i quit coffee for 30 days (and it ruined my life)

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How did coffee become a part of our everyday routines? In this video, Melissa explores the history of the coffee bean to figure out how it became part of our morning routines - oh and she quits coffee while doing it.
FULL INTERVIEW
• A Chat with Augustine ...
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• Could the Pyramids be ...
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SOCIAL MEDIA
Sabrina
Twitter: / nerdyandquirky
Instagram: / nerdyandquirky
Melissa
Twitter: / mehlizfern
Instagram: / mehlizfern
Taha
Twitter: / khanstopme
Instagram: / khanstopme
CREDITS
Produced by Melissa Fernandes
Research by Keslen Murdock
Video Editing by Joe Trickey
Motion Design by Sabrina Cruz
Special Thanks to Augustine Sedgewick
MUSIC
Epidemic Sound. Get started today using our affiliate link. share.epidemics...
RECOMMENDED READING
Coffeeland by Augustine Sedgwick
TIMESTAMPS
00:00 melissa has a coffee problem
01:00 detective mode engaged
01:41 melissa is having a bad time
03:40 Part I Why We Started Drinking Coffee
04:13 choccy milk make pain go away?
04:42 self promo, but we made show tho
05:08 Part II How Coffee Went Mainstream
06:18 i would call this a win
07:12 paying the bills
08:54 Part III How Coffee Stayed Mainstream
09:43 maybe melissa should just take a nap
10:36 technically, i did not cheat
11:00 a bittersweeet end
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Welcome to the joke under the fold!
What do you call a baby cow? Decaf.
Leave a comment with the word BEAN to let me know you were here ;-)

[@answerinprogress]

If you enjoyed this video, maybe share this video with a friend who too has coffee problems and comment so we can make The Algorithm happy:) I’m curious, if you drink coffee - how did it start? - Melissa

[@siraaron4462]

my post keeps getting deleated by the youtube Algorithm. I didn't say anything remotely offensive so I can only assume it was a mistake on the part of the misinformation filter, (which, understandasbly, has gotten a lot more agressive lately) despite a disclaimer and links to credible sources. So instead of troubleshooting how to avoid getting my post taken down I'm simply going to reccomend researching post-accute withdrawl syndrome (PAWS)

[@zjdj09]

Loved this video haha also, who's making the time cuts in the videos because THE TITLES ARE THE ONLY THINGS KEEPING ME ALIVE RN

[@eliteffsquadron9932]

Melissa is so cute 😊

[@supersara7383]

I started drinking coffee in 6th grade. Didn’t like it but drank it regardless. Now I’m kind of addicted

[@jazazzaza]

free coffee during a work placement for university, just to try it. I didn't even realize it had any/much actual coffee in it. Now I have a small or medium at my new work place once a day. Gets me out of the office for a break and to have a chat with people

[@allanvargastomas3493]

I love how this channel is just 2 moods: Melissa: "Ways to detox your body" Sabrina: "How to do fraud"

[@Quocalimar]

Uh Taha: We live in a society?

[@tristenarctician6910]

Olive fraud

[@vinedarbunit6733]

And Taha:- We live in a society

[@just_a_dude75]

Tax traud

[@Vinemaple]

They must be really entertaining when they get together as friends.

[@Mimi-Forever]

One of my favorite stories about coffee is that it was super popular in the Middle East before it was popular in Europe. They literally considered it the "Devil's Drink" in Europe. Then one of the POPES tried some and he was like DAMN THIS IS AMAZING. So he told people they could drink it without going to hell, and bam, the drink spread like fire.

[@FouEliane]

Imagine if the pope smoked some weed and was like "yeah, this is good"

[@lonestarr1490]

There is that small scene in Assassin's Creed Revelations where some ottoman assassin let's Ezio taste that "new drink" coffee. Ezio finds it too bitter and suggests sugar or milk to go with it. The ottoman, not pleased, responses, "Maybe it's just for connoisseurs" and takes the cup away. Seems there have been coffee snobs long before coffee was widespread.

[@graciouscompetentdwarfrabbit]

​@@FouEliane What happened with coffee couldn't happen with weed because the main Catholic argument against weed (and the recreational use of narcotics in general) is roughly the same reason why overindulging in alcohol is a sin: If it strips you of your ability of making moral decisions, then you are willingly putting yourself in a near occasion of sin, which, while not a sin in and of itself, is an extremely foolish decision and one Catholics should try to avoid, as the main goal in life for a Catholic should be to become a saint, that is, to be completely detached from mortal sin, and hopefully, venial sin, which is much harder if you're continually putting yourself in an occasion of sin.

[@cmst6408]

Interesting, thanks. Lol the pope was like damn

[@nanamiharuka3269]

Some religions still don't allow their followers to drink coffee so thats still a thing!

[@DarkHarlequin]

Interesting Melissa stumbled upon a much less discussed point about addiction: Physical/bodily addiction is really only the tip of the iceberg. The reason people say 'once an addict always an addict' is not because of physical dependency but because of the lifestyle and assosciations and connection you develop to your object of addiction. Cause even if your body is over it, it stays a tool for happiness/stress relief etc. And that's so so much harder to change.

[@phylippezimmermannpaquin2062]

Thats why it was easy for me to quit. Im miserable no matter what

[@vixxcelacea2778]

Meaning when you partake into any specific thing as a social habit, then the addiction towards it can be a lot worse if the thing happens to be bad for you. Drinking, smoking, drug use, sweets, over indulging in food and caffeine intake are often social. A lot of people who change their addiction lose or change dynamic with friends or family due to it alone. Significant weight loss commonly has this affect too, surgery or through diet and exercise alone. Habits, especially social ones are the hardest to break. Many ex-smokers talk about the feel of doing the smoking, something to put on their lips or hold in their fingers is the common memory that stays. Addiction is much more than physical. Usually there are plenty of other associations and connections that promote or deter any habit, good or bad.

[@phylippezimmermannpaquin2062]

@@vixxcelacea2778 a wise man once said, substance abuse isnt a substance problem, its a living problem

[@patrickday4206]

We are addicted to all sorts of things it is our beliefs that make certain things a problem. We can't stop breathing We must eat food if we must eat an orange every day nobody thinks twice if it is coffee people are like it's bad 😂 I've read benefit after benefit from drinking coffee

[@emilyhalpert-cole8028]

I have ADHD and when I tried quitting coffee/caffeine for two weeks I felt more distracted and I actually didn’t sleep as well. If I have to much it actually makes me quite sleepy! 😅

[@AuroraFirestorm]

Yup, same! Stimulants make our sort tired if you have too much lol. Small amounts are calming. Our brains are just inverted, kinda.

[@BusinessWolf1]

@@AuroraFirestorm Not inverted, but we have a huge, severe lack of stimulant drug production in the brain, so stimulating drugs we take bring us to a normal level of functioning.

[@skiziskin]

Same here.

[@Siberius-]

That's withdrawal. ADHD is a variable, but 2 weeks is no where near long enough to get out of withdrawal symptoms. Edit: ​Just going to paste a comment here that I left further down: I just got tunnel vision with the "2 weeks" part not being long enough to see the final result of quitting, but upon reading again, their comment wasn't really trying to give that perspective, they were just mentioning a thing they experienced during the process (that is very much an ADHD thing), I think.

[@Beefytiing]

@@Siberius- people will believe whatever they tell themselves if it fits their world view

[@ArtAnimeEmerly]

As someone who has never drunk a single cup of coffee I'm really intrigued by how people react when they try to stop drinking it for a while (edit since people keep commenting: I don't drink it because of allergies, your explanation of the joys of drinking it will not be able to sway me...)

[@teteteteta2548]

Do drugs give hugs. Coffee is great but make sure you space out your drug usage

[@Speederzzz]

Yeah it makes me feel so weird how people focus their mornings and such around it.

[@austria6]

@Javier Pan because it is a drug

[@smason9157]

I love coffee but i don't even have it every day, if i am busy i just don't have it, unless i know it's gonna be a shit day Also i was a barista lol, if i was to ever become addicted it'd be then, but i guess not cause i can go weeks without coffee sometimes Could be because i have ADHD tho, i just don't get the crazy benefits from coffee, it kinda just helps me focus a bit more

[@MetroidChild]

@Javier Pan It's about on the same level as coca leaf tea (cocaine), so there's that.

[@DevilishlyDutch]

As a non-coffee drinker I was somewhat aware of this, and I did wonder why caffeine is pretty much a mainstream drug that nobody sees as anything but normal. Dr. Sedgewick bringing up that it's in large because of the way capitalism functions right now? Yeah, that makes a lot of sense

[@jdjphotographynl]

Then again, wasn't coffee also popular back in the Soviet Union?

[@harrietjameson]

@@ChristophBackhaus the problems come when you attempt to solve your problems with coffee, like fatigue and what-not, instead of getting to the root of the problem

[@YOEL_44]

I think Christoph Backhaus is investing or has some kind of business around coffe, he's going through a bunch of comments telling everyone to drink insane amounts of coffe, please don't take his testimony at face value, don't know why, but he's definitely biased.

[@kio4896]

"I did wonder why caffeine is pretty much a mainstream drug that nobody sees as anything but normal" Because its only side effect is a headache if you abstain from it. In the grand scheme of things, any other drug is worse to be addicted to.

[@ohhhhmydarling]

@@kio4896 That's actually not true. I have what they call caffeine intolerance. I'm not allergic, but my body metabolizes it so slowly that just a tiny sip (or bite of chocolate) causes me to have symptoms similar to a caffeine overdose. For me, that looks like really bad anxiety, heart palpitations, and crippling paranoia. It took years for me to link these symptoms to my caffeine intake (in part, due to the popular belief that it isn't dangerous). There are many people like me who are being diagnosed with mental disorders, anxiety, depression, insomnia, hormonal imbalances, etc. when all it would take is a simple elimination of a single substance.

[@rickkim2931]

Most people: "I would never do drugs" The same people: "I NEED MY MORNING STIMULANT OR I CANT GET ANYTHING DONE AND MY DAY IS RUINED"

[@Xynic48]

Society: "Drugs are bad, drug addiction will destroy your life, drugs will make you lose your sanity" Also society: "We love alcohol even if people die because of drunk driving or alcohol poisoning; Families ruined because of alcoholic parents. And crimes committed because the person was drunk and was not himself"

[@eos_aurora]

Right? It’s really weird how normal we’ve made caffeine dependency

[@sk-sm9sh]

Well the difference is that coffee just gives you tiny bit of productivity boost. Meanwhile the drugs that we are talking here typically makes you good for nothing for couple hours. If there was any other drug that improves productivity without any major drawbacks then I'd take it too.

[@joelcoll4034]

​@@sk-sm9shthere are drugs that improve productivity but I think it would be dangerous to tell you 😂

[@TremendousSax]

​@@sk-sm9shDefine "major drawbacks". That phrase is how you deny the negative effects of caffeine and introduce special pleading so that you can continue in your dependence 🤪

[@kyleflournoy7730]

If you replace every instance in this video of Melissa saying coffee with alcohol when describing her symptoms, it becomes legitimately terrifying.

[@ToonsHubIndia]

"a warm cup of alcohol" "alcohol houses"

[@demigodzero9]

Or nicotine for tobacco users. It was hard to quit and actually took more than a year for most of the cravings to completely go away but I have been nicotine free for 10 years now.

[@robbiegarber898]

Important to note: Decaf still contains caffeine. Only coffee/tea labeled as caffeine-free contain no caffeine. Just a tip of you're trying to avoid the stuff.

[@natfailsyoutube8163]

You don't mention chocolate? I think a hot chocolate can contain about as much caffeine as a cup of decaf?

[@FishStyx]

So they call it de-caffeinated ..... but its still caffeinated

[@natfailsyoutube8163]

@@FishStyx it's called that because most of the caffeine is removed, food that is dehydrated might still contain some moisture, but most of it has been removed.

[@viivihal2253]

Found this out after drinking a few cups of decaf coffee in the evening and wondering why I wasn't falling asleep xD

[@violetta2964]

Also you'll learn that there is coffeine in so many drinks and tea's out there.

[@Respectable_Username]

At every coffee shop in Australia (or at least in your standard local coffee shop in any big city), you can always order a hot chocolate the same as you can order a coffee, and usually for the same price. I'm that one person who always orders the hot chocolate when friends go out for coffee. Don't miss out on the social benefits that way!

[@AD_AP_T]

Or, if you don't want the sugar/sweetness, but can tolerate possible trace levels of caffeine, decaf is an option at most of the best places!

[@wave1090]

Same deal in Germany. Hot chocolate is available at every coffee shop. As someone who only drinks coffee occasionally, hot choco is my go to.

[@bradmilenski4958]

In the US (or at least my little corner of it) all coffee shops offer hot chocolate and/or tea drinks, and some offer hot apple cider... So even us non coffee drinkers have options.

[@KlearlyIMme]

You have to be careful with that tho bc some places *cough*starbucks*cough* use caffeinated chocolate sauce that has caffeine to make hot chocolate

[@AD_AP_T]

@@KlearlyIMme I'm pretty sure that isn't the Starbucks conspiracy you might think it is, considering *all* cocoa solids naturally contain caffeine, unless it has been deliberately removed.

[@natyinthehouse]

When I was a kid and I saw everyone drink coffee, I was curious. Then I had a sip and I hated it so that desire to drink it like adults was gone. Later, I made a promise to myself that I wouldn’t become someone that couldn’t exist without coffee. Sometimes I drink Starbucks drinks in the afternoon, but I don’t want to depend on caffeine to wake up in the morning. My teeth are sensitive to candy, especially chocolate, but I realized in high school that if coffee was mixed with chocolate or other sweet things, it didn’t hurt my teeth. I think of drinking coffee like one would drink a milkshake. It’s a treat. I survived college without needing coffee so let’s hope I can survive adult life without coffee in the mornings.

[@savethebees2574]

Yeah. I *_really_* dislike the taste of coffee, and by coincidence, the people around me started drinking it when I was going through my "not like other girls" phase, so I convinced myself to never drink coffee lmao

[@CovertCrow]

I know this was posted a while ago, but college is extremely different from adult life. Hence what the man said, "most of us drink coffee because our Jobs are boring." I barely drank coffee in college myself. Now, I'm a graphic designer, lots of people would think that's a fun job to have. But at the end of the day I drink a pot of coffee, am exhausted, and im willing to jump into something else that pays LESS thats just a LITTLE more exciting than looking at a computer alone in my house for 8 hours a day. This remote work, living alone, etc is killing my ability to concentrate but I don't even have the option of going back to the office because apparently there is no AC, not that anyone would be there, anyways.

[@DarkHarlequin]

I know 1 year old comment but this was one of the smartest things my parents did in my childhood. I saw all the grown ups always drink this 'Beer' stuff and naturally I wanted to be a grown up and my parents when I was still 7-8-9 asked me if I wanted to try? I did with shining eyes 😍, tried it an (predictably for an 8 yo kid) HATED the bitter taste 😖! What this did though was take the 'forbidden magic' out of alcohol for me. I still started drinking in my Teenage years but really just very moderated as there was no rebellion in it and to this day I don't really like Beer. Absolutely top notch parenting there in retrospect mom & dad 😄

[@MaddieFishblob]

Ey college student here! I’m also avoiding coffee 😆 already addicted to sugar I don’t need something else to plague my life. Fortunately coffee tastes pretty gross to me so it ain’t hard

[@miniharez]

This has all the feels of my addiction to alcohol and when I quit. all the similar withdrawals, and the fear of the social aspect. 2 years sober though! but ive been drinking a lot of coffee for the past 2 years. Now I want to quit caffeine! quitting alcohol was so hard. and Ive gone a month without drinking. but I didn’t really get the full benefits till 6 months to a year. so I feel coffee will be the same way. if i got two years sober from alcohol, then I can do this!

[@missnlahi]

You got this!

[@giedrius2149]

ngl after one year of no coffee I don't see any benefits. Tired af, unproductive, unhappy. I'd say caffeine is one of those drugs that are good, as long as you don't abuse them of course

[@kubasniak]

denial, might have other underlying issues but hey you do you@@giedrius2149

[@Tomiply]

@@giedrius2149 Hmm, how different people are. It's completely out of your system after three days, and I turned way more positive with boosted energy, less moody and so on after just a week without caffeine. Sleep improved too!

[@giedrius2149]

@@Tomiply I do take Melatonin at night, always sleeping at a different time depending on my customers so no clue how coffee affects that. I do only take one cup per day around 12, and it's mid strong

[@integza]

I pretty sure James Hoffmann is gonna take this as a personal attack

[@HomebrandFishfood]

I agree

[@davidshi451]

Perhaps; but he also did a 30 minute decaf coffee tasting with Tom Scott a few weeks ago!

[@natfailsyoutube8163]

I know this was a joke, but it's a well researched and produced video about coffee, I'm sure James would love this video.

[@IsaacWalkercox]

This is the most weird comment to see considering I've just discovered James but been watching Answer in progress for a while 😅

[@IsaacWalkercox]

@@davidshi451 wait, that video was decaf coffee?

[@MissCutechan]

This is actually why quitting any addiction is so hard even if it’s not physically addicting. People use their addictions to deal with the bad or hard parts of life. And so when you remove your addiction, unless you have new coping mechanisms you have to make the choice just to suffer without your crutch, and that usually doesn’t last very long.

[@chl_ca]

this is why i don't wanna start drinking alcohol life has been rough for me and i feel like if alcohol became an escape from that for me, i would just keep drinking to forget about my problems and i would become an alcoholic

[@planefan082]

Caffeine dependency does have side-effects though, the cravings and withdrawal are real

[@phobics9498]

@@planefan082 Well it's not really a side effect, it's an effect that occurs in every addiction. Caffeine is mainly problematic because people then don't notice they're sleep deprived, like the guy above said with alcohol. You forget you ever had a problem and then die at 50 from a stroke

[@dennismonk9559]

it is physically addicting though.

[@JackOLanternBob]

Are you saying caffeine isn't physically addictive? It definitely is because of the effects it has on your brain

[@romxxii]

your struggles with socializing with people who drink coffee reminds me of my own struggles quitting cigarettes. That's when I realized my relationship with my then-girlfriend was based almost entirely on smoking, and that the moment I quit and she didn't, quality time got a bit more awkward.

[@Tomiply]

Huh, that's why it's important to find a girl who has the same hobbies as you imo. For instance, my girlfriend and I like the same music, we play video games, and we like the same type of movies. It's honestly amazing because we can do so many things together that isn't just basic stuff, like traveling.

[@gdp3rd]

I've grown to revel in the fact that caffeine is the last socially acceptable addiction. I like the taste of coffee and tea, I almost always drink them black (or green for some teas) so no calories, and I have developed sufficient tolerance that I sleep OK despite my caffeine intake -- I rarely make coffee in the evening, but if dining out I often get a "real" (not decaf) coffee for or with dessert. The only time it really impacts me is when I have to cut caffeine prior to surgery, and then I taper off in the days before, because full on cold turkey stopping is headache-inducing. I admit it: I'm a junkie.

[@MutleeIsTheAntiGod]

Carbs, sugar, and alcohol want a word about addiction

[@Felcaster]

I stopped caffeine for three years- one of the most interesting experiences of long term separation from caffeine is the eventual realization that the lower energy levels are no longer withdrawal symptoms. When we are on caffeine we go through every moment of our day in a "heightened" state. When I removed caffeine, my thoughts were calmer, my emotions were more steady, and my sleep schedule normalized. I think I'd like to work my way off it again. :)

[@chris_1988]

Why did you start drinking it again?

[@kristidaemon4709]

so are you saying that without coffee, you still always felt tired and it wasn't withdraw, it is just how life is?

[@caro8164]

yeah! coffee works by preventing your brain to pick up the signals your body sends when it's tired, so if every time you were low on energy you drank coffe you actually conditioned yourself to associate being tired with drinking coffee. If you try to detox from it, you'll feel tired and it'll feel weird.

[@FortheBudgies]

Then why the hell did you start if it makes you feel worse? I drank caffeine because it makes me feel better and quit when it made me feel bad.

[@FortheBudgies]

@@caro8164for the love of everything holy, stop calling it detoxing. It's not toxins you are getting rid of, it's your bodies own neurotransmitters and physiology that is changing when you quit an addictive substance. It is the fact that the substance is gone from your body that is causing the symptoms. Your body is causing the symptoms, not some last toxic traces of the substance. You are removing anything, you are waiting for your body to start doing what that drug did for you. Alcohol may be an exception. You can literally die if you just quit alcohol cold turkey if you are truly dependent.

[@splogxyz3339]

my favorite fun fact about coffee is that when it was still new, a governor in mecca actually put coffee on trial. this drink has a history with the law.

[@manny5500]

What happened? I'm curious

[@chickencake5134]

Yes spill the coffee beans ☕

[@splogxyz3339]

okay, so the basic gist of what happened is that the effects that coffee has on you were a point of controversy when it reached the arab world. some muslim scholars said that it was intoxicating, and thus should be prohibited like wine or other alcoholic beverages were, and eventually in mecca in june of 1511, coffee was put on trial as a way of deciding whether or not to ban the drink. it was ruled that coffee would be banned, but only a few months later the decision was overturned.

[@manny5500]

@@splogxyz3339 Thanks

[@raerohan4241]

@@splogxyz3339 It was banned in Europe before too for similar reasons. Church used to call it the devil's drink and forbade people from drinking it

[@MichaelSheaAudio]

Augustine is so right. When I was working in a restaurant or retail, I would get physically tired, but not mentally. At least I was up and moving around so I couldn't just doze off. Then I worked an office job for 6 years, just staring at a computer for 8 hours a day, doing the same routine over and over, having to work as quickly and efficiently as possible, that is a recipe for failure. Some days by 2PM, I'd barely be awake. The sleepiness was way worse once we started working from home. I've never drank coffee because it's gross, and I don't like other hot beverages. Even hot chocolate, I'll wait for it to become warm chocolate. I would drink half of an energy drink for a while last year to keep me awake, but I gave it up. You can get by without caffeine, but if you can't, it's probably that your job is the problem. It's something like, our brains can only really focus on a task for like 6 hours at most, yet our work days are 8 hours or more. They want us to do more than we're actually capable of doing efficiently. 😂 Also, staying focused while driving is very tiresome and boring as well, which would explain your yawning in the car. This is why other modes of transportation are a better option, but that's a different topic for a different day.

[@pianoman47]

Some things I've noticed about my own relationship with coffee: - I do notice increased anxiety and irritability if I've had too much coffee. - As I get older, I've realized it's true what people say, and I really can't sleep if I've had coffee after a certain point in the afternoon. - Sometimes when I'm tired, I'm actually just dehydrated, and I perk up once I've had some water. - It's good to remember that it's a literal drug that I'm addicted to. It's not the worst drug and I dont think it's a particularly bad one, but still good to keep in mind. - I'll be surprised if I ever stop drinking coffee, but I'm glad I've taken time over the years to reflect on the role I want it to play in my life.

[@talideon]

I haven't given up bean juice, but I do try to improve my relationship with it, such as hand grinding my own beans, partly because freshly ground coffee tastes better and partly because it means I have to put in effort to get a cup, which helps moderate my consumption to just a cup a day. There's something to be said to putting positive barriers between yourself and the things you want.

[@KlearlyIMme]

You should try different methods to make you coffee too like moka pot vs pour over vs french press etc. I know you were talking about changing the relationship but maybe exploring it as well and learning your preferences can change up the “routine” of it all

[@cheydinal5401]

That is a really good point 👍 I wonder where I can also use that idea in other parts of my life, thanks I suppose I can also try to make things I want to encourage more accessable to myself in some way, doing a double-pronged approach

[@grandsome1]

Exactly, the best way to regulate a "vice" is to become a "snob" of it and make it high effort.

[@thisisartman]

"Bean juice" 👌🏼

[@elikarpinski2460]

@@grandsome1 so true, i think I'll try that out. Making it yourself definitely makes you more likely to moderate. Btw does anyone here know how to cook meth?

[@MidoCounters]

I've definitely been noticing some headaches whenever I don't drink coffee for a couple of days, even though I drink it more for the taste than the benefits. Cool video!

[@harrietjameson]

@@ChristophBackhaus you cant "just drink coffee" you have to learn to incorporate it into a healthy lifestyle in order to gain the benefits and not take the bad side effects

[@kibrika]

I just came off like 4 cups of black tea, and I think I had headaches due to that.

[@phxlihehe]

If you're having headaches when you're not having coffee in a while, you gotta stop drinking it often, that's a sign of getting addicted

[@phxlihehe]

@@Haeherfeder_ wait they have that :0

[@kibrika]

@@phxlihehe There's nothing inherently wrong with being addicted to something. It's only a problem if it causes problems. Drinking a coffee every morning (or tea all day all the time) is not a problem for most people.

[@rameji-chan737]

I accidentally weaned myself off of coffee some years ago. I used it to stay focused throughout high school on a daily basis, but after finishing school, I had less time to sit in a café as I started uni. I still drank coffee every morning until I noticed how much money I was spending, and then shifted to tea. I did this without even really noticing it for months and then suddenly, I remembered one day that I had had my last coffee maybe three or four months ago, and I was also drinking fruity teas without caffeine. I changed so slowly that I didn't even have any noticeable withdrawal symptoms. Now I only drink it when I'm at my parents' house every six months or so, because they have a pretty serious coffee and tea addiction going on and you can't really avoid it lol.

[@muniku_]

It's really impressive for me to hear everyone else's stories about coffee because I am a totally opposite person. I didn't like the taste of coffee since my childhood, so I just kept not drinking it as adult. However, I'm a huge fan of tea and I drink it every day since my childhood, so even though I don't drink coffee I still consume caffeine, but because tea and coffee are represented as very different drinks, and they in fact are, I never think of myself as of addicted to caffeine

[@flonny1340]

Same....minus the tea 😅😂

[@santiv4]

@@flonny1340same i dont like the taste of tea

[@andrewgolubiewski3463]

As someone who doesn't use caffeine it's weird to see reminders like this that the vast majority of the world around me is getting by on a dependence on legal stimulants. I tend to forget about it most of the time. I haven't really consumed soda, coffee, and energy supplements since my early 20s, just based on natural preference.

[@YOEL_44]

@@ChristophBackhaus Are you aware you're the only one in the comments section telling everyone blatantly and without context, that coffe is super good and you should drink a lot, you sound more like an infomercial dude than a genuine commenter, coffe has it's good thing but also it's side effects, and as you've (hopefully) seen in the video, it can become really addictive, it's definitelly not something you want to take lightly.

[@anasemnicki6510]

I also don't really drink coffee, only sometimes tea in cold weather. I know that caffeine can be good and healthy for us, but in moderation... As everything else in the world.. but a lot of times people get addicted and it's no longer so good anymore. I am constantly sorunded by people my age (I'm in first grade of hs) already not being able to live without coffee (Turkish or espresso, multiple times a day- capuchinos and such aren't that frequent in my country), and yes they blame it on the stress but also pride themselves in it, like it makes them more mature. Yet they are just making themselves depend on a substance that in such quantity isn't good for them and, as seen in this video, there will be consequences for trying to stop. And it's truly a problem that such intake of coffee for productivity for school is normalised and sometimes shown as a step to adulthood, since in childhood we see adults doing stuff that we aren't allowed to do - it makes it more appealing after when we can, because we are breaking a rule. I find talking about this topics very interesting. (Sorry if my english is bad)

[@random23287]

I drink tea but not religiously. Mostly it's either water, hot chocolate or nothing (I am often dehydrated). I just don't like coffee. So yeah it's pretty weird to me too.

[@bombames]

@@ChristophBackhaus There are health benefits to drinking 1 cup of coffee a day, 2 is ok I think, 3 or more is too much. Also, actual coffee is healthy, but good luck finding healthy coffee capsules and stuff, and the second it becomes an addiction like it is in most of the population and it starts affecting you mentally all the benefits are kinda pointless.

[@uniquename6925]

I also don't drink caffeine. But when I do, holy shit it's such a rush. The stuff is amazing.

[@DemetriPanici]

I tried this last year and it was really hard. Love seeing other people’s experiences with these challenges!

[@Pepa14pig]

In Balkan countries coffee is still mostly social drink, but everyone drinks a cup in the morning and through day you go out with friends. It’s a standard 1-2h hangout and whenever someone asks you out, they don’t say “hey, wanna hang out?”, nope, they ask “hey, let’s grab coffee.” I travelled through Europe and haven’t seen such a strong bond with coffee as we have here 😂😂 it’s crazy... coffee is to us as tea is in Turkey - you can’t meet with someone without drinking coffee 😂😂😂

[@roytromb_strength]

I totally teared up watching you struggle. I love coffee so dearly, like a family member that has always been there for me regardless of time and space.

[@heltych]

I used to be caffeine addicted in my first years at the uni, but at some point i just noticed it was raising my anxiety level really high and quit. Guess I'm lucky to have managed to figure this out rather quickly. I'm still alright with occasionally going out for a coffee with friends or brewing a cup for the taste and smell, but this happens only several times a month.

[@BBWahoo]

I also get anxious with coffee, seems like I am sensitive to caffeine

[@natalyaporter5730]

Yeah I’ve given up on caffeine completely - I used to drink Earl Grey yea but now caffeine makes me feel like crap! I tried matcha and my anxiety was through the roof! And the caffeine didn’t really help by energy levels much. So now I just avoid it.

[@spamuel98]

I couldn't help noticing that she left out descriptions of how withdrawal actually feels, so for those of you without the misfortune, masochism, or madness to try quitting caffeine, allow me to explain in detail. To begin with, caffeine is something you should NEVER quit cold-turkey, as it can easily drive you insane, you should definitely wean yourself off by first decreasing the amount of whatever caffeinated beverage you consume, then switch to something with lower caffeine content, but say you ignore that and just throw caffeine out the window. For the first few hours and days, you will experience growing exhaustion on par with clinical depression, as well as losing any ability to concentrate due to the cravings. Said cravings can be compared to the hunger after a long day of work with no food, but instead focused on the back of your mouth and throat, and you know that only one thing can sate it. Soon after you experience piercing headaches that follow you for days on end, until finally at about the 5 day mark, the symptoms start to abate. They don't go away completely for at least a month, but they decrease in severity until the point where you can at least function normally.

[@stevesmith7339]

For most people it's gonna be a severe headache for a day, followed by a 14 hour nap. Maybe cravings for a day or so, but what you described is pretty severe.

[@minikipp8549]

make a half and half decaf and caffeine blend

[@hardnachopuppy]

I forgot to buy coffee one day and what follwed was the worst headache of my life

[@salabimsalabao]

Yeah I was pretty addicted to coffee and on the days I didn't drink I got a massive headache, the way I quit it was first switching to mate tea which has way less caffeine and then slowly quitting it as well. It worked for me to quit coffee but I still drink mate quite frequently so I can't say I quit caffeine completely

[@minikipp8549]

@@hardnachopuppy is that a tumblr icon

[@spof465]

As someone who literally can't have caffine because of anxiety disorder, this has been Fascinating to watch. Completely different world.

[@MILOEBA]

i cant have caffeine either because of my adhd; caffeine makes me so horribly tired ive had a moment where i had 300g of caffeine and almost passed out due to exhaustion . In public

[@danielxbox28]

take it with L-Theanine , They are synergestic, and the L-Theanine literally cancels out the Anxious effects quite amazing.

[@SuperCakeKing]

coffee and a healthy diet would actually help that

[@SuperCakeKing]

@@MILOEBAthats a sign of a screwed up metabolism

[@MILOEBA]

@@SuperCakeKing yes that can happen and could possibly be for happeninh me, but its also an adhd thing and possibly doesnt have much to do with my metabolism. likely a mix of both, but i know for sure my adhd does play a huge part in it!

[@osciweewee1]

Ooh man I watched this video because I had the exact same dependency all throughout highschool. I really enjoyed this video and I identified with the "eating breakfast after quitting" part, soooooo much!

[@_aiborie]

Dr. Sedgewick: 'Most of us drink coffee because our jobs are terrible' 'The exact moment at the end of the old world' I like this guy's humor 😂😂😂🤣

[@Emy9798]

It's true for me 😹😹, when i was quarantining at home, i didn't drink it, but as soon as i came back to the office, i needed my coffee again 🤣🤣

[@_aiborie]

@@Emy9798 Hang in there 😂

[@muuubiee]

And he's so right. I don't really like coffee, but it helped. Later I just switched to caffeine pills, and only do coffee with a lot of milk if I'm at home and just need to focus for a shorter amount of time. It's impossible to focus on boring things otherwise, it'll just make you sleepy.

[@PaylessNikes]

I started drinking coffee at 11 because my dad had me go around my neighborhood selling "Organo Gold" coffee boxes. I wanted to try my product, so I did. It was nasty (mainly because I barely dressed it up with milk, sugar, etc). But I now drink coffee and enjoy it! Thanks for the video Melissa

[@lynpdll]

Omg! I used to sell this too! I loved their hot chocolate and started drinking coffee with their Mocha Coffee. It was so good. 😁

[@cheydinal5401]

Number 4: I know you heard this before, never get high on your own supply

[@PaylessNikes]

@@cheydinal5401 LMAO I hadn’t heard that at the time 😭 but now I know

[@bogdanconstantin5911]

Your dad got you into a pyramid scheme at the ripe age of 11? Nice 😆

[@flavtown6409]

Ha! My ma sells this coffee too. Good ol Ganoderma

[@reusablecup]

During this video, I had to fight such a strong urge to make coffee, it's 5:30pm so I know I REALLY couldn't have another. It's incredible how just hearing about coffee triggers the craving. 🙃

[@Windthroughcedars]

When I was pregnant I read a scary internet think piece on caffeine and pregnancy. (I probably would have been fine to have some). I totally cut caffeine out for both of my pregnancies and while I breast feed. So years without coffee, so I know I can. But I love coffee. It’s truly something that brings so much joy to my life. I hope to never give coffee up again.

[@PyckledNyk]

This video raises a point that I’ve also wondered about “clean living”: is clean living really worth it if the substances we use to make it through society don’t cause much damage to begin with and if they actually help us get through life more easily. I smoke pot to help with my anxiety and to help alter my perspective. I don’t see a need to eliminate it so long as I’m paying my bills and still going to work.

[@izy6088]

I think the idea is to separate yourself from certain dependencies that have negative aspects (caffeine addiction, smoke inhalation, etc) and make more room in your life for things that will be more beneficial to you. By doing this, a lot of people find that day to day life feels a little less like something you have to "get through". I know it's probably not for everyone, but taking stock of the positives and negatives of each dependency in your life (even things like food, shelter, community) really helped me find what I should prioritize.

[@bosmer3836]

@@izy6088 does caffeine addiction have any negative aspects if you don't stop drinking coffee?

[@izy6088]

@@bosmer3836 Yeah! So basically the way caffeine works is by displacing adenosine in the receptors in your brain, and your brain compensates by making more and more adenosine receptors, which you then have to drink more and more caffeine to displace. Long term lack of adenosine can cause trouble sleeping, anxiety, stress, and way more, since it helps your body do way more than just feel sleepy.

[@AN-sm3vj]

That's depends on how you define damage. In the book "Why We Sleep" the author talks about the adinosine cycle too and basically you have more coffee because coffee makes you sleep less/have poorer sleep which causes you to need more coffee and so on. Except poor sleep quality can have terrible effects on your health and your emotional well being. We use substances to treat the symptoms of problems (tiredness, anxiety etc) but often that leads us to not address the underlying cause (lack of sleep, toxic work environment etc). While that's okay for a little while, like a bad week or even a bad month, the long term consequences are not worth it.

[@bosmer3836]

@@izy6088 that's so interesting! I'll read more about it, I might have to rethink this habit haha. thank you for replying! :)

[@decameter]

I see Coffee like I see Wine, it has some positive health benefits, and social functions and it's an artform to roast and brew. It is however easy to abuse, and quick to become a constant need. But in moderation it's a wonderful addition to your life. I used to be a complete junky, but eased back for both health, but also cause I figured out the cause of my constant dependencies and it was untreated ADHD. The excessive caffeine was functioning as a way for me to feel normal. I'm on a stimulant now and I have a single cup with my breakfast of eggs, rice and bacon, haha.

[@alexforce9]

Can You share how untreated ADHD feels like? I think probably a lot of people have it without knowing.

[@colelangford6369]

After this time, are you still on medications? Have they helped you significantly?

[@IanDresarie]

now I want eggs, rice and bacon. dang.

[@lol-bg4wh]

Wine has no health benefits

[@user-te3qq1rb7u]

I’m not sure taking meth (Adderall) is a healthier alternative to coffee

[@heatherprincipe8537]

What you said about coffee being affordable when your broke makes sense. My Gma was born within 1920's growing up in Great Depression times and said she was raised having coffee something to dip bread in at times. One Father and one Mother first born of ten.

[@Semystic]

I had quit caffeine about 5 years ago for a few years. Best thing I ever did. I used to be really addicted to energy drinks and it was so bad. Starting 6 weeks after quitting, my depression disappeared and my mood, energy and sleep quality all improved. I now just drink one cup of green tea just a few days a week without problems.

[@KrisMF]

i was literally watching this while drinking coffee and i felt for you 😭i could never even attempt to quit cold turkey. i get headaches in the morning if i don't have caffeine at least 30 mins to an hour after i wake up. it probably says something about our society that a significant portion of us need a literal stimulant to function lol

[@uzentan720]

It's weird because I've been in the coffee industry for 7 years and I never once drank coffee for the caffeine. I drank because it was damn delicious! There were days where I was too busy at work and wouldn't drink coffee and no withdrawal!

[@jayemover_16]

I assume it's because of the conscious intent when drinking coffee becoming what your brain associates it with. If you drink coffee for the caffeine, your brain associates coffee with that intent, making withdrawal worse. If you drink coffee for the taste, your brain focuses more on the taste rather than the caffeine. Also, neurodivergent folks will usually have a much different experience with caffeine (especially ADHD), so that might be an underlying cause for some people.

[@OzixiThrill]

"There were days where I was too busy at work and wouldn't drink coffee and no withdrawal!" A single day of caffeine withdrawal isn't enogh to get you to the actually bad parts of it; Anyone who has ever put down coffee can tell you that - The first 2-3 days are easy. It's days 4 and 5 that will start making you want to grab a syringe full of caffeine and jam it directly into your arteries. And depending on the severity of your addiction, that can go on for weeks.

[@liamp6491]

lol ur fooling yourself. i work in coffee too and theres not a person drinking coffe many days a week for anything but caffeine.

[@laurap8529]

I’m the same although I work in a different industry. Some weeks I’ll stick with herbal tea or crave herbal tea vs coffee if I’ve been really active and I’m a bit dehydrated. Don’t know if I’m right about this, but I attribute my lack of apparent addiction despite high average consumption to me being a CYP1A2 rapid metabolizer. Caffeine has less effect on me and I assume that applies to its potentially addictive properties as well.

[@ambulocetusnatans]

That's what all the junkies say.

[@kellidockery7972]

I'm so glad you mentioned the social side of coffee drinking. I never drank coffee until my boyfriend and I moved in together, then we started sharing a French press of coffee and some fruit for breakfast. I mostly drink tea or water on my own but it's hard turning down coffee with loved ones.

[@novelaego2404]

its actually easy

[@_gruntled]

I used to be a coffee beast in university. I slowly dialed back my consumption after I hit medical school, because I realized I had conditioned myself into "needing" caffeine to simply function. One thing that really helped me was taking my coffee education seriously lol. I read more about it, I began to pay real attention to flavor and scent (the overall experience) rather than just caffeine content. I also brew my own coffee now (I get why people really like to do this. It's meditative and fun! Plus fresh coffee tastes better). Now I feel like I have a much better relationship with coffee and caffeine in general. If I have coffee in a day I won't touch soda or tea. A single cup actually perks me up these days because my tolerance is much lower.

[@reyhaz]

"Addiction is to crave something you don't need." Addictions caused by neuro-toxins like caffeine and nicotine are hard to quit not just because the toxin's attribute, but also the habit you build around it. I've stopped smoking fifteen years ago (the cold turkey way), yet I still remember things how I've done those days (can still light a match in a windy day) and still had a thought a few days ago about what if I bought some when I visited an old place. Therefore, 30day challenge is literally means nothing other than just screwing with yourself. Try to think in longer period of time, like 3-6 months. Btw, I don't drink coffee, at all. I've quit it because of generating heartburn. And I actually good without it. I don't need anything to wake me up in the morning (how ever early it may be), I'm fully aware, can do complex stuff right away and I can keep this up till the end of the day without drowsiness kicking in. Yes, there are benefits of caffeine, shown by studies but we don't really need it. So try it on a longer journey, like seriously as if you'd stop smoking. (and stop going to coffee shops for a time being, until the raw cravings subsides..).

[@chicken_punk_pie]

Yeah I was kinda confused what the purpose was as well. Why try to break an addiction, but give yourself permission to fall back in before you even start? She was so close to being free!

[@aryssamansfield9735]

You know full well caffeine isn't as bad for people as smoking.

[@reyhaz]

@@webdrivertorso9998 it is... every substance that regulates mood is considered scientifically a neurotoxin.

[@reyhaz]

@@aryssamansfield9735 not considering the splitting headache if you don't drink your first coffee and the sluggish mindworks in the morning.. yeah..

[@reyhaz]

@ghost mall I didn't quit everything... But I don't want to be your friend either.

[@krisu0100]

Funny when you talked about europeans finding coffee to be good for stomach, for me it's total opposite, lol. That and sudden fatigue after ~30 mins later plus bad after taste like 10 minutes after drinking it made me stop drinking coffee completely and moved to tea.

[@harrietjameson]

tea gang

[@nanamiharuka3269]

Same its so acidic! I would not say it's good for the stomach lol

[@Sophia-Sews]

Yess! I tried to drink coffee but my body was like "no" and I had serious acid reflux flairs... It was pretty awful

[@alexforce9]

You may have some acid reflux and not knowing it. I felt the same after coffee and some fatty meals and then I was diagnosed wit GERD. I dont feel burning, just a slight tight feeling in the chest and my blood pressure drops a bit so I start feeling sleepy.

[@Ronin11111111]

I stopped drinking coffee for a couple years after it gave me tinitus. Now that I'm on blood-pressure medications I drink a cup or can every now and then, but very rarelly in the morning. Although I didn't develop an addiction before the tinitus thing, I was definitely on the road to it. I only drink it as a sweet treat when the mood strikes me. Thank god I always found energy drinks repulsive, my heart would've exploded years ago otherwise.

[@ReluctantFrog]

It was wonderful to see your journey of suffering. Hope you make more videos like this!

[@slimetank394]

When it's about quitting caffeine, or coffee specifically, i feel like i have it easier than others i know. I used to drink coffee every week in secondary school, just for the fun of it, and i don't think i got addicted at all since i drop from drinking it weekly to monthly when i in highschool without any problem. I do drink energy drinks when needed, but when i got to college, i only drink coffee when i hang out with friends, which is like, once a few months. Then, about 2 years ago, for some reason caffeine drinks start making me sleepy. I don't know how, i don't know why, but i legitimately fell asleep once after one cup of coffee, and i just stop all together. Haven't drink any caffeine drinks for 2 years now (saying this really confidently since i only drink water) don't really miss it or craving it or anything. It was a weird experience for me in general.

[@tusenbensen334]

Weekly is not enough for dependance, I think

[@AD_AP_T]

"Caffeine drinks start making me sleepy" - purely for your interest, not suggesting either could apply to you; two common cases where that happens is IBS/food intolerance, where the reaction going on in your bowel creates fatigue, and ADHD, where stimulants including caffeine get you closer to other people's baseline, and either the relative calm feels like sleepiness or the relative calm lets you realise you are actually tired!

[@bosmer3836]

@@AD_AP_T when does this sleepiness usually happen in those cases? I've started drinking coffee daily about 2 months ago and I've noticed I feel sleepy after a couple of hours. Is there such thing as a caffeine crash?

[@AD_AP_T]

@@bosmer3836 Absolutely there's such a thing as caffeine crash! In either of my examples, you'd expect to notice it sooner than a couple of hours on...

[@bosmer3836]

@@AD_AP_T well, that's great to know then :)) thank you!

[@barence321]

I don't drink coffee very often, but I drink Mtn Dew (lots of caffeine) and Earl Grey tea (also lots of caffeine). The caffeine in these beverages is so addictive! I once went without for about a month, and was astonished at how much of a buzz I got off of a single cup or soda bottle. Amazingly powerful stuff!

[@guillermoleon0216]

It has always been curious to me how people can get addicted and so dependant to coffee. I've drank coffee since I was a child (usually coffe with milk with my breakfast) and still do sometimes, but most often I just forget to drink coffee or find it inconvenient to prepare it. Water or other milk based drinks do just fine since I just do it for the taste. From what I understand, being addicted to coffee isn't detrimental to health, but it still is interesting to see it happen. I'm Colombian btw

[@robbiestalker898]

Saw this while drinking coffee, and then I clicked off as too avoid my problems. Lol

[@ZatoichiBattousai]

FYI Decaf still has trace amounts of Caffeine in it, which is why it's called decaffeinated and not caffeine free. PS I am a recovering Caffeine addict and though I do fall and have some, like for 3 days last week, but I fight it and feel better for it.

[@jarvis5552]

I wish you the best of luck in your recovery! You can do it! :)

[@TheMcGuireLife]

Hi, Melissa! This is Jermey McGuire. I started drinking coffee when I was a sophomore in high school. I had to get up at 5:30am every morning, I had to catch the bus at 6:15am.” I didn’t have time to make a pot of coffee at home. I had to wait until I had, to wait until I got to school. So I stopped in to the cafeteria before class started at 7:15am. I noticed I was alert and focused, and productive on school work through out the day. That was 20 years ago, I was going to quit coffee until I watched videos on KZbin, the positive health benefits of drinking coffee.” After I watched a video, how quoting coffee cold turkey. Like I was going to do, I saw in the video the side affects were not good, I thought I’m not going to go through that experience. So I decided I will keep drinking coffee, I only drink 2 cups in the morning. I’m new to your channel. You got a new subscriber, I Love You So Much Melissa!!!🫶🏻🤗🤗🤗🤗

[@khaylebramos2541]

I know this probably won't get read but I just wanna say your content is amazing and I love everything I've ever seen from this channel

[@valliemcc8352]

This is so interesting for me to watch - I've always wanted to get into coffee, and I don't know if I haven't tried enough varieties but it just.. absolutely wrecks me? I instantly get a huge headache, I feel incredibly tired, and I get the jitters To see how other people's bodies react to coffee differently and become highly dependent on caffeine is honestly so fascinating

[@gold_chu1559]

I have the same thing, some people just have really low caffeine tolerance

[@libbybollinger5901]

I have the same thing, probably in part because I’ve always hated the taste of coffee (much to my parents’ disappointment), and never really developed a taste for it. Being on stimulant medication probably doesn’t help either.

[@merilahna]

the social part of coffee really hits home, when i basically only drink coffee in a social setting--at a cafe with a friend or if someone offers me. hadnt really thought about it before, but it does make sense that finding something to drink from a cafe can be hard if you dont drink coffee and thus you may be excluded from a social event

[@matthewparker9276]

I don't have a caffeine addiction. I drink 0-2 cups of tea a day, 0-1 coffees, and 1-2 iced coffees a week, but have had times where I've had none of that for a few days to a fortnight without any noticeable change. Sometimes I don't even realise my caffeine intake stops for several days. Caffeine does still help me concentrate, I just don't have a dependence on it. I am addicted to sugar, however.

[@viv771]

It strikes me that many people either have never had/wanted coffee or have a pretty intense daily dependence on it. Anyone else a more casual coffee drinker and why do you think that is? Personally, I like the taste of coffee but I typically only have it 1-2x per week... sometimes a bit more and sometimes not at all. I think for me it's because my partner isn't at all a coffee drinker so we just never kept coffee in the house and I'm very affected by caffeine so avoid having it after 12PM to keep my sleep schedule OK. I consider it more of a social or special treat thing.

[@oliviagreen8853]

I drank coffee every day for years, 4 months ago I completely stopped drinking it. All of my stomach and intestinal problems went away the moment I stopped and as an added bonus I actually have more energy now. I’ll have a cup of decaf every once in a while for the taste and a treat but definitely love my life without it!

[@LXSeaV]

I haven't had caffeine for a month and all the heart palpitations I used to have went away. I have high anxiety already so I don't think caffeine helps with that at all. I do miss it as a treat. It smells amazing.

[@xRaiofSunshine]

It is the poop juice :0

[@gigilee8599]

I got pretty severely addicted to caffeine in college! I drank Diet Mountain Dew by the liter - it was plentiful and often free on campus. Only in the past year or so have I transitioned myself to coffee (I tell myself it's more respectable). I've tried to quit caffeine completely probably 3 or 4 times, and it's absolute hell. I honestly don't know how people continue to function and work while going through withdrawals.

[@user-mi1xt7is7w]

I dont know why, but the way you guys talk is just so genuine that skipping or going to another video makes me feel guilty because i feel like im in a conversation

[@Sean-ch9kq]

This vid had some serious effect on me. Idkw but I feel like I must have needed to see this. You good

[@bulgna]

I don't get wired up on coffee and it doesn't affect my sleep or energy as much, so I guess I'm not as sensitive to it. But it gets me so focused and productive I became dependent on it anyways. (also we do make and drink a lot of it here in Brazil)

[@AD_AP_T]

Fyi for yourself or anyone else finding this relatable: *IF* you also have any attention/executive function issues, stubborn anxiety/depression, or a similar experience to this with nicotine, *and* if those other issues are causing you difficulties, you might like to check with your doctor whether you might have a dopamine-related disorder such as ADHD. Feeling relaxed and focused, and possibly experiencing unchanged or improved sleep, from non-prescription stimulants (alongside other difficulties) can sometimes warrant further investigation in that direction.

[@smiley_face2872]

this is gonna be interesting to watch since I’ve never even tasted coffee before. To be fair though I do take actual prescribed stimulants, although they don’t really wake me up as much as they just sorta make me feel more motivated

[@Delibro]

Yea but its not the whole story. Many can quit on coffee and don't feel any signs of withdrawal.

[@Limxuv]

I'm actually doing an opposite challenge. i'm currently trying to tolerate coffee for 30 days to see what the hype is about and it's not going well. I'm ready to stop drinking coffee 30 days ago. it's day 18

[@livewithintention1625]

It’s a year later… how did the challenge go? Are you a coffee drinker now?

[@0hate9]

I loved the guy at the end! material investigations of problems is one of my favorite things

[@GrimoireGauss]

My parents have brewed coffee for me and my siblings ever since we were kids. It's been pretty funny to see waitresses say "wait, you want coffee too?!" when I was a kid. Even in middle school and high school, new teachers would always say "Do you kids drink coffee? I sure hope not you're too young," unaware that most of the students drink coffee instead of eating breakfast. It goes to show that everything we consume must be in moderation.

[@jdjphotographynl]

Man, looking at Melissa I'm glad I never got into drinking coffee. :D But yeah, suppose you can always start with making an agreement with yourself to not have more than 2 or 3 cups of coffee per day. Keeps the caffeine intake somewhat limited, but you still get to enjoy all the good things that do come with coffee.

[@stepans2167]

2-3 cups a day is a lot. I used to drink coffee like that and it was totally messing up my sleep and invoking a generous amount of anxiety. I'm much better since I'm off it tbh

[@stepans2167]

Also, like with all substance addictions, the window of what you consider acceptable gets blurred along the way

[@jdjphotographynl]

@@stepans2167 I guess coffee has a different effect on everybody, and it will probably depend on when you'd drink them. The Italians have a rule to not have cappuccino after 11 AM, you could extend that to all coffee. If you'd have 2 in the morning, it shouldn't mess up your sleep too badly. Or so I can imagine, I don't drink any coffee whatsoever, tea just occasionally, and cola sporadically.

[@stepans2167]

@@jdjphotographynl oh yeah, I know lots of people who feel fine drinking it but I'm just bummed people don't treat caffeine like a drug that it is. Italians got the point tho :)

[@jdjphotographynl]

@@stepans2167 Maybe the next stop after (cigarette) smoking is eradicated... :)

[@aninhapmr]

I don't have a caffeine problem anymore. Sometimes, when I'm on vacation for example, I drink coffee first thing in the morning. But usually, for a couple of years now, I only drink coffee after 10am. This means I'm less tired after lunch and at work I only drink one cup of coffee a day. It's either one at around 10am or one just after lunch. And I feel SO much better, I sleep better and I have more energy. I recommend it.

[@VMSelvaggio]

It's admirable, thank you for sharing this! I have friends who have done the 3-month detox, and they were miserable for awhile. It gets better! Happy for you!

[@VMSelvaggio]

To be fair, despite my Pharmacist father always telling me that "Coffee is a stimulant, a drug." He would never drink coffee after about 10 AM. -Also, usually only 1 cup a day. My step-mom on the other hand, would brew a pot for herself in the AM, drink her first cup, then take the rest in a thermos with her on the road, as she worked out of her car. She would also come home at night, and about 8 PM or so she would make herself a Cappucino (at home) from the Espresso machine sitting on our kitchen counter.

[@booboobunni]

I used to have a big dehydration problem from only drinking caffinated drinks, but I switched to taking one caffeine pill a day, and ive been doing that for 3 years now and it has been great, I drink so much water now

[@bettyreads222]

I haven't drank coffee in over a decade because it gives me migraines and it's so interesting to see your experience with this over the last month. And agree with the author that knowing folks that grow it changes your experience with it.

[@Nebula1820]

i quit caffeine for a few months recently. it sucked. I'm back on it now but my relationship with it has vastly improved.

[@MandRProductions3000]

You guys make such awesome videos! Been binging your content since I heard about you. Also huuuuge props to whoever does the motion graphics and visualizations!!!

[@rdfears]

Three notes to make (because I have Opinions about coffee/caffeine): 1) Coffee can sometimes cause issues other than just not eating breakfast/low water intake. In my mother's case, it was apparently causing arthritis. Prior to cutting out coffee (for unrelated reasons), she had fairly bad arthritis. After removing it entirely she was basically cured and no longer suffers from it at all, despite probably consuming more caffeine than before (through green tea). This is an anecdote, not science, but it might be worth keeping in mind if you suffer from arthritis or some other modern malady. 2) Caffeine withdrawal headaches are not fun at all. I frequently (stupidly) go back on caffeine (via soda) and then have to suffer the headache and mood issues when I eventually decide to give it up again so I can actually get a good night's sleep. They completely wipe out my productivity for a few days. (I really need to learn my lesson at some point.) 3) This video is a perfect illustration of why we need to decriminalize most (currently-)illegal drugs and instead focus on treating drug abuse, rather than drug use. Many millions of people function just fine with a constant drug dependency that alters their mood, consumption patterns, etc. and has horrible withdrawal symptoms, but we seem to have arbitrarily decided that caffeine/coffee is fine, but e.g. amphetamines are not. Probably because of capitalism. :shrug: Great video! I love being triggered to think about current issues.

[@qwertyugzb]

Capitalism bad but im pretty sure amphetamines prescribed by doctors are legal and a major part of how our society attempts to adjust ADHD people to our productivity society. Coffee would never cause the problems amphetamines can cause in large doses tho, since unless you're drinking gallons of espresso you're not gonna OD on caffeine. I do think they might get unfairly lumped in with more dangerous drugs like heroin or morphine which have completely different effects

[@rdfears]

@@qwertyugzb Yeah, I forgot about prescriptions, which allow you to take *all sorts* of wonderful drugs... as long as the tangled web of bureaucracy says that particular drug is acceptable as a treatment and that you're allowed to take it. I fully agree that we shouldn't have lethal doses of drugs made available in grocery store checkout lanes, but I don't see a reason we can't have them available as over-the-counter, non-prescription medicines. Also: It is definitely possible to lethally overdose on caffeine via energy shots... which are available in grocery store checkout lanes. :P

[@qwertyugzb]

@@rdfears those energy shots should really require heavy labelling and regulation at purchase (like alcohol), and I wouldn't mind legalizing tons of drugs in that way. Just pointing out that with the way we wanna currently regulate things, coffee is a pretty minor concern in that sphere. Sugar is way fucking worse for u btw

[@rdfears]

@@qwertyugzb Fully agreed on all points. I'd even go further and say that energy drinks should be over-the-counter. Buying something with a potential lethal dose should require human contact. If you've never done it before, you should try a "no sugar/dextrose/maltodextrin/etc." diet for a month or so. Even if it's not with the intent of improving health/losing weight, it is very eye-opening. *Everything* on grocery store shelves has some sugar or sugar-derivative in it. *Everything*.

[@Matteesside]

Don't worry about drinking less water due to consuming coffee. It hydrates you and it's diuretic effect is negligible.

[@StellarLimpkin]

I tried to end my addiction with oxygen, but apparently, it controls me more than I thought it did. I didn't last long and went into withdrawal after a mere three minutes. I suppose my addiction is really quite strong.

[@realGBx64]

yeah but I actually were born needing oxygen, but not caffeine, and after a bit of transition, I could remove caffeine from my life, while not oxygen. (no, I get this was a joke, but a joke to justify an addiction so... sorry not sorry)

[@alexeylutskyi6420]

As a person who involuntarily went for about a month without coffee this whole addiction theme genuinely perplexes me. I am a coffee lover - I drink 2 to 4 cups a day. I sure have a habbit of drinking coffee - I like tasting and comparing different beans (I mostly brew my coffee myself - whether its filter, espresso or cezve). I do often drink it out of boredom. But if I can't get my hands on at least slightly above average coffee I just skip and I'm completely fine with that. As for withdrawal I've only felt any change in my condition after drinking up to 8 teaspoons of Nescafe a day (drinking more only gives you a hangover without any stimulation) and then dropping caffeine for the next several days - I did feel more drowsy than usual. But this year when our shipowners decided that apparently a crew doesn't need coffee for functioning during night hours I've abstained for several weeks from coffee pretty smoothly - can't say that I've felt any urge for caffeine beyond what I've felt for kefir or fresh apples, which are problematic to get at sea.

[@AD_AP_T]

Different people process, tolerate, and adapt to it slightly differently, and different people are more or less prone to the various withdrawal effects, too - consider how some people will get a pounding headache from mild dehydration whereas other people have to be at the puckered skin, brown-ale-pee stage before they feel any discomfort in their head.

[@KlearlyIMme]

It really depends on the person when I drink coffee I get tired but it also stomps my appetite so I keep drinking it. I think they still don’t know why different people have different reactions to it tho

[@Delibro]

I really also wondered about those signs of withdrawal in the video and what people write here. I drink much and very regularly but can stop it whenever I please and feel not the slightest discomfort and also didn't really heard that from other people.

[@skiziskin]

I envy people like you. I don't know if other people who say they get anxious and jittery are having those symptoms for the same reason I do. Hypoglycemia. Coffee--not only caffeine--causes my blood sugar to crash so hard I have to eat every carb in sight all day long as I cycle back and forth between needing the coffee to concentrate and needing the sugar to keep from crashing. Mix weed in every time to take the edge off and I am wallowing in multiple addictions. I'm better now that I've retired and don't need it just to function at all at what I need to do.

[@Wow-uk2on]

one of my closest friends has a worrying addiction to caffeine but she always undermines it or plays it off as a joke but I'm just concerned for her (when she wakes up in the middle of the night at a sleepover begging for anything caffeinated even though she knows she needs sleep because she "doesn't feel right without it" all of our friends started to realise it's not a joke) I had to give up caffeine against my own volition, as my current medication means that if I have caffeine while I'm on my meds, I get only the bad effects (jitteryness, anxiety, my tremors worsen, I find it hard to concentrate, my body feels awful) and none of the "good" effects (if anything it makes me drowsy, and I often feel out of my own body) and it started to become such an unpleasant experience to mix the two that I gave up anything caffeinated, as even low doses can set me off and it does suck, but I've learnt to cope it does often irk me when I see caffeine treated as if it's not a drug. It is a drug. It's a stimulant. Way too many people are reliant on it or are fully addicted but don't care. no, "don't talk to me before my morning coffee" isn't quirky, it's a drug addiction. I hope you do well on your journey with coffee

[@lovinglife8966]

I quit coffee a while back, and I had SEVERE withdrawal for the first two days, and it was extremely headache inducing and I was stuck in bed for two days… thank goodness I did it on a weekend, but the time I quit I ended up having less anxiety and my sleep cycle actually got BETTER, and I don’t need sleep medication to fall asleep… I do when I need to sleep early…

[@TheRogueFeline]

I love coffee and tea. I do agree with your video but another aspect is that it is a stimulant and for alot of people like myself who have ADHD we crave that stimulation to help us focus or get through our work that really doesn't intrest us much. But overall great video and i enjoyed learning about coffee and how it came to fit into our lives as we know it.

[@smasajord]

As a Brazilian it's impossible not to drink coffee at breakfast, our translation to breakfast is literally "morning coffee" 😂

[@Rob-ik2cv]

I was raised around coffee drinkers. My Dad, a retired Navy Guy, had the original thick ceramic coffee cup that, was only rinsed out, never washed. For fear of ruining "the flavoring". My Mom and Dad used a percolator; once the glass bulb on top stopped bubbling, it was transferred to a Thermos. I wasn't allowed to drink it because "I was too young". Ironically, I started drinking coffee at 21, working for a Coffee Distributor. As an Operations Manager for a Service Company distributing coffee, I learned how to use the Pour Over coffee brewer and, most of all, how to cheat by sticking my cup under the first cup full, before placing the pot in its place. Lesson learned; if the bubbles were not brown the brew was too weak. Now, the ideal cup of coffee is a Vinti Americano with 2 extra shots. Breaking that down is 6 shots of Espresso and water.

[@rodp.1]

Like with any drug, it's not easy to stop cold turkey, if you slowly stop doing it, it's more manageable to stop all together with less withdrawals

[@Alice_Walker]

I accidentally stopped drinking coffee and matcha after I had covid (my smell/taste took a few weeks to come back and I had lingering nausea) after about seven weeks I started to get genuinely concerned that covid had affected my brain because I had terrible trouble focusing, remembering links between things and finding the right word I wanted to describe things. I am an analyst in my day job and write as a hobby so the change was VERY obvious to me. When I started drinking coffee again I IMMEDIATELY felt "normal" again. I was relieved it wasn't long covid but weird to know how big a difference it makes for me. I am a reasonably moderate caffeine consumer, usually one coffee and one matcha in the morning. I almost never have caffeine past midday. It was a weird and eye opening accidental experiment. I really appreciate the power of caffeine now and try to use it more strategically and have a two days a week without it.

[@Shadow1patin]

For health reasons I don't drink anything with caffeine. As an outsider looking in I do not know why people normalize caffeine dependencies. If you are not functioning before you get caffeine in the morning and seem to be irritable you really should cut back. I didn't get my coffee this morning is not a good excuse for your behavior people and anything that can cause that is a problem. Please learn to cut back on the caffeine people. It doesn't make you a better person.

[@flonny1340]

Yep, its such a shame when people don't realize caffeine addiction is just as bad as any other addiction

[@kaamn1829]

i noticed that when I forced myself to drink more water for a fasting challenge, and thus ate healthily when i did eat, i didn't feel like i needed caffeine, or even really wanted it. it started to sound unappetizing. unfortunately, i stopped and am now very addicted again. 👍

[@diablominero]

Replacing meals with bean juice (or leaf water) is a great idea, actually. Lots of people are struggling to lose weight, and there's an easy way to eat less food.

[@suraya_]

I started drinking coffee because it tasted really good, but then I soon started realizing how much happier it made me. I remember this one day I was in a slump and feeling sad and unenergetic, and one sip of coffee gave me so energy and made me so happy. it motivated me to start waking up early because I wouldn't have to worry about being tired. I started waking up at 7:30am (this was during summer) and coffee literally made me a morning person (I used to wake up at 1pm everyday and sleep at 3am). but I think that effect has worn off, and I only really drink coffee because I depend on it. I wanna limit it but it's so hard

[@giedrius2149]

DON'T. I am on no caffeine for a year now. Everytime I find a video like this I get reminded of how poor I performe lately. I just sacked, I am unhappy and always tired. Just don't abuse it and go "oh I am so immune to caffeine I need twice the dosage", then you're fine

[@beankingaidan]

A while back I noticed how much coffee I had been drinking. I still really like it, so I cut it down to one cup a day. Very glad I don't have to quit coffee for content :P

[@YOEL_44]

@@ChristophBackhaus Stop it Mr. Infomercial.

[@slimetank394]

Yeah, don't listen to that christoph dude.

[@gomillust]

@@ChristophBackhaus get help

[@caff8305]

I drink coffee once a day and rarely twice, am I alright and I dont have to worry?

[@navinanok]

I used to drink a liter sized bottle of cold brew throughout my day during undergrad and I am very caffeine sensitive so I was constantly a jittery mess to have in class. Now I don't drink coffee anymore because I'm lucky to not have two jobs and school stopping me from getting close to proper sleep. Great video, the withdrawal is real

[@gravesite5693]

Decaf contains 40% of the caffeine in regular coffee. That said it is a useful transitional step for weaning off of caffeine while safely reducing withdrawal symptoms. Going cold turkey off of caffeine suddenly can sometimes result in withdrawal symptoms severe enough to hospitalize a person.

[@andrewvirtue5048]

I quit caffeine cold turkey once. Had the shakes, migraines, and vomiting.

[@giuliab8484]

Jesus, how much coffee do you drink?!

[@andrewvirtue5048]

@@giuliab8484 2-4 cups plus 3-4 cans of soda. Caffeine is life.

[@roge2342]

Abour me: I drink cofee since i was 8, at 13 years old I started to study more recipes and started making my own cofee recipes and experimenting, when I was 14 it stopped having any effect and just became a normal drink. Now everyday I wake up around 5 am just to make cofee for my whole family and we literally drink it all day.

[@Pedro-of4tn]

Wow, that sounds like a "normal" or common house setting/environment. I would like to share with you some of my thoughts on coffee if you don't mind...a lot of people like the taste of coffee, the smell of coffee, the feeling of energy, etc. I myself drink coffee as well.But perhaps people shouldn't view it or drink it as if it was water. Coffee is still basically a tool and scientifically a drug. I don't think that it's good that people choose to drink coffee like if it was water since it still affects the body, it still has to process the coffee, etc. I think it's silly when people drink it for the fun of it, without having any knowledge on coffee. I recommend studying what coffee is, and it's effects, and learn how you could implement or keep it in your life, so I am not saying that coffee is something bad or something that people should quit, I'm just saying to look into coffee more.

[@this_is_japes7409]

4:05 also keep in mind that people did also used to drink more beer or wine than water including in the morning, people dipped their bread in wine, switching to coffee basically raised the average intelligence of the continent by ten fold.

[@josh1382]

I can’t believe that I’ve never seen your channel before. Your animations and editing is beautiful.

[@eriklin793]

My coffee addiction started when I was 5? Thank my dad for that one coz he wanted me to make him coffees. As a stupid 5 year old I'll tell you the thought of diluting the coffee with water when you put too much (instant mix) didn't occur to me and I thought I just had to add more sugar lmao. Anyway during highschool throughout university and even after I worked as a Barista. Quite frequently my meal would just be coffees. There was a period where I was training further so understanding roasting bean types, extraction methods etc I swear my body wasn't water based it was now coffee based. The withdrawals then really hit hard to the point if I did not have a coffee within the first 10 minutes of waking up I'd have a headache for the rest of the day. But after having to move back to Taiwan due to family things. I stopped completely as good coffee was just hard to come by. Slowly but surely I eased off to the point I don't really drink it anymore. Maybe half a cup at max. Things like not being able to concentrate or the kick it gives you... all gone, don't need it.

[@TheLyricalCleric]

Strangely enough. I do the exact opposite-I use coffee in the morning to replace my morning meal so that it’s easier to intermittently fast/calorie restrict. It’s so easy to overeat and indulge, but I find that having a big breakfast especially causes huge hunger pangs right before lunchtime. Whereas when I just have coffee, my appetite doesn’t kick in until around lunchtime at which I actually feel like I’m on Empty and need food. I don’t eat a huge lunch, but I don’t feel awful after waiting to eat. Sometimes my stomach growls, yes, but I’ve learned that that’s actually not a danger sign-that’s how it sounds when your intestines are empty and they rub vili against each other as they clean each other off. It’s actually much healthier for you to wait until your stomach growls than to never stop topping up your tank, eating every few hours or just nonstop eating throughout the day. How can your intestine get a break with all that food coming in?