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Drugs - Caffeine

emmakemmak Veteran
edited June 2005 in General Banter
is coffee considered to be a drug which is bad in the same way as other drugs? Recreational etc?

Comments

  • LincLinc Site owner Detroit Moderator
    edited June 2005
    An interesting consideration. I suppose, to me, it would depend on its use?
  • emmakemmak Veteran
    edited June 2005
    i drink coffee, my naturopath told me to cut down. if it is a stimulant is it as bad as any other drug? :confused:
  • AnitaAnita
    edited June 2005
    I don't necessarily think caffeine is a drug, but it is an attachment. People feel like they "need" caffeine in the morning or whenever. I think almost everyone is guilty about it. Whether its iced coffees or cokes. ;)
  • BrianBrian Detroit, MI Moderator
    edited June 2005
    caffeine is a drug, make no mistake about it.

    I abuse it. It's the only drug I abuse, but abuse it I do. I drink too much coffee.
  • AnitaAnita
    edited June 2005
    Well, I guess it could be a drug...it makes you gittery...
    If I have any caffeine..its iced coffee. I don't drink coke of any kind. Only water for me! ^_^
  • comicallyinsanecomicallyinsane Veteran
    edited June 2005
    I like soda but it doesn't have to have caffine in it. I think sugar is my weakness. I don't like coffee or tea.
  • DharmaKittenDharmaKitten
    edited June 2005
    emmak wrote:
    is coffee considered to be a drug which is bad in the same way as other drugs? Recreational etc?

    Health-wise it's not. Researchers have even shown how coffee, in moderation, can be healthy. Of course, overdoing it can lead to some health problems, but they are rather minor when even compared to smoking - not to mention hard drugs like cocain, meth, heroin, etc.

    Caffeine addiction can become a problem for some, but not all people. I used to drink sweet tea all day long (yep, I'm southern). I also used to get horrible headaches, fatigue, etc. Now that I know that caffeine was part of the problem, I have started to drink much more water and fewer caffeinated beverages (maybe a few a week). So long as I drink caffeinated beverages with moderation, I have no problem. If you can drink with moderation and don't suffer any problems from it, I don't see why to abstain completely. For an experiment, though, go off the caffeine for a few weeks (work down the amount over time if necessary). That way you'll know if it is worth stopping.
  • federicafederica Seeker of the clear blue sky... Its better to remain silent and be thought a fool, than to speak out and remove all doubt Moderator
    edited June 2005
    Just as a note of caution; coffee contains a component which is detrimental to the calcium in your teeth and bones....Women over 30 should try to cut coffee out altogether; women during menopause are succeptible to osteoporosis, and hip joint problems. Coffee will worsen these conditions, and accellerate them if they are existent. "Wake up and smell the coffee!" Yeah, but.... just don't drink too much! :)
  • emmakemmak Veteran
    edited June 2005
    thanks all. i was having about 7 cups espresso a day. stopped after natropath had a fit at me. the day I stopped I felt terrible, so I had a couple of coffees and felt better. Over the last few weeks I have weaned down to one cup first thing in the morning and thats all. YAY. Feel much better. I just wanted to know where everyone else stood on the matter.
    Federica can you elaborate on the calcium issue? I should tell my mum...
  • federicafederica Seeker of the clear blue sky... Its better to remain silent and be thought a fool, than to speak out and remove all doubt Moderator
    edited June 2005
    I'll try.... basically Coffee is a stimulant, and as such has to be filtered by both the Liver (to cleanse the bloodstream..... Blood cells are made by the marrow....) and by the Kidneys, to eliminate toxins. Now, TCM (Traditional Chinese Medicine) has always considered that the skeletal system, the teeth, the marrow, spinal cord and brain are all under the control of Water Energy; Water has Kidneys and Bladder as it's defining Body Organs. Without fluid, our entire system would shrivel up and die..... we get headaches, we become disoriented, our teeth loosen, our skeleton becomes brittle and our system shuts down. The brain needs more water than any other organ in the body.
    Coffee is a diuretic - it helps the body eliminate fluids, and if you are already dehydrated, can be extremely detrimental anyway. Everyone should be drinking at least two litres of water per day. This is IN ADDITION to any other kinds of drink you would take.... Coffee, tea, soft drinks, fizzy drinks....
    Coffee contains a chemical that actually destroys calcium molecules.... It makes bones look like solid sponges, it's absorbed by the bones, and makes lots of little holes in the core of the bone. These holes are tiny - microscopic.... but they make the bones brittle and over time, more fragile and prone to wear, especially near the joints. Women of middle age should cut coffee out, especially if there is ahistory of joint problems or osteoporosis in the family.

    Read "Your Body's many cries for Water" by Dr. Batmanghelidhj. (Spelling is wrong, but sufficient to locate book! Excellent book, very informative, and will drive you to drink in no time - H2O, that is!! :)
  • comicallyinsanecomicallyinsane Veteran
    edited June 2005
    So is it caffine that causes the bones to turn into sponges or is it the coffee?
  • federicafederica Seeker of the clear blue sky... Its better to remain silent and be thought a fool, than to speak out and remove all doubt Moderator
    edited June 2005
    Something in the coffee, not the caffeine itself. Even drinking decaff. is not necessarily the solution.
  • emmakemmak Veteran
    edited June 2005
    thanks federica. Is it the same with tea? As it also contains caffeine?
  • SimonthepilgrimSimonthepilgrim Veteran
    edited June 2005
    Tea!

    Now there's my comforter! Earl Grey, hot!
  • AdianaAdiana
    edited June 2005
    Hello to All!

    Yeah, I gotta agree with caffeine being a drug/stimulant; I used to drink Mountain Dew like crazy but I have since stopped drinking it. Every now and then, I might drink one. I feel better as well; not jittery. I never drank coffee and I don't drink much tea either. I pretty much stick to water these days. I am also losing weight since I stopped drinking soda so much. I do have to say this: I tried stopping "cold turkey" and I really felt bad! So, to counteract it, I drank a couple of Mountain Dews. I just started to "taper off" gradually and the withdrawal symptoms were not as bad. Now, I am completely off of soda. YAY!

    Adiana :lol::lol:
  • federicafederica Seeker of the clear blue sky... Its better to remain silent and be thought a fool, than to speak out and remove all doubt Moderator
    edited June 2005
    emmak wrote:
    thanks federica. Is it the same with tea? As it also contains caffeine?


    Tea contains something equivalent to coffee, (Teine) and measure for measure, it is actually stronger than caffeine - ! But we don't drink tea in the same concentration, so the problem really doesn't arise.... but tea as far as I know, is not responsible for the kind of damage caused by coffee. No worries! I'll have a cup of that too, please, Simon - cloud of milk, no sugar! Mmmmmmm!! Wonderful aroma! :)
  • _BeautifulSpringtime_BeautifulSpringtime Veteran
    edited June 2005
    Uh oh!

    Brits and their tea!

    I enjoy a refreshing cup of Green tea most days.

    Did you know that (apparently [just a legend, in my opinion]) Bodhidharma brought tea to China from India?

    I think this tidbit is more of a metaaphor than anything else (help local historian Simon!).
  • SimonthepilgrimSimonthepilgrim Veteran
    edited June 2005
    I think we shall find that it is legendary! But, then, the Ancient Greeks believed that the olive tree was a gift from Athena.
  • federicafederica Seeker of the clear blue sky... Its better to remain silent and be thought a fool, than to speak out and remove all doubt Moderator
    edited June 2005
    yes, and men still believe they have the edge over women....*sigh, shake of head, grin!*
  • comicallyinsanecomicallyinsane Veteran
    edited June 2005
    I don't know how people can drink tea or coffee. That stuff is nasty.
  • AdianaAdiana
    edited June 2005
    I don't drink much tea but what I do drink is usually herbal tea---like Chamomile ( I don't think I spelled that right?!) or Lavender because it relaxes me at times.

    Adiana :lol::lol:
  • indeclineindecline
    edited June 2005
    of course coffee is a drug... tea is a drug too... so is beer


    they all have mind altering chemicals...

    and BTW, i think caffiene is MUCH worse then things like marijuana... no one has smoked so much marijuana they overdose, but pleanty of people have drank too much coffee and ended up in hospitals..... no one has used marijuana to kill their childeren, but there are cases where parents use caffiene pills to poison their childeren...

    this is my same arguement for alcohol... how is alcohol promoted and celebrated by society while marijuana is criminalized? alcohol is far more damaging to society... ive had friends who have drinken themselves to death... ive never had a friend smoke himself to death... ive had friends die in car crashes while they were drunk... none of my friends have died in car crashes because of marijuana....
  • indeclineindecline
    edited June 2005
    ps the whole concept of drugs is messed up.... how do we define a drug? is food a drug because it cures hunger and has mind altering affects?
  • _BeautifulSpringtime_BeautifulSpringtime Veteran
    edited June 2005
    indecline wrote:
    this is my same arguement for alcohol... how is alcohol promoted and celebrated by society while marijuana is criminalized? alcohol is far more damaging to society... ive had friends who have drinken themselves to death... ive never had a friend smoke himself to death... ive had friends die in car crashes while they were drunk... none of my friends have died in car crashes because of marijuana....

    I used to think the exact same way.

    Until I was smoking so much my sanity was in question!!

    Alcohol is a problem BUT new reports suggest that habitual users of Marijuana can have mental health problems, such as Schizophrenia and manic depression.

    The worst effects from Alcohol, to my knowledge, are Blackouts and the shakes.

    The only reasons I point out these things is to help.

    For to avoid doing so would be to step off my path.

    A deep bow,

    Dave
  • SimonthepilgrimSimonthepilgrim Veteran
    edited June 2005
    *BeautifulSpringtimeFist* wrote:
    The worst effects from Alcohol, to my knowledge, are Blackouts and the shakes.

    Dave,

    I have to take issue with you over alcohol. Its worst effects go far beyond "blackouts and the shakes". Perhaps you could find a friend who is in recovery who would take you to an open AA meeting. You will then see what alcohol can do.

    The worst effects are degeneration and death. Alcohol is, IMHO, among the worst addicting agents currently available, up there with crack cocaine and 'crank'.
  • _BeautifulSpringtime_BeautifulSpringtime Veteran
    edited June 2005
    Simon - I wholeheartedly agree with you.

    I just didn't explain myself well enough.

    I know the power of alcohol. :(

    I was really comparing the physical effects the two drugs have on the body (mind inclusive) not the resulting addictions and their effects upon lives.
  • AnitaAnita
    edited June 2005
    Indecline, I used to think the same way...thats only because your stuck. And I can say this because I was there once.

    You think like a stoner. You question the world.
    I haven't heard of anyone overdosing either, but over a period of time you lose brain cells.

    To be perfectly honest, I now have problems with my memory, and thats from the ecstacy I used to do.

    Trust me you will have a moment in life where it catches up to you, and you will realize that there is more to life than messing yourself up...I know right now to you life is nothing...

    Look within yourself...
  • comicallyinsanecomicallyinsane Veteran
    edited June 2005
    Indecline,


    Look at one of those guys who has been a pot smoker al their lives and do nothing else but smoke pot. You tell me honestly if you think they are ok. ;)
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