Caffeine, -EV? - Page 2

steamboatin · #11 05-31-2005, 10:41 PM

It was more difficult quiting sodas than giving up beer. You have absolutely no idea how many coke ads you see in a day until you quit drinking them.

I didn't drink sodas for six years until after I got married. I was grilling for the In-laws and all we had to drink was soda. I drank one and I was right back addicted like I never stopped. I drink tons of diet soda now and would no doubt have a very difficult time quitting.

Wally Weeks · #12 05-31-2005, 11:09 PM

[ QUOTE ]
Also the sugar. If I were you I would stop drinking that stuff because of their mind-blowingly retarded advertisements alone.

[/ QUOTE ]

It's also worth mentioning that Mountain Dew is the "nectar of the tards." [img]/images/graemlins/smile.gif[/img]

On the serious side, all those simple carbs aren't the greatest. Perhaps switching to a calorie and caffine-free substitute is called for. But that might be too much since the problem isn't a weight one...at least not yet, or ever. I know that if I drank as much regular soda as you I'd look like the Goodyear blimp instead of being slim.

For the record, I'm also hooked on caffine. It sounds like you might also just like carbonated sugar water. When it comes to sodas, I mostly drink diet, but coffee is my morning staple (few shots of espresso w/ a splash of milk).

Regards,
Wally

Bodhi · #13 05-31-2005, 11:28 PM

[ QUOTE ]
I'm wondering if it would be enough to just cut down from like 5-6 cans a day to like 3.

[/ QUOTE ]

Oh my god. Do you have any idea how bad this crap is for you? Quit cold-turkey. It will hurt for a few days, but you will save sooooooooooo much money in medical expenses later in life.

Bodhi · #14 05-31-2005, 11:31 PM

[ QUOTE ]
It's also worth mentioning that Mountain Dew is the "nectar of the tards."

[/ QUOTE ]

I didn't want to say that, but I definitely remember that from my evenings listening to love line in highschool. Adam Corolla is funny [censored].

obsidian · #15 06-01-2005, 10:29 AM

I have recently decided to cut my caffeine and sugar water intake. I would drink about 6-10 cans a day. Now I have a cup of coffee in the morning, a soda in the afternoon, and one in the evening. However, I still need to have something to drink all the time so I drink about 80oz+ of water a day. Not sure if it has a better EV but it sure is healthier. I am also far from overweight so this wasn't to lose weight at all.

steamboatin · #16 06-01-2005, 10:32 AM

Add some herb or green tea to pick up some trace minerals and antioxidents.

BigBaitsim (milo) · #17 06-01-2005, 07:53 PM

Caffeine is a psychoactive drug and is addictive. That having been said, it enhances alertness and can improve performance on mental tasks, in moderation. Too much will increase anxiety, which will decrease performance. I never take an exam, or sit down at a poker table without some caffeine in my system.

crazy canuck · #18 06-02-2005, 06:18 AM

Similarly to you, I had a serious caffine addiction and at its peak I drank 6 liters of diet pepsi daily. First, I tried to reduce the amount, which kind of worked for a few days, but in a week I'd end up where I was before. So pretty much you have to quit cold turkey.

For this set aside at least 2 days. Plan to do something easy like watching television or rest (I felt extremely tired but wasn't able to sleep). The good part is that you can take aspirin or tylenol for you headaches. I also found that drinking ginseng helps a lot (the stronger the better), and after drinking ginseng tea I didn't even need anything for my headache.

Once you get through the first 2 days probably you will still be tired for a week but it will be nothing like the first 2 days. After that you can start drinking caffinated beverages again.

lennytheduck · #19 06-02-2005, 02:34 PM

Caffeine can only help your poker playing. One poster mentioned that he never takes a test or plays without it; I do the same.
Soda however has a lot of lousy side effects, in addition to the minimal negative effects that caffeine has. Caffeine is a diuretic and is certainly addictive, though not so much in a physical manner. You can beat caffeine withdrawal in about 4 days. It's the psychological dependence that cause everyone to "need" their cup of coffee.
To me it seems like you like "doing the dew" more than the caffeine. You are addicted to the sugar from the soda, and that certainly has negative effects on your health. Drinking that much carbonated material along with the additive effect of caffeine will eat the lining of your stomach if you keep it up. Taking aspirin as a substitute will do the same thing.
My advice to you is to get the soda out of your life and pronto. If you feel like the caffeine is necessary or if you are having headaches, I recommend taking Excedrin, as it is a pain reliever that has a lot of caffeine, and doesn't have the same side effects as aspirin. The aforementioned green tea is an excellent choice if you can't handle coffee. Don't get stuck on Southern sweet tea though, it's the beverage equivalent of cocaine.