Now I’m going to start by saying that I am NOT trying to tell any of you what to do. Just as it is not my place to tell you to stop drinking alcohol, it is also not my place to tell you stop imbibing caffeine (be it in coffee, black teas or sodas). After all, this is your life you are living, and as long as you are not harming anyone else in the process, you certainly have the “right” to live it however you wish.

That having been said, I do care for each of you deeply. You are worthy of a life filled with not only fleeting pleasure, but also one filled with deep Meaning and lasting Happiness.

And so, to help you to experience the same, I am writing these posts on addiction – simply because I believe that you should have all the information you need to make informed, conscious choices about how long and how well you will live.

So, today’s addiction is caffeine, and if you will allow me, I think I will commence with a brief story …

Back in August of 2008, I was asked to volunteer as a luggage porter for Ride Idaho, a 400+ mile bicycle tour through some of the most beautiful landscapes in the U.S. Essentially, it was my job to help break camp every morning, load the cyclists’ luggage onto a truck, and then ride ahead to unload their luggage and set up the next camp. This part of the job proved to be no problem whatsoever, and was actually lots of fun.

The trouble began with the coffee …

You see, I happen to be a “morning person”, and at the time I also happened to love to drink good coffee. So naturally, I volunteered to be responsible for getting up early every morning to set up the huge coffee pots that we had brought with us and brew the cyclists their pre-ride cup of mud.

Everything went OK for a few days. These were very nice people, gathered together to do something they all found to be fun – all surrounded by some of the most stunning scenery that Nature can provide. “What a great gig”, I thought …

… and then the coffee machine stopped working.

Frankly, what followed was so stressful for me that I can’t be sure of the facts anymore. Suffice it to say that these calm, loving, healthy, loving people turned “evil” that morning. I even remember thinking that I was in danger of being assaulted by a few of the more irate, coffee-less riders.

The point of this story is that these were patently Good People, and that they remain patently Good People to this day. They weren’t being rude and aggressive “jerks” because they were rude and aggressive people. They were behaving that way because they were addicted to caffeine, and they were suffering from withdrawal. In this way, I was able to personally witness firsthand how people’s personalities are literally altered by this subtle-yet-insidious drug …

It didn’t stop me from drinking coffee right away, of course, and yet quit I did (more on that in the next post), and quitting coffee has been one of the best things I have ever done (if not also one of the most challenging). I feel simply fantastic these days, and I would simply love for you all to experience the same sense of emPowerment that I feel as a result …

In order to do so, it might be helpful to examine a few of the falsehoods with which the coffee industry has been misleading you …

CAFFEINE — the MYTHS

MYTH #01 … Caffeine does NOT give you a boost of energy. Scientifically, you cannot measure any increase in actual energy provided by caffeine. The perceived “energy” you feel when you drink your cup of coffee actually comes from your body’s struggle to adapt to increased blood levels of stress hormones. In most cases, this induced emergency state leads to side effects collectively known as caffeinism. Ironically, this same caffeinism is ultimately characterized by sensations of chronic fatigue!

“Caffeine doesn’t add energy to your system, it just burns up your reserves at a faster pace. You get a short-term boost at the expense of long-term jitters and fatigue.” ~ Pat Goudey

MYTH #02 … Caffeine does NOT boost your athletic performance. Although drinking coffee (or sodas) might very well provide a short-term, temporary stimulation of the body, regular caffeine intake actually diminishes the body’s ability to perform physically.

“While mice fed one dose of caffeine demonstrated significant increases in their swimming capacity, when the same dose of caffeine was given for six weeks, a significant decrease in swimming capacity was observed. ~ Dr. Michael Murray

MYTH #03 … Caffeine does NOT improve learning or memory. In fact, the opposite is true.

“If you drink even small amounts of caffeinated beverages throughout the day, your adrenal glands will be constantly stimulated, and you will find yourself in a chronic state of stress. Extra stress takes a toll on your body and brain. And even though most people think caffeine makes them mentally sharper, studies have shown that caffeine consumed even in moderate amounts can reduce cerebral flow by as much as 30%. That means less oxygen to the brain, which means less clarity and less retention.” ~ with Dr. Julian Whitaker & Steven Cherniske

MYTH #04 – Caffeine does not give you a psychological “lift”. Caffeine is referred to as a mood elevator but this is simply not true. If you take a person who doesn’t drink caffeine and give them some, it doesn’t elevate their mood. It makes them uncomfortable and tense. In habitual users, caffeine APPEARS to elevate mood, but research clearly illustrates that what is actually happening is that the caffeine is simply enabling those people to avoid the depression they associate with a possible withdrawal.

MYTH #05 – Caffeine (specifically coffee) is harmless to society (i.e. it only harms the one imbibing it). Actually, coffee is the largest agricultural commodity in the world. More coffee is grown and traded than wheat rice, or corn or livestock or fruit or vegetables. But what makes it so damaging to the global ecosystem is that coffee is also the most heavily sprayed of all agricultural commodities. It is grown in regions where there are very few restrictions, regulations or protections regarding pesticide use. The environmental impact of coffee production is tremendous. To meet current world demand for coffee, over 70 MILLION acres of tropical land is devoted to this product that has absolutely no nutritional value to humans.

CAFFEINE – The FACTS

Caffeine is considered the most commonly used psychoactive drug in the world. It is estimated that approximately 80% of the world’s population consumes caffeine on a daily basis. After ingesting caffeine, it is completely absorbed within 30 to 45 minutes and then its effects diminish within about three hours.

Interestingly enough, imbibing a mixture of caffeine, milk fat and processed sugar has a psycho-physiological effect on the human brain very similar to that of using cocaine.

Of course, ingesting cocaine would be far better for you … Let’s see why:

THE ADDICTION ITSELF

As many caffeine drinkers can attest, when you ingest high levels of caffeine, you may feel your mood soar and then plummet, leaving you craving more caffeine to make it soar again. After you drink caffeine, it initiates an uncontrolled firing of neurons in your brain, which then triggers your pituitary gland to produce and release adrenalin into your system. On the positive side, adrenalin is what gives athletes that winning burst of energy and Good Samaritans the power to rescue people from dangerous situations. Of course, these are only short-term events … Adrenalin is also the source of our primal “fight or flight” response, the condition that enabled our prehistoric ancestors to escape from predators. By activating your adrenal glands, caffeine puts you immediately into this state of “fight or flight”, a highly elevated level of stress that is essentially unnecessary in our everyday lives.

After the adrenal “high” wears off, irritability, confusion and fatigue tend to surface, in which case most caffeine addicts then reach for the next cup of coffee to “keep me going”. And yet, the more caffeine you ingest, the more you need to consume in the future to experience similar results.

“Caffeine forces your glands to secrete when they don’t have much left to give, and they have to keep digging deeper and deeper, making you more and more tired over time. And over the years, it takes more and more coffee to get the same result.” ~ Dr. Ralph T. Nolan

CAFFEINE’S EFFECTS ON YOUR LIFE

Caffeine is anything but a harmless “buzz-giver”!

*It intensifies mood disorders in adults and children alike, including depression, anxiety, irritability and attention disorders.

*It strongly elevates stress-levels, which in turn damage the user’s immune system.

*Habitual caffeine use ultimately leads to adrenal exhaustion, which bears more than a slight resemblance to the post-traumatic stress syndrome experienced by soldiers returning from combat.

*caffeine suppresses the alpha brainwaves that are responsible for all moments of high brain-function (the “a ha” moments of inspiration, creativity and enlightenment).

*Caffeine accelerates bone loss, which can lead to osteoporosis.

*Caffeine causes insulin spikes and subsequent blood-sugar crashes, which in turn over time can contribute to diabetes, hypoglycemia and weight gain.

*Die to the increased cholesterol levels associated with its use, caffeine contributes to the development of heart disease and heart attacks.

*Caffeine causes the stomach to produce extra amounts of hydrochloric acid, which in turn creates an increased risk of manifesting ulcers, heartburn, other gastronomic disorders.

*Because caffeine dehydrates the body, it causes one’s skin to wrinkle and sag.

*Caffeine increases the risk for prostate and urinary problems in men, and fibrocystic breast disease and PMS in women.

*Caffeine depletes the body of the B-vitamins it needs to maintain proper brain and nervous system functioning.

*By contributing to the decline of hormones produced in abundance during youth (DHEA, melatonin, and others), caffeine accelerates the aging process.

*And finally, and by far MOST IMPORTANTLY, ingesting caffeine keeps you from developing any real intimacy in your life. Imbibing caffeine keeps you in a state of physiological “red alert” – a state of being in which it is almost impossible to engage the deeper feelings of Peace, Altruism and Compassion. You can’t obtain a Peace-full life without having the courage to extend yourself to others, and you can’t extend yourself to others when you are in living a subconscious drone of “fight or flight”.

In essence, caffeine is the social drug that ensures you remain alone …

……

So, now that you have all the information on what coffee is actually doing to you when you drink it, you are now equipped to make a clear decision as to how you will move forward in your life – with it or without it.

T. S. Eliot might have “measured his life by coffee spoons”, but you no longer have to.

From an ex-coffee-addict, I’ll just say that even though it won’t be easy, IT IS POSSIBLE TO BE FREE of caffeine …

Maybe you will quit and maybe you won’t. Either way, know that I will always be here cheering for you … 😉

“It is inhumane, in my opinion, to force people who have a genuine medical need for coffee to wait in line behind people who apparently view it as some kind of recreational activity. I bet this kind of thing does not happen to heroin addicts. I bet that when serious heroin addicts go to purchase their heroin, they do not tolerate waiting in line while some dilettante in front of them orders a hazelnut smack-a-cino with cinnamon sprinkles.” ~ Dave Barry

“The voodoo priest and all his powders were as nothing compared to espresso, cappuccino, and mocha, which are stronger than all the religions of the world combined.” ~ Mark Helprin

“Good sleep is a symptom of caffeine deprivation.” ~ unknown

[Thanks to Dr. Steven Cherniske, Dr. Michael Murray, Dr. Ralph Nolan, Dr. Gayle Reichler, Dr. Earl Mindell, Dr. Julian Whitaker, Dr. Elson Haas, Dr. gary Null, Dr. Mary Eades, Dr. Mark Liponis, Dr. Dharma Khalsa, Dr. Elizabeth Somer, Dr. Joseph Pizzorno, dr. Michael Tierra, Dr. Matthew Budoff, Dr. James Gordon, and Dr. Robert Giller for much of this information]