Luckily for me I don't have an addictive personality at all, I stopped drinking coffee altogether. When I did drink coffee I had to make it incredibly strong, so to that one cup probably equaled 3 cups' worth of coffee, literally. I really didn't care about the caffeine or whatever effects you might get from coffee, I simply drank it because loved the taste of coffee.
The Whining and Bitching Thread
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Luckily for me I don't have an addictive personality at all, I stopped drinking coffee altogether. When I did drink coffee I had to make it incredibly strong, so to that one cup probably equaled 3 cups' worth of coffee, literally. I really didn't care about the caffeine or whatever effects you might get from coffee, I simply drank it because loved the taste of coffee.
Shit on the floor and kick it under the door.
That rhymed....
On the topic of coffee: I could drink it all day and all it seems to do is calm me down more. Shit doesn't give me energy.
I found coffee to be relaxing also, rather than energizing. I think most people exaggerate the effects of coffee. I think a lot of people could probably drink a caffeine-free coffee and still claim to be buzzing with energy, as I do think it's partially a mental thing. I don't really hear people claim to be full of energy after drinking pop or tea, not that it has as much caffeine but still...And besides, I think the coffee most people drink is very weak anyways, whether they make it themselves or buy from Tim Hortons or wherever. I never added sugar but I wonder if that makes a difference, like what sort of relationship does caffeine and sugar undergo when mixed together?
I think sugar leads to crashes more than anything. I find the combo of caffeine + sugar (which most people seem to add to their coffee) rather interesting that so many people claim it to be energizing. Maybe it's all the bad chemicals and junk that are added to coffee that make people so addicted and perceive it to be more that what it is.
Vimana
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I'd say it's the power of suggestion. I remember reading that people can pretty much develop an immunity to the stimulating effects of caffeine in about a month of daily use. I think it eventually only works as a placebo effect and becomes a dependency that can be detrimental.
Srontgorrth
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Well caffeine is a psychoactive drug, and like many drugs, you build up a tolerance, and if you stop taking it, then you go into withdrawal (not the case for all, but for many).
Srontgorrth
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Argh, so I work for (writing and photographing) UNLV's newspaper the Rebel Yell, but I interviewed for and got offered the position of Assistant Director of Creative Technology (basically interwebs shit), but since the position is in the student government, and since the student government funds The Rebel Yell, I can't have a job with both... 
Der Morgenstern
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Srontgorrth
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Apparently
A lot of the budget cut proposals that were going on earlier this year aren't going to go through, luckily.
King Richard
Hello there
Caffeine doesn't make you feel energized, it just improves mental focus and alertness. Which explains why you perceive the affects of drinking coffee as calming you down.
Vacant_Planets
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Srontgorrth
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That's a contradiction - a feeling of being energized IS alertness, and usually mental focus as well.
That being said, caffeine is xanthine, which acts on the neurotransmitter adenosine, which in turn acts as an inhibitor of dopamine, norepinephrine and epinephrine. Since xanthine/caffeine is an antagonist at adenosine, adenosine inhibits much less of earlier mentioned drugs. Dopamine generally involves the brains pleasure/reward areas, norepinephrine which involves wakefulness and appetite, and epinephrine, which is also known as adrenaline.
That being said, caffeine is xanthine, which acts on the neurotransmitter adenosine, which in turn acts as an inhibitor of dopamine, norepinephrine and epinephrine. Since xanthine/caffeine is an antagonist at adenosine, adenosine inhibits much less of earlier mentioned drugs. Dopamine generally involves the brains pleasure/reward areas, norepinephrine which involves wakefulness and appetite, and epinephrine, which is also known as adrenaline.
zabu of nΩd
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Srontgorrth
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zabu of nΩd;10081924 said:
Adenosine regulates/inhibits the catecholamines - dopamine, norepinephrine and epinephrine.
Stimulants like cocaine and amphetamines also act on catecholamines, but not through adenosine (at least I'm pretty sure not).
zabu of nΩd
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I can't drink an entire 5 hour without feeling nervous and jittery. I also don't have a high tolerance to caffeine.
Srontgorrth
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Well there are two servings in a small 5 hour bottle (iirc), but yeah I feel the same. My heart rate goes up quite a bit and I feel pretty uncomfortable for the first 30-60 minutes, but it does keep me awake. I've only had some a couple times. I'm quite tolerant to lower/normal doses of caffeine though. I can drink a soda (which averages 70mg of caffeine I think) 30-40 minutes before falling asleep without a problem.
