with than without coffee. Yeah, 2 cups is good... 5 is a wee bit much IMO. I was 'semi-addicted' to coffee when I was in college, I'd take about 3-4 cups a day (though it was always instant coffee, couldn't afford good coffee in college!). I noticed that I got desensitized to the effects of coffee real quick, as in when I was taking 3-4 cups on a daily basis, after several weeks coffee didn't have much positive effect on me anymore. I was as sleepy as I used to be on 0 cups previously, except I had to take them otherwise I would be even sleepier. So I cut down to a cup a day or so, that way when I needed a jolt of energy the coffee actually worked for me. But, that was just my experience. Oddly enough, now I'm really not a coffee person, I'll order it sometimes if I go to a coffee house with the SO/friends but that's about it. Not sure if it's any better, but I take 2-3 cups of tea on a daily basis now instead... 1 Link to post Share on other sites
Haydn Posted May 16, 2016 Share Posted May 16, 2016 A good Latte every now and then. But not from a chain. Not a big coffee drinker. Much prefer my Herbals.... Link to post Share on other sites
Author Taramere Posted May 16, 2016 Author Share Posted May 16, 2016 Yeah, 2 cups is good... 5 is a wee bit much IMO. I was 'semi-addicted' to coffee when I was in college, I'd take about 3-4 cups a day (though it was always instant coffee, couldn't afford good coffee in college!). I noticed that I got desensitized to the effects of coffee real quick, as in when I was taking 3-4 cups on a daily basis, after several weeks coffee didn't have much positive effect on me anymore. I was as sleepy as I used to be on 0 cups previously, except I had to take them otherwise I would be even sleepier. So I cut down to a cup a day or so, that way when I needed a jolt of energy the coffee actually worked for me. But, that was just my experience. Oddly enough, now I'm really not a coffee person, I'll order it sometimes if I go to a coffee house with the SO/friends but that's about it. Not sure if it's any better, but I take 2-3 cups of tea on a daily basis now instead... I'm trying to be good. I've had one cup so far today, and enjoyed it immensely, but I'll try to stick to green chai tea for the rest of the day. 2 Link to post Share on other sites
jen1447 Posted May 16, 2016 Share Posted May 16, 2016 I think 5 cups is actually within the "okay" range, isn't it? (Thinking of recent studies.) I think your definition of a cup matters tho ....if it's literally 5 cups, that's not a whole lot of coffee in 24 hours, but if it's actually 5 larges from Starbucks, that's a diff story. Link to post Share on other sites
Author Taramere Posted May 16, 2016 Author Share Posted May 16, 2016 I think 5 cups is actually within the "okay" range, isn't it? (Thinking of recent studies.) I think your definition of a cup matters tho ....if it's literally 5 cups, that's not a whole lot of coffee in 24 hours, but if it's actually 5 larges from Starbucks, that's a diff story. I use two heaped teaspoons of finely ground coffee in a very basic espresso maker - putting in enough water to fill an average sized teacup, which is about 6 fluid ounces. Apparently Starbucks recommend using two tablespoons of ground coffee for each six fluid ounces (180 milliliters) of water. That's a fair bit more than I use per cup...and I thought I liked my coffee strong. Then again, I'm using very finely ground coffee. Link to post Share on other sites
serial muse Posted May 16, 2016 Share Posted May 16, 2016 I'm definitely addicted, but I drink less coffee than I used to. In part that's because I quit cold turkey when I was pregnant. But that did give me awful headaches, so I decided this cold turkey headache crap couldn't be good for the baby and I drank tea. Now I'm drinking coffee again, but usually just 1-2 cups a day. I do get headaches again if I skip a day, so I know my body is still somewhat dependent. But I don't intend to quit again, because the thing is that I like coffee. I cherish my morning cup in the quiet of the house after H and kiddo are off to work/school. Part of it's just the feeling of holding and sipping from a warm soothing drink when you're having a stressful moment. Nowadays I keep a stash of green tea in the office and I drink a lot of that throughout the day. Or even just hot water. A friend of mine used to order a cup of hot water in restaurants and I scoffed at her, but I get it now: Drinking plain hot water is actually quite nice. Perhaps your friend could have a nice warm cup of shut up?? 4 Link to post Share on other sites
Author Taramere Posted May 16, 2016 Author Share Posted May 16, 2016 Part of it's just the feeling of holding and sipping from a warm soothing drink when you're having a stressful moment. Nowadays I keep a stash of green tea in the office and I drink a lot of that throughout the day. Or even just hot water. A friend of mine used to order a cup of hot water in restaurants and I scoffed at her, but I get it now: Drinking plain hot water is actually quite nice. Perhaps your friend could have a nice warm cup of shut up?? Haha. She's lovely really...but where I live, people think there's something a bit wrong with you if you don't drink very much alcohol. If you don't drink at all, because you've had a drink problem, that's fine....but having just one glass of wine? Highly suspicious behaviour. It smacks of irritating self discipline. In my case it's mainly because a) I don't like the taste of alcohol so much as I like the taste of soft drinks, b) I have to watch out for migraines and c) I dislike hangovers strongly enough to want to avoid them. The additional likelihood of me making a twat of myself when I'm drunk is also a factor, but in itself it wouldn't be enough to stop me. I'm perfectly capable of doing that sober. So saying "you have a coffee addiction" is more of a "Thank God" sort of thing, more than it's a criticism. 2 Link to post Share on other sites
NewLeaf512 Posted May 16, 2016 Share Posted May 16, 2016 I can get jittery in court, and I don't think coffee helps. I'm always reminded, on those days, of Nice Guy Eddie telling Mr Pink that the last thing he needs is another cup of coffee. The main thing is that I can be prone to migraines. Received wisdom seems to say that coffee can help with an imminent migraine (ie helps body absorb painkillers faster) but that in the longer term it contributes to them. I've been reading up on some of the health benefits though, and on balance I reckon so long as I can restrict it to two or three cups a day my life will be better with than without coffee. Coffee also helps with my asthma. How are you getting on? Are you drinking water? In my group of colleagues (I'm the youngest so that's says it all really) I'm thinking of spiking the teapot with caffeine so they stay awake during the day. But really maybe drink as much water as you can, the thought of a migraine is not a happy one. 1 Link to post Share on other sites
Author Taramere Posted May 16, 2016 Author Share Posted May 16, 2016 Coffee also helps with my asthma. How are you getting on? Are you drinking water? In my group of colleagues (I'm the youngest so that's says it all really) I'm thinking of spiking the teapot with caffeine so they stay awake during the day. But really maybe drink as much water as you can, the thought of a migraine is not a happy one. I'm fine now I'm drinking coffee again, NL! I drink a fair bit of water too. Migraines tend to come on at the end of a period, or during times of stress. It's typical that I'd get them, because I have a strong aversion to throwing up - but when a migraine comes on, it only starts to wane when I do. I've heard that certain spices like ginger and cinnamon are very good for reducing the incidence of migraines...so I do use green chai tea (with extra spices) instead of coffee a fair bit of the time. Apparently caffeine also helps pain relief tablets work faster too. So it's definitely not all bad. Did you ever watch the Inbetweeners, by the way? If so, do you remember that episode when Will took too many caffeine tablets to stay awake studying for his exams?? 1 Link to post Share on other sites
NewLeaf512 Posted May 16, 2016 Share Posted May 16, 2016 Omg yes! Hahahahaha Link to post Share on other sites
RedPurpleOrange Posted May 16, 2016 Share Posted May 16, 2016 I drink coffee from those - well, not so much nowdays - though I didn't think Americanos were bad because they are pretty watered down. It's good to save money for sure! I think the large Americanos tend to contain three espresso shots, giving it quite a 'kick' in the caffeine department. Costas deffo do, anyway, I always watch them making it, lol. 1 Link to post Share on other sites
Emilia Posted May 23, 2016 Share Posted May 23, 2016 Well Taramere, have just been to the dentist to have my teeth cleaned and he told me no tea or coffee for the rest of the day!!!! I don't think I'd even been told that before and it's only lunch time. How would you cope with that? 1 Link to post Share on other sites
Author Taramere Posted May 23, 2016 Author Share Posted May 23, 2016 Well Taramere, have just been to the dentist to have my teeth cleaned and he told me no tea or coffee for the rest of the day!!!! I don't think I'd even been told that before and it's only lunch time. How would you cope with that? I'd probably ignore it. Then apply a tooth whitening strip out of guilt. 2 Link to post Share on other sites
jen1447 Posted May 23, 2016 Share Posted May 23, 2016 Well Taramere, have just been to the dentist to have my teeth cleaned and he told me no tea or coffee for the rest of the day!!!! I don't think I'd even been told that before and it's only lunch time. How would you cope with that? Sounds like the end of the line Emilia. 1 Link to post Share on other sites
Imported Posted May 23, 2016 Share Posted May 23, 2016 I use to drink pots of coffee a day, especially when I was working. It was normal to always have a coffee mug, filled with coffee and drink coffee at all times. I am not concerned with caffeine addiction. Personally, unless you're downing a cup in a minute or two, I don't think you can take too much caffeine from drinking coffee. It's when you take 4++ worth of strong cups of coffee all in one 12oz energy pre-workout that it gets dangerous. I drink 1 to 2 cups in the morning now and that's about it usually. I think coffee in excess can give you bad breath and body odors that no amount of scrubbing and brushing will help with since it's all internal. Link to post Share on other sites
Emilia Posted May 23, 2016 Share Posted May 23, 2016 Sounds like the end of the line Emilia. I'm having ONE cup of coffee and will brush my teeth after. That's the best I can do 1 Link to post Share on other sites
introverted1 Posted May 23, 2016 Share Posted May 23, 2016 I'm having ONE cup of coffee and will brush my teeth after. That's the best I can do Noooo, don't brush. That's actually the worse thing you can so, because it sort of rubs the stains into your teeth. You're supposed to rinse your mouth after you drink coffee (or eat something acidic), then brush about an hour later. Link to post Share on other sites
Emilia Posted May 24, 2016 Share Posted May 24, 2016 Noooo, don't brush. That's actually the worse thing you can so, because it sort of rubs the stains into your teeth. You're supposed to rinse your mouth after you drink coffee (or eat something acidic), then brush about an hour later. I didn't brush immediately, I almost never brush immediately after eating or drinking. Link to post Share on other sites
hasaquestion Posted May 24, 2016 Share Posted May 24, 2016 I never really thought caffeine was too addictive until last year when I tried to quit. It's definitely NOT like nicotine withdrawal but I noticed marked effects like jitters and strange headaches for about a week. I was averaging about ten double-bag cups of tea and two large Americanos per day. Didn't last long, though. I could never give up the odd large Americano. Amphetamine in a brown paper cup. ;D I get raging withdrawal headaches if I don't have any coffee for 36 hours. Probably should do something about that. 1 Link to post Share on other sites
RedPurpleOrange Posted May 24, 2016 Share Posted May 24, 2016 I haven't had a large Americano in about ten days! I'm gonna treat myself to one over the next few days. Had about ten cups of tea today and brewing my 'bedtime' one right now. They say tea possibly has more caffeine in it than coffee. I call BS on that concept. A large Americano will get me wired. Tea just makes me feel mellow. I KNOW it's not just psychological, an Americano can give me happy giddy jitters. I never have that with tea. Just a boring, refreshed warmth. Two Americanos in an hour? Happy giddy jitters can turn into bubbly-guts anxiety. Proper coffee has a real power to it. (PS: I HATE instant coffee! I stopped going there years back and can't touch it with a bargepole nowadays, even the so-called 'premium' brands.) 3 Link to post Share on other sites
amaysngrace Posted May 24, 2016 Share Posted May 24, 2016 Two Americanos in an hour? Happy giddy jitters can turn into bubbly-guts anxiety. Really? I say bring it. Or maybe that second one could do that actually. 2 Link to post Share on other sites
Sabella Posted May 26, 2016 Share Posted May 26, 2016 I get horrid migraines when I try to quit coffee cold turkey or go without it for even a day. Nobody can tell me otherwise, it's a real thing for me. That being said I think in terms of addictions, it's better than most things and there are benefits to coffe too. Just don't go cold turkey!! I usually only have two cups in the morning. I'm very sensitive to caffeine and can't have it with dinner. But I loovve waking up,and making coffee! Such a lovely ritual for me really 1 Link to post Share on other sites
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