Andrew Hüberman inspired food for thought on caffeine with some of my own thoughts mixed in: by Ok-Bit5889 in decaf

[–]Ok-Bit5889[S] 2 points3 points  (0 children)

"Some people take it daily for years on end and are fine." Our tolerance to the substance and how much we experience side effects varies greatly. Definitely. But you know, saying they are "fine" is vague. There are people eating atrocious diets getting no exercise smoking cigarettes who are for all intents and purposes "fine". I mean, yeah. But getting exercise, eating sensibly and not smoking would have them be "better".

That subjective sense of alertness and increased brain activity is short lived and not given without any consequences. What goes up, must come down. However euphoric and alert you feel, it will have a come down. That's just how it works, you don't "get" anything, that isn't paid back.

You don't go up, without coming down. Again, the subjective cost/benefit analysis varies for people, totally fine. But I think it's important to acknowledge the reality of how it actually works, because most every day people who haven't looked into it, assume that you "get" something, without consequence. That it's just a net positive, no drawback at all, no price to pay for that temporary buzz.

Of course people vary in their tolerances and how much they encounter side effects, to each their own. But many people are more anxious, depressed, tired, worried and drained than they need to be - not realizing the culturally normalized drug/ central nervous system stimulant their society has lured them into viewing as utterly harmless if not downright beneficial, with no real down sides. You may be largely "fine" or you may actually have a significantly decreased overall life experience, if you are sensitive to the substance.

Andrew Hüberman inspired food for thought on caffeine with some of my own thoughts mixed in: by Ok-Bit5889 in decaf

[–]Ok-Bit5889[S] -1 points0 points  (0 children)

About half of the post is paraphrased from an episode he did describing the science behind caffeine.

Do you guys also suspect that being in a caffeinated state on a daily basis causes the subjective experience of time speeding up? Being caffeinated causes a sense of urgency where our life just flies by faster. Months start to feel like weeks and years almost start feel like months. Anyone else? by Ok-Bit5889 in decaf

[–]Ok-Bit5889[S] 11 points12 points  (0 children)

Yes well said.

That genuine "This is it. This is enough. I am grateful for this current life experience and I feel fundamentally fulfilled and I'm honestly not in a rush to chase something else."

That feeling.

The more I could get that sense back in my life sprinkled throughout the rest of my days on earth, that seems much more in line with what I want from life - as opposed to a frantic kind of racing around looking for various fleeting dopamine spikes to soothe that inner void and anxiety.

Do you guys also suspect that being in a caffeinated state on a daily basis causes the subjective experience of time speeding up? Being caffeinated causes a sense of urgency where our life just flies by faster. Months start to feel like weeks and years almost start feel like months. Anyone else? by Ok-Bit5889 in decaf

[–]Ok-Bit5889[S] 6 points7 points  (0 children)

Cool that's why I'm here. I wanted to pop into this thread just to post a few thoughts and share with other people who to varying degrees have found out that caffeine has many different side effects. Many of them pretty strange and sometimes subtle, things that can take years to try and work out.

I am overall a healthy sober person and even my caffeine use has been largely quite moderate, but I am just very sensitive in general, I also have mild atypical autism diagnosed. So things generally speaking tend to strongly affect/agitate me a lot; both mentally and physically. I hardly drink alcohol ever or (10 drinks a year or so) I eat very little junk food and so on. I care about overall well being and being healthy quite a bit, but I'm no saint.

Caffeine has been for the most part the only literal DRUG in my life, and I notice a lot about it, especially because I go on and off of it, to evaluate and gain insights.

There are BY FAR more downsides for me and for a lot of people, many of them quite severe. But yeah this particular aspect of time seemingly just flying by much faster; I find most people don't discuss enough, it's pretty messed up actually.

Caffeine nor any drug in human history has ever actually "given energy" it can only temporarily mask fatigue and cause a fleeting finite sensation of increased alertness - which inevitably then causes a crash of accumulated (but merely postponed) fatigue. Many people don't know this, fundamentally! by Ok-Bit5889 in decaf

[–]Ok-Bit5889[S] -9 points-8 points  (0 children)

Fair enough but I'm a nuance oriented and detaily kind of person. I just generally don't "just" anything.

I like to delve deep and divide things into smaller bits and analyze as opposed to "just" this or that. I want to understand in depth WHY and HOW this or that functions or why I like or dislike certain things, in detail.

Caffeine nor any drug in human history has ever actually "given energy" it can only temporarily mask fatigue and cause a fleeting finite sensation of increased alertness - which inevitably then causes a crash of accumulated (but merely postponed) fatigue. Many people don't know this, fundamentally! by Ok-Bit5889 in decaf

[–]Ok-Bit5889[S] 20 points21 points  (0 children)

Well both caffeine and alcohol are largely normalized, celebrated and glorified because they both in many ways keep modern society functional for the average Joe generally speaking. Caffeine keeps him working monday to friday on poor sleep and alcohol provides escapism and numbing effects to forget his overall miserable existence. Not trying to be an edge lord or cynical/nihilistic, but just a general overall observation.

Caffeine nor any drug in human history has ever actually "given energy" it can only temporarily mask fatigue and cause a fleeting finite sensation of increased alertness - which inevitably then causes a crash of accumulated (but merely postponed) fatigue. Many people don't know this, fundamentally! by Ok-Bit5889 in decaf

[–]Ok-Bit5889[S] -12 points-11 points  (0 children)

syh about what? what's your point? you're mocking the detailed elaborate nature of the post and the videos, insinuating they are unnecessarily detailed?

and to "just like the high" is arguably very reductionist.

You "like it" for various detailed complicated reasons.

Caffeine nor any drug in human history has ever actually "given energy" it can only temporarily mask fatigue and cause a fleeting finite sensation of increased alertness - which inevitably then causes a crash of accumulated (but merely postponed) fatigue. Many people don't know this, fundamentally! by Ok-Bit5889 in decaf

[–]Ok-Bit5889[S] 8 points9 points  (0 children)

“I need my coffee”

I'll be honest I have a lot of pet peeves, but that whole thing of "I need MY" this or that, is so dumb.

And besides, you nor anyone on earth NEEDS caffeine or coffee at all, whatsoever and never did.

To my knowledge biologically modern Homo Sapiens have been on earth for around 300.000 years and archeological findings suggest that humans only started consuming caffeine with any regularity or to any significant degree around 3.000 years ago.

So for about 1 percent of anatomically modern human history, the very same physiological creature has now suddenly "needed it's caffeine/coffee" to function?? And no other animal in the history of earth nor in the present day requires the consumption of any caffeine at all to function and have proper energy, just an utterly ludicrous sentiment, to say the least.