Coffee is Addictive

Irresponsibility by the_mad_poster · 2004-10-03 02:36 · Score: 5, Insightful

...who released a study that could result in the official classification of the condition as a mental disorder.

Seriously... is there ANYONE in ANY part of this country anymore that just takes a little bit of responsibility for their own goddamn actions? The idea that the effects of drinking a cup of coffee could even be considered being classified as a "disease" is absolutely ludicrous.

People are so pathetic these days. I think the only disease involved in all this "you're not an irresponsible jackass, you just need medical help!" attitude is an acute affliction of stupid.

--
Alito: A vote for Alito is a punch in the eye to put that bitch back in her place!

Re:Irresponsibility by mcovey · 2004-10-03 02:37 · Score: 5, Funny

I didn't read the article I'm too jittery from the caffeine.

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Amen.
Re:Irresponsibility by DigitalRaptor · 2004-10-03 03:04 · Score: 5, Insightful

It may not be a disease, per se, but there is a very clear and very real genetic predisposition for some people to be alcoholics, and others to be able to drink half a glass and leave the rest on the table when they leave.

It's easy for the latter to judge the former, but that doesn't mean the condition is any less real.

It's like those that aren't succeptable to depression judging those that are, and telling them to just "shake it off" or "snap out of it".

That attitude shows a clear lack of understanding.

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Lose Weight and Feel Great with Isagenix
Re:Irresponsibility by riscthis · 2004-10-03 03:07 · Score: 5, Interesting

Maybe I've just become immune to caffeine, but I do drink a lot of caffeine-containing drinks throughout the day, and I can't say I've ever noticed being hyper from it. More to the point, I've never really noticed anyone else becoming hyper from caffeine either.

So I've been wondering if this is more a cultural expectation thing. In Britain it just doesn't seem to be discussed in the same way -- I've known people (including myself) complain of caffeine withdrawal symptoms -- evil headaches and suchlike -- but almost never about any "hyper" effects of over-consumption of caffeine.

Yet often American sitcoms will refer to coffee in reference to making people hyper, to the point where you'd think that half an espresso is meant to send you crazy. Or maybe it's genetic differences between the populations that mean that caffeine has different effects in the two countries?
Re:Irresponsibility by allism · 2004-10-03 03:17 · Score: 5, Informative

Go buy a bag of chocolate-covered espresso beans and scarf em down. You'll know what caffeine jitters are then.

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Denver Isuzu Suzuki
Re:Irresponsibility by admdrew · 2004-10-03 03:42 · Score: 5, Insightful

I think a big part of it is the amount people consume. I drink (on average) a few cans/bottles of coke a day, so I've become accustomed to the caffeine enough that it barely affects me. *Not* having it, however, ends up sucking.

I have friends whose caffeine intake is minimal (if at all) in a normal day, so a single can of pop or a cup of coffee can keep them up for hours. It's all relative tolerance, like a lot of other drugs out there.

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LegendMUD
Re:Irresponsibility by jE · 2004-10-03 04:18 · Score: 5, Funny

No *slurp* that is not *slurp* true. It can't *slurp* be. I can *slurp* always stop if I *slurp* want to.

Just *slurp* watch me.
Re:Irresponsibility by whidbey+island+geek · 2004-10-03 04:46 · Score: 5, Informative

Just to clear up any misconceptions, the more you process a coffee bean the more caffeine you remove.
As a former *$ barista and manager I know form where I speak. They spend a lot of time on coffee education if you are willing to listen.
If you want a better 'buzz' go with a lighter roast coffee. Darker roasts like French have been toasted longer to produce a deeper flavor but loose some of the caffiene in the process. The same is true for using an espresso roast for drip coffee. It makes a mean cup of coffee but sure has less caffeine than a cinniamon roast you will find in cheap 'over the counter' coffees in the supermarket.
Perhpas the biggest misconception is that multiple shots of espresso will really light you up. Wrong. All you are getting is a very concentrated flavor not a super boost of caffiene. That is cuz by the time it gets in to your latte the beans have been deeply roasted (to an espresso roast) and then 'super brewed' (as compared to traditional drip coffee)in the espresso maker. So if you are thinking that the quad shot Americano (espresso and water) you get to impress you buddies is some superdrink then just put on a dress and change you name to Sally. That is about as far removed from the 'manly' coffee my dad drank in the navy that you can get and still call it the same drink.

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Share and Enjoy! (tm)
Re:Irresponsibility by Anonymous Coward · 2004-10-03 04:50 · Score: 5, Funny

No *slurp* that is not *slurp* true. It can't *slurp* be. I can *slurp* always stop if I *slurp* want to.

Just *slurp* watch me.

That man is addicted to giving blowjobs.
Re:Irresponsibility by KyleCordes · 2004-10-03 06:02 · Score: 5, Insightful

Here is a point of view on this seems ideally balanced, to get flamed from both sides:

For a person to get to a high, constant level of drinking, is an act of great irresponbility and foolishness, a wrongdoing against oneself and everyone around.

Having gotten there, the enormous physiological difficulty in stopping, appears to be a bona fide disease.
Re:Irresponsibility by bumski · 2004-10-03 07:37 · Score: 5, Funny

More importantly, does the light really go out?

Hey! by Stickerboy · 2004-10-03 02:40 · Score: 5, Funny

Can't wait for the study proving sugar is sweet.

Hey, don't steal my dissertation ideas! Some of us have put a lot of thought into that.

--
Light a fire for a man and he'll be warm for a day. Light a man on fire and he'll be warm for the rest of his life.

Before people moan... by lxt · 2004-10-03 02:40 · Score: 5, Interesting

...the study was more about the addictive properties of caffeine, rather than coffee. This is actually quite useful, because caffeine is often combined with paracetemol in pain killers. People who use these painkillers as "lifestyle drugs" (and they do - just look at the proliferation of "pocket containers" for brand name pills") might want to read this research. For example, the article states "Griffiths and Juliano assessed the validity of 66 studies on caffeine withdrawal over many decades. Fifty percent of people had headaches, and 13 percent had clinically significant distress or impairment of function.". If you're taking pain killers with caffeine to relieve headaches, the pain could actually start to be caused by your addiction to the caffeine. Still, at least they're researching something :)

Next target in war on drugs ? by TheUncleBob · 2004-10-03 02:44 · Score: 5, Funny

Perhaps starbucks should be careful they don't get added to the list, especially serving columbian blends !

In Other News... by pyite · 2004-10-03 02:45 · Score: 5, Funny

"In other news, it has been found that eating food can be addictive. Studies show that some humans who start eating food shortly after they are born are unable to stop until their death."

--

"Nature doesn't care how smart you are. You can still be wrong." - Richard Feynman

Re:So is alcohol by Kick+the+Donkey · 2004-10-03 02:47 · Score: 5, Insightful

Course the failed War on Drugs should be canned, all drugs should be legalised, taxed and the cash used for rehabilitation services.

Seriously... Think about this. Druggies have already proved they'll pay just about any price to feed their habit. So, if you leagalize it, you reduce the cost of getting the drugs here, and selling them (black market goes away...). So, lets say the markup on your tyipcal drug is 17,000% from the black market. What should the markup be if the drugs where legal? Lets just say 500%, for arguments sake.

The government could charge a 100% tax on the profit, and the end user would only see a markup of about 1000% (17 times less than the current markup, for those who suck at math).

So, the druggies win (cheaper drugs). And the government wins (more taxes, less money spent on the worthless drug war). And the tax payer wins, provided the shills we elect don't siphon off all these extra funds into some type of 'special account'...

That, and I think people would be happier :D

--
/. is a bunch of nerds at a million typewriters. It's not a political conspiracy determined to undermine your beliefs.

How I prevent caffeine withdrawal by Anonymous Coward · 2004-10-03 02:49 · Score: 5, Funny

I find that daily use of coffee completely prevents all side-effects of caffeine withdrawal. Give it a try and you will see.

The Coffee made me do it. by TheLoneCabbage · 2004-10-03 03:27 · Score: 5, Funny

What it does meen is I now have a legal basis for beating the cr@p out of the Starbucks clerk when he doesn't understand I just want plain black coffee.

It's worse here in Israel, where the idea of coffee is synonymous with milk. Every time I go somewhere for coffee it's a 5 minuet ordeal, that I am not caffinated enough to deal with.

"Caffe, Shovar, ein Chalav, ein sukar" (Translation: Coffee, black. No milk, no Sugar)

"Espresso".

"Lo Nescafe",(Trans: no instant.)

"Ah Nescafe Latte" (Trans: Oh, you must be wrong, and want Instant coffee mixed with steamed milk)

"LO! Nescafe, im maim cham. Ze Oh." (Trans: No you freaking moron. Put instant coffee in hot water, nothing else!)

"Maim? oh Chalav?" (Trans: No one actually drinks coffee like that here. You want it with milk)

"Look I'm a f@#$ing American. My hebrew sucks, and I know you speak 3 d@#$ languages so you can understand this. All I want is caffine in water. No milk, I'm lactose intolerant. No suggar I'm a diabetic. So unless you want me farting while I'm going through sugar shock on your floor, PUT INSTANT COFFEE IN HOT WATTER AND LET ME PAY YOU FOR IT!!"

Ah... I feel better now.

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I would rather be ashes than dust!

Re:The Coffee made me do it. by advance512 · 2004-10-03 07:43 · Score: 5, Informative
That is a funny post, but you can't blame the sales person. :)
Israel is a multi-cultural country made up of many different people or varying origins; we have the coffee cultures to prove it. Here are the main ones:
1. The Eastern/Arabic coffee culture. Turkish/Greek coffee mostly, which is what people here assume you mean when you say black coffee. It can be served with many different spices, and is probably the most popular coffee brew in Israel, mostly with the working class. The "Ma and Pap" (e.g. "Pitzutziot") and 7-11 style shops sell these, which are rarely found in corporate coffee chains. "American black coffee" is simply instant or filter coffee, with no milk - which is something almost no one here drinks.
2. The Italian coffee culture. It was actually introduced by corporate coffee chains similiar to Starbuck's (the local Aroma and Arcafe chains). The main drinks served there are the standard Espresso, Cappucino, and Latté. A favourite with women is Iced Coffee. These brews are mostly popular with the high-tech and academic crowds. An interesting fact is that the "Americano" type of coffee isn't sold here, as far as I know. We have short (1:1 water to coffee ratio), long (2:1) and double (2:2) Espresso servings.
3. American/Western coffee culture (instant coffee). This is mostly popular here with people who like the weaker coffee types (and sometimes teens). It's the most accessible brew (primarily to small business who don't have coffee machines), but rarely found in the corporate coffee chains. Most offices in Israel offer instant coffee to the workers instead of the American filter coffee (or drip brew) machine - which is next to non-existant in Israel. Like I said before - this is rarely drank in the style of "American black coffee". Usually it is served as "2 sugar, with milk".
Oh, by the way, "Shovar" actually means voucher, not black. Next time try:
"Ca-feh, Na-meh-s, bli khalav, bli sookar." (Translation: Coffee, instant. No milk, no sugar)
Good luck and have a pleasant time in our insane little country :)

Mental disorders are classifications by joelhayhurst · 2004-10-03 03:29 · Score: 5, Informative

mental illness
n.
Any of various conditions characterized by impairment of an individual's normal cognitive, emotional, or behavioral functioning, and caused by social, psychological, biochemical, genetic, or other factors, such as infection or head trauma. Also called emotional illness, mental disease, mental disorder.

This is all a mental disorder is. It does not assign blame. Caffeine withdrawal exhibits certain predictable symptoms affecting the normal order of a person's mind, and as such it makes sense to classify it as what it is, a disorder. The word "disorder" just means things are mentally messed up; it does not imply the person was "born" with caffeine withdrawal or blameless for having this disorder, anymore than a psychopath is granted amnesty just because they have antisocial personality disorder.

Re:War on by Twisted+Grind · 2004-10-03 05:23 · Score: 5, Funny

Something tells me that if we started a war on caffeine, we'd have a whole new front in the war on terrorism to deal with. Millions of coffee-starved Americans calling themselves 'Al-Qafeen' would rage throughout our streets spreading chaos and discord...

--
You know you've lost it when you begin signing physical documents with =^_^=

Nifty Caffeine Hack by Twisted+Grind · 2004-10-03 06:05 · Score: 5, Interesting

Here's a nice little hack you can use to spice up your sleep!

Right before going to sleep at night, take one or two caffeine pills. It's necessary you use pills, because the taste of familiar caffinated drinks and/or the sugars in these drinks will cause an immediate "peppy" reaction. The trick to this hack is to fall asleep before the chemicals kick in. Caffeine takes about 30-60 minutes to take effect depending on the person, so you want to be in a situation where you can fall as quickly as possible.

If you do this correctly, what'll end up happening is that the caffeine will cause a state of hyperactivity while you're still asleep! What ends up occuring is an extremely deep, relaxing sleep, while producing intensly vivid dreams. Try it!

--
You know you've lost it when you begin signing physical documents with =^_^=

Oh, sorry. by Civil_Disobedient · 2004-10-03 09:36 · Score: 5, Funny

I hate all the folks around me say "Gah" when they want to express frustration. Never heard it in NY.

Sorry, what I meant to say was, "Goddamn fuckin' mutha-fuckah's!"

And there goes my karma.

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