The need for caffeine
 

Alright, a couple of years ago i stoped drinking soda's and caffeine all together. It is great, in college if i need to pull an alnighter i can just drink one coke and be up for hours! However, it is summer and i have turned into a working stiff. I'm also taking night classes and I'm really starting to need some caffeine or something to get me going in the mornings. I would really rather prefer not going broke visiting take-your-bucks in the morning, or even drinking caffeine if i can avoid it. so my question is how do you all do it?

thanks

Exercise. Go for a bike ride or jog for 20 minutes. It'll keep you up. And adequate rest and sleep. Healthy eating. You know, the same ol same ol.

coffee is the only thing i've ever really been addicted to. late last year i started to develop stomach problems so i went cold turkey. i felt really good, my energy levels smoothed out (didn't peak and crash as much). my problem was i just wasn't eating enough food.

however, i find it nearly impossible to avoid in an office setting...so once in a while i get a small cup from somewhere and drink it only if i have a snack or meal. that seems to work for me.

Ditto on the sleep. It's the one thing my schedule has deprived me of the last several weeks. Sure 'nuff, I find myself compensating with caffeine (we have plenty of local alternatives to Charge-bucks, but I make it at work, 'cuz even the alt shops are expensive).

If you must have caffeine, there's a tea/herb called yerba matte, that supposedly doesn't have the side effects (stomach, etc.) of coffee, soda, etc. It's astoundingly bitter, however, and you'll probably have to blend it with a much milder herb tea, or do as they do in Peru, and load it up with sugar (with its own clutch of nutritional baggage, of course).

Why on earth are you avoiding caffiene? Healthy people have no reason to avoid it.

I gave up caffine for two reasons. First, even on two cups per day I would occasionally feel like my heart was skipping a beat ... freaked me out a bit. Second, if I didn't have coffee on the weekends, I would invariably wind up with a KILLER headache on Sunday. It sucked. Now, I dond't know if it's that I'm especially sensitive to caffine, but I don't miss it one bit. I sleep better as well.

Oh and I'm very healthy ... :D

-mark

How about power naps?
Sometimes a 15 minute doze refreshes me really well...

I second the Yerba Mate Tea... I've been drinking it for a few years now... nice smooth caffeine kick, without the post caffeing letdown... according to the back of the tea box Guayaki brand Yerba Mate tea :

Provides Mental Clarity
Sustains Physical Energy
Improves Digestion
Promote balance in the body
Contains Anti Oxidants...

I'd recommend it fully..

jeff

Lance drinks Peet's. Nuff said.

When staying up late in school, I'd drink hot water... it would calm my system down so I wouldn't get panicky/fidgity etc.

There is no medical reasons that says caffeine is bad so why give it up?

I'm not saying that i will give it up, I'm just trying to find alternatives so I'm not "addicted" to caffeine during work.

I think I'll look into the tea, and/or the morning cycling, but getting up early is not my specialty ;)