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Post Info TOPIC: Is Caffeine Your Friend?
StPeteDean


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Is Caffeine Your Friend?
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Caffeine, while being a staple of AA meetings worldwide, may not always be our friend.  Here's an article with some good info.  There's many (I googled caffeine + stress).  I drink a large coffee in the morning and usually a diet coke with lunch, and sometimes some ice tea with dinner, though I've tried to skip the iced tea in the evening because it generally interfears with my sleep.  I have experienced added stress when using too much caffeine and would caution those in early sobriety to avoid it or use moderation especially when you're not feeling well or have some intense issue going on.  wink

"Caffeine is a drug, popularly consumed in coffee, tea, soft drinks and, in smaller doses, chocolate. While we seem to have a love affair with these products, theres been quite a bit of confusion and even controversy surrounding caffeine lately. Is it good or bad for us? Heres a brief tutorial on caffeine, and some surprising answers to these questions.

Effects on the Body:

  • Hormones- You can feel the effects of caffeine in your system within a few minutes of ingesting it, and it stays on your system for many hoursit has a half-life of four to six hours in your body. While in your body, caffeine affects the following hormones:
  • Adenosine- Can inhibit absorption of adenosine, which calms the body, which can make you feel alert in the short run, but can cause sleep problems later. (More on this below.)
  • Adrenaline- Caffeine injects adrenaline into your system, giving you a temporary boost, but possibly making you fatigued and depressed later. If you take more caffeine to counteract these effects, you end up spending the day in an agitated state, and might find yourself jumpy and edgy by night.
  • Cortisol- Can increase the bodys levels of cortisol, the stress hormone, which can lead to other health consequences ranging from weight gain and moodiness to heart disease and diabetes.
  • Dopamine- Caffeine increases dopamine levels in your system, acting in a way similar to amphetamines, which can make you feel good after taking it, but after it wears off you can feel low. It can also lead to a physical dependence because of dopamine manipulation.
These changes caffeine makes in your physiology can have both positive and negative consequences:
  • Sleep Caffeine can affect your sleep by keeping you awake longer, thereby shortening the amount of sleep you get, and giving you less time in the restorative stages of sleep, which takes a toll on your level of alertness the next day and overall health.

    Interestingly, though, caffeine doesnt affect the stages of sleep the way other stimulants do, so its a better choice than speed or other uppers to use if you need to stay awake.

  • Weight Many experts believe that increased levels of cortisol lead to stronger cravings for fat and carbohydrates, and cause the body to store fat in the abdomen. (Abdominal fat carries with it greater health risks than other types of fat.) Also, if increased cortisol levels lead to stronger cravings for caffeine-laden foods, the body goes into a cycle that leads only to worse health.

    The good news, though, is that caffeine can speed up metabolism. Also, it can help the body break down fat about 30% more efficiently if consumed prior to exercise. (You must be exercising to get this benefit, though.) Additionally, caffeine can keep blood sugar levels elevated, leaving you feeling less hungry.

  • Exercise If caffeine elevates levels of cortisol and other hormones for a temporary boost, after caffeine wears off, the body can feel fatigued and feelings of mild to moderate depression can set in. This can make physical activity more difficult.

    On the positive side, caffeine has been found to enhance physical performance and endurance if it isnt overused. This, combined with its effect of fat burning during exercise, can actually enhance workouts and enable you to get in better shape if you take it at the right time.

Caffeine and Stress

Because caffeine and stress can both elevate cortisol levels, high amounts of caffeine (or stress) can lead to the negative health effects associated with prolonged elevated levels of cortisol (which you can read about here). If you ingest high levels of caffeine, you may feel your mood soar and plummet, leaving you craving more caffeine to make it soar again, causing you to lose sleep, suffer health consequences and, of course, feel more stress. However, small to moderate amounts of caffeine can lift your mood and give you a boost.

The Verdict on Caffeine

With potential negative and positive health consequences, caffeine can be your friend, but in controlled doses. Heres what you should remember about caffeine:

  • Dont Take Too Much Because of the health risks (above) associated with higher levels of caffeine, as well as the risk of physical dependence that can come with four cups of coffee or more each day, its wise to limit your caffeine intake. (Withdrawal symptoms can include cravings, headache, fatigue and muscle pain.)
  • No Caffeine After 2pm Because sleep is important to proper physical functioning, and caffeine can stay in your system for 8 hours or longer, you should cut off or limit your caffeine intake to the first part of the day to ensure that your sleep isnt disrupted.
  • Enjoy Caffeine With Physical Activity Caffeine is best ingested before exercisethat way your performance is enhanced and the stress-management benefits of exercise can keep you healthy and feeling less stressed throughout the day."


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Doll


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Interesting info....Since gettin' sober I had to give up coffe. It gives me the shakes BIG time, even just a sip. I switched to decaf, which isn't really the same, so needless to say I save tons of money there.

Now, I will consume a Mr.Pibb or Dr. Pepper once in a while, but not with a meal, more as a 'reward' kind of thing.......


btw: DIET sodas are BAAAAAAD on your teeth, which is quite ironic since they're 'sugar free' - go figure.

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Gandeida


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Hi,

I have not read your post yet, as I wanted to give the answer that comes to mind rather than respond to the article.

My answer would be a resounding "NO!!!"  I normally drink decaf coffee (we have regular and decaf available at all meetings that I attend), but today my daughter was sick, I stayed at home to take care of her, and I worked from home.

At work, just like at my meetings, we have both decaf and regular coffee.  Well, today I was working from home, and I had nothing but regular coffee at the house, so I made a pot.  I started drinking the coffee, and it killed my appetite, so I didn't eat anything.  I started craving a beer, but it was too early in the morning to be thinking about drinking, so I squashed the thought, kept working, kept drinking regular coffee, and still I didn't eat.  I kept drinking the coffee all day...started putting a little bit of milk in it to keep my stomach from growling, and still I didn't eat anything...all day, until about 3:00 in the afternoon, I kept drinking the coffee...getting hungrier and hungrier, getting more and more wired, and thinking more and more about drinking.

So what I have surmised about coffee, is that it increases the HUNGRY in HALT, increases my aggitation level, thereby contributing to the ANGRY in HALT.   The increased aggitation made me want to lash out at someone (my sister, it ended up being today) which made me feel very LONELY because I needed someone to talk to, and I alienated my sister.  I spoke to two other siblings on the phone, but both were either rushing out the door for a Friday night event, or busy with an event at home.  Both spoke with me for a while, but not enough to alleviate my LONELINESS. 

This left me with TIRED, from coming down off of the euphoria of the caffeine when I quit drinking it, and because of the build-up of H-A-L-T, I went to the store.  Even when I tried to go to the store, there was so much traffic in the direction that I wanted to go that I should have recognized this as a sign and turned back, but, determined at this point, I turned right instead, and went to the store I wanted to avoid...the one closest to home.

Anyway, there is much emotional trauma and baggage to go along with this saga, but the end result was that I know that excess caffeine has a direct connection to my drinking, but the fact that I drank regular coffee, started so early, didn't prepare myself, didn't eat, and actually took the caffeine, knowing already that it contributes to my desire to drink, I believe that I was setting myself up for failure.

I will go read your post now, because I am interested to see if anything that I have experienced is reflected in the article.  Caffeine is anathema to me, but I also think that I was looking for an excuse to relapse, and alcohol is my antidote to caffeine.

Thank you for listening,
Gandeida

-- Edited by Gandeida at 18:54, 2008-03-14

-- Edited by Gandeida at 18:55, 2008-03-14

-- Edited by Gandeida at 18:56, 2008-03-14

-- Edited by Gandeida at 18:56, 2008-03-14

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StPeteDean


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Gandeida, that sounds that a song from the '60's lol. wow I guess my topic was timely.

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Gandeida


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Just another note on diet soda.  A study about ten years ago at the University of Barcelona showed that consumption of Aspartame (NutraSweet, Equal) causes a buildup of Formalic acid in the soft tissues of the body (brain, liver, kidneys).  Basically, you are saving your family a FORTUNE in embalming if you drink enough of the stuff.

I used to drink one - three 2-litre bottles of the stuff a day...I bought it by the case from the local grocery store...cases of 12 2-litres...not 12 packs of 12-oz cans. I actually had an Intervention by my family regarding the amount of diet Big K that I was drinking.  I was presented with the study from the University of Barcelona , and given evidence of the personality changes that had been noticed in me.

Well, there weren't treatment centers for abusers of NutraSweet, and I kind of laughed at the "Intervention," but the study truly caught my attention.  I read it, looked it up online to verify it, and quit drinking anything with NutraSweet in it.  Over the next few months, I had friends and family come up to me regularly to remark on how much I had changed over the last few months...how much like my old self I used to be...it was these encounters, more than the study that showed me the actual effects of the substance on my body.  I lost a lot of weight after banning Aspartame as well.

I have never recovered full mental capacity.  My personality has come back to as close to what it ought to be as possible, but my ability to think has been severely impaired, and I remain depressed...feeling like I am missing the punchline of life.  My level of depression has never been lifted.  I know that I did serious damage to myself, and I would like to save someone else from this trauma.

My alcoholism is also responsible for my depression, but I definitely know that I did great damage to my mental capacity by overloading my body with Aspartame.

-- Edited by Gandeida at 19:24, 2008-03-14

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Tuggboat


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latte.jpgYou are nuts. Coffee is the antidote to alcoholism. Without it AA would cease to exist. Those little dark chocolate espresso beans are real good too.


Someone has to stand in defense of our fellowships international beverage.

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StPeteDean


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Tugg, you didn't read my post or the article, both were neutral. hell it even recommended coffee right before exercising!

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Doll


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Interesting stuff.................


Methanol and formaldehyde - Wickipedia


Approximately 10% of aspartame (by mass) is broken down into methanol in the small intestine.  Most of the methanol is absorbed and quickly converted into formaldehyde. Some experts/scientists believe that the metabolism of aspartame does not damage the body because: (a) the quantity of methanol produced is too small to disrupt normal physiological processes; (b) methanol and formaldehyde are natural by-products of human metabolism and are safely processed by various enzymes; and (c) there is more methanol in some natural fruit juices and alcoholic beverages than is derived from aspartame ingestion

Other experts/scientists believe that (a) fruit juices and alcoholic beverages contain protective chemicals such as ethanol that block conversion of methanol into formaldehyde, while beverages with aspartame contain no "protective factors"; (b) exposure to very low levels of methanol and formaldehyde have been proven to cause chronic toxicity in humans; and (c) the low levels of methanol and formaldehyde in natural human metabolism are tightly-controlled and small increases above these levels can contribute to chronic poisoning.

In 1998, a team of scientists in Spain conducted an experiment on rodents to indirectly measure the levels of formaldehyde adducts in the organs after ingestion of aspartame. They did this by radiolabeling the methanol portion of aspartame. The scientists concluded that formaldehyde bound to protein and DNA  accumulated in the brain, liver, kidneys and other tissues after ingestion of either 20 mg/kg or 200 mg/kg of aspartame. However, representatives of the manufacturer of aspartame have argued that these scientists were not directly measuring formaldehyde, but simply measuring levels of some by-product of the methanol from aspartame.



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Tuggboat


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StPeteDean wrote:

Tugg, you didn't read my post or the article, both were neutral. hell it even recommended coffee right before exercising!


Are you saying I'm close minded? Denial is next I guess. Hey I only have a couple now and then! It ain't hurtin you leave me be ;)

 



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lani


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I guess Im screwed cuz I drink it 24/7! Im Bad!!!!
Especially love starbucks!!!!

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Tuggboat


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And Asparteme is why America is so thin. We can't live without diet drinks.

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