Unpopular Opinion

So?

I mean, this opinion isn't really popular or unpopular. It's just banal, unsolicited advice.

Nah see..

I'm a coffee person and an addict.

I don't resent my addiction like you seem to, there is no animosity in my relationship with coffee. I embrace my addiction and love it, and it loves me back by giving me just what I need. The high, the robust flavor, the aftertaste, the smell, the experience, everything. And 3 cups of black coffee? Bruh, more like a pot or two to get started (8 cup pots) before 7AM, then maybe a french press or an espresso , followed by perhaps a cup of instant or maybe I'll put some coffee sprinkles in my protein shake. All of that before 11AM. Then if I'm going out in the evening, at least a double espresso and or if I'm out and about maybe an Americano or just a latte. Maybe hit a vending machine or grocery store and get an can of iced Mr Brown or a double shot.

When I was a smoker, there was nothing I loved more in the world than a nice cup of black coffee, something thick like motor oil, and a nice cigarette. I stopped smoking for the health impacts which are material, but I didn't resent it when I was smoking. I enjoyed every minute of it. Its the same with coffee. This puritanical approach to self-hating anything that brings you joy. Its a bit silly and not for me. I have no shame in the things that bring me pleasure. Its a far deeper shame to avoid pleasure because of some intrinsic guilt about it.

We know. We don't care.

My specialty was addictions. You have no idea what you're talking about.

eta: that sounds bitchy. It's closer to a compulsive behavior that it is an addictive syndrome. There is more to addiction than a psychological drive to consume. Notably it requires a negative impact on social functioning along with a bunch of other criteria.

You know you have a good post here when people are immediately hostile to you. And people who are replying specifically to tell you that they don’t care about your opinion, who clearly haven’t had their morning coffee.

As someone who just gets sweaty when they drink coffee, I don’t begrudge people who get a kick out of it. But there are too many people who make their caffeine addiction a part of their personality.

Everything in life is a managed addiction. Balance is needed in all things. Ensuring your addictions are taking you in a direction you find productive is critical. Relationships, entertainment, reading/not reading, eating, social engagement, the internet, pets; everything is ultimately brain chemistry that creates addictions.

Although you are probably right, I resent and dislike your opinion. Take my upvote.

I'm a coffee person because I enjoy coffee. I love the taste, I love making it, steaming milk, taking my time with espresso, and trying different brewing methods.

It's not about the caffeine. That's just a useful side effect.

I'll have you know I'm just self medicating my ADHD

Coffee actually is an effective medication for my depression. It has similar effects to buproprion on me (which is a amphetamine replacement class drug, though not an amphetamine itself), but to a lesser degree. This is good, because bupropion causes me to have tachycardia and hypomania. This is independent to any addiction, since I've gone years without having any. That there are tolerance levels to it, like any drug, doesn't mean it's not an effective self medication for some folks. And that correlation has been proven in scientific studies.

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC9751366/

Eh, I'm fine with my addictions. Life is too long as is and I only get one, I'm not gonna spend my time here avoiding things that taste good and make me feel good.

The people who try to compare caffeine to a drug are both trying to make a mute point and have likely never done any real drugs that are truly addictive.

Yeah under the strict technical definition a drug is something you ingest that affects your body on some level. Yes caffeine is technically a drug under this definition as its a stimulant which represses the chemical signals in your brain responsible for tiredness.

Billions of people drink multiple cups a day, and some feel like they would really like some coffee in the morning. If you want to define that minor desire for coffee as an 'addict craving' well I guess nobody is stopping you from seeing it that way. So there, if you want to play the technicality game and do some mental gymnastics with your world view then I guess all frequent coffee drinkers are technially addicts to the most commonly used drug in the world.

Buuuut, heres where reality comes in. On the grand scale of all drugs that exist in the world today and their level of addictiveness/potential to destroy your life caffine is so so so far off the left side of the scale it may as not be there.

When we have a serious big boy conversation about drugs and their potential harms with people who actually know what they are talking about and lived that life, nobody is going to bring up caffeine.

I've worked in rehabs. Ive seen first hand what true addiction and harmful drugs can do to people. I've had friends whos lives/minds were destroyed by real hard opioids and narcotics. I've helped homeless strangers try to build up their lives from scratch. A vast majority of them had issues with alcohol and opioids, you want to know the demographic of affine addicts we treated? None.

You want to consider caffeine as a drug and point out how 'lots of people are technically an addict lol' fine fair enough. Just keep in mind that real truly hard drugs exist which caffeine can't hold a candle too, that severe addiction is real and infinitely more hellish than coffee cravings in the morning. And maybe by trying to compare the two and think of them on the same level is an unnuanced overly simplified opinion

Give this a listen

And also maybe get off your high horse while you're at it.

If you take it as an enema you can handle twice the lethal dose.

Very much a coffee person here, but more quality oriented than quantity oriented. I drink two cups every day, sometimes three, but only if it is good. I’d much rather drink no coffee than bad coffee. And I’m véry particular about what I call good coffee.

Eh, I don't think the two things have to be tied. I consider myself a coffee person, however I also typically have only one cup of coffee a day (and some days not at all.) I don't drink caffeine habitually otherwise, with perhaps one soda a week, or maybe a pot of tea on occasion (which is sometimes caffeinated) when I'm in a cozy mood.

But that one cup in the morning is important to me because I love the taste and smell of coffee. It's part of my morning routine and I enjoy it. If something happens and I get distracted and don't have that cup it's not the end of the world, and I only usually notice when I end work for the day and go to clean my desk off and the cup isn't there. For me it's not a caffeine addiction so much as a morning treat. To be honest if they made a decaf version of my favorite coffee I'd buy that instead - I'm just here for the flavor :)

Man, folks really seem the feel the need to make posts as tactless as possible. It's kinda hard to evaluate a post and respond to it when the poster seems to be going out of their way to present their opinion aggressively.

It's possible to present things that are unpopular (or that the poster thinks is unpopular) without being rage bait. It the reason for it being unpopular is just the way it's presented, it kinda defeats the purpose, imo.

That being said, as unpopular as this opinion likely is, you ain't wrong lol.

Having dealt with caffeine addiction and the process of developing bad reactions to it and then having to quit entirely for years before I could even have small amounts, the high volume drinkers really are dealing with a high tolerance and addiction rather than an actual need.

Luckily, caffeine is a relatively easy addiction to deal with. You'll have a week or so of unpleasant days, but it'll even out and you can come back to it with a lower tolerance maybe a week or two after that. Barring weird shit, anyway.

Also, holy fuck do I miss the ability to counter fatigue with caffeine. I can only handle fairly small amounts, infrequently. Even decaf has some caffeine, but a full cup of regular coffee has me all kinds of fucked up. I can barely tolerate non decaf tea ffs. So brewing a strong mug of regular coffee when I'm wiped but can't stop isn't on the menu, dammit.

James Hoffman has a great video about this with scientific analysis to prove it. Basically the people that claim they’re “coffee addicts” are often drinking something that isn’t caffeinated like one might expect. A good pour over has close to 80mg of caffeine in it, but a weaker Starbucks/gas station/K-cup/instant coffee has only 25-45~mg of caffeine per cup. You effectively need 3 cups a day to equate what you can get from 1 perfectly good quality cup of coffee. Even a Starbucks “double shot” is like drinking 7/8ths of a proper pour over. I have a lot of friends that are “coffee addicts” and drink 2-3 Starbucks a day.

Link

Do you need three cups of coffee to start your day? You sound more like you have an axe to grind than an unpopular opinion.

People don't mean they literally cannot function without having coffee first thing in the morning. It's just a clishé they say. Drinking coffee in the morning and after lunch is a habit rather than addiction. I don't drink coffee because I need the energy boost it gives me because it doesn't. I drink coffee because I like drinking coffee. It's a moment of relaxation. At worst it's a habitual addiction rather than a physical one. Also it's not even particularly bad for you. Some might even say it's healthy. Within reason ofcourse.

I like coffee. It tastes good. I like the way a small dose of caffeine makes me feel at different points in the day. I feel focused and alert. I enjoy a nice espresso after a big meal and a few glasses of wine. I like sipping a warm cup of tea or a latte while watching the birds from my window in the morning.

Caffeine is a drug. In moderation, there's nothing wrong with drugs. I agree there are probably too many people addicted, and too many people abusing caffeine, but I would argue that it's not because of coffee. Most commercially available coffee doesn't really have that much caffeine in it. You have to make it at home fresh if you want the high-test stuff.

Most likely? No, that's wrong. I am definitely addicted to caffeine.

Source: about 5 years ago I randomly skipped coffee for about a week. Felt like shit.

It's not worth it to me to spend the week or so of misery it would take to start a caffeine -free life, so I keep up a near-daily coffee regimen.

Pfft, coffee. That's why Marduk gave us meth amphetamine.

I don't care

Yes and no.

Yes I'm a caffeine addict. But I'm also a coffee snob (for myself. I dont care what other people drink, those that do suck). If i just wanted the caffeine, I'd go back to slamming monsters like I did in college. I wouldn't be spending the amount of time I do to get the best cup of coffee I can.

Think of it this way. Sure, I could just eat microwaved meals or other pre-prepared meals all day every day, but there's a reason I will often to take the time to make a nice home-cooked meals (beyond budget reasons). Same reason people bother making cocktails instead of just throwing back shots

E: just to add, this isn't new information to 95% of us. We're all well aware we're addicts.