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Comment by AlwaysRock | Hacker News Reader

I never drank caffeine until college, got hooked on it for the last 5 years or so, just stopped using it last week. I feel great now. If you don't drink coffee for pleasure and only for the caffeine it's worth trying life without it.

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You have to stop the caffeine intake for 2 weeks every 2 months, otherwise the adenosine receptors adapt and you won't feel the same effects.

I find it's worse than that. I still get the nervousness and eyelid twitches, but not the sharper focus. That's when I know it's time to cut back.

Is everybody really drinking coffee to become super workers? I think it tastes great and is nice to sip. It provides a distraction from my screen. I don't even know if I'd notice its decaf.

For me, it's both. Some days, I've been up all night with a sick kid, and I need coffee to keep my head off my keyboard. But I also enjoy the flavor and drink black coffee because I think it's delicious. My comment is really about the symptoms of caffeine addiction, tolerance, and withdrawal. If I drink more than three cups a day, I get eyelid twitches. If I drink fewer than two, I get a crushing headache. If I had only one of work and kids, I'd probably drink less coffee because that way I'd be able to enjoy it more by choice and less because I have to feed my habit.

I can't tell if this is sarcasm or not, but I would go so far as to say that a vast majority of people have coffee (or another source of caffeine) in an attempt to boost their productivity.

It wasn't sarcasm. I was surprised that most of the coffee drinkers here were commenting about it in regards to productivity. I actually thought most people were like me and drink it for the flavor, provided distraction, therapeutic feelings it invokes, etc, along with productivity.

In fact, sitting my back yard and sipping a nice, warm cup of coffee is just about one of my favorites Saturday rituals, and I have no plans to be productive that day. Coffee is just... pleasant!

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