Seven Cups of Coffee a Day May Lead to Hallucinations

[FinanceDude]

If you remember that college experience then you weren't doing it right.

I remember one engineering watch, after I'd been up for 24+ hours, where every indicator dial on every panel was twitching. All 108 of them. I finally decided that it couldn't be an actual or an electrical problem, so it had to be my sixth cup of engine-room coffee.

I used to work with a guy who made "Navy Coffee", is that the stuff we're talking about? Because theat stuff works!!

 

[W2R]

Nowadays I only use small amounts of caffeine and alcohol. Getting too old for that s***.

Me too (sigh).

I don't drink anything alcoholic any more and haven't for years. My brother has had problems with alcoholism so why take the risk? Besides, I can't see the logic behind paying that much for empty calories.

As for caffeine, I have had to cut back because as I get older it causes more and more sleep problems. I don't enjoy being sleep deprived. I don't drink caffeinated beverages at all except for a diet Coke at noon on some Saturdays, and one cup of coffee every morning.

For the past three months or so I have been fiddling with that cup of coffee - - drinking 1/3 coffee, 2/3 decaf - - in an attempt to wean myself off of the caffeine and eventually move to straight decaf.

On the bright side, I got a "Secret Santa" $5 gift card to Starbucks last month. I was surprised to find that I am not missing anything. Years ago I used to love getting a Starbucks cappucino as a treat, but they don't do a thing for me any more.

 

[freebird5825]

I wonder if people would believe me if I say that I manage to get through college getting high on nothing more than beer and Marlboro.

What, no NO-DOZ ?
I remember 2 consecutive semesters when I was taking Physics, Calculus, and Chemisty, all with lab sessions, PLUS logging 15-20 hours of Work Study as a night-time Physics Dept lab assistant. Work Study was needed so I could feed myself and pay apartment costs.
WS did not stop during finals week.
I used NO-DOZ to keep myself awake and functioning.
I had an older sister who burned her brain out on everything under the sun, and then some, while still in HS. So I avoided drugs at all costs.

 

[NW-Bound]

What, no NO-DOZ ?
I used NO-DOZ to keep myself awake and functioning.
I had an older sister who burned her brain out on everything under the sun, and then some, while still in HS. So I avoided drugs at all costs.

NO-DOZ is just caffeine. When I was still working, I drank 3-4 cups of coffee a day. Yes, I took NO-DOZ, but same as with coffee, it just turned me into a zombie.

I was making my post that I had nothing other than beer and Marlboro, when the thread turned to pot, speed, and other stuff. Having taken up smoking cigarette when I was 16, I made the point of keeping it the only vice I tried. Have quitted for a few years now. About boozing, I did not go to a single party during my college years, leave alone binge drinking. Back then, the drinking age in AZ was 19, so I could hang out with a few friends in a bar near campus while in undergraduate years. All legal and very cool.

My 19-yr old son does not drink coffee, does not smoke, and has had no alcohol. Not that I would mind him having a beer or some wine with me at home, but he has no interest nor curiosity whatsoever.

 

[Nords]

My 19-yr old son does not drink coffee, does not smoke, and has had no alcohol. Not that I would mind him having a beer or some wine with me at home, but he has no interest nor curiosity whatsoever.

I have a 16-year-old like that, and it makes me wonder what she's going to do to make up for "lost" time...

 

[BunsGettingFirm]

I'd like to add that 7 hours a day of surfing this forum may also lead to hallucinations -- the hallucination that you have a social life.

 

[ls99]

I'd like to add that 7 hours a day of surfing this forum......

That is more like the four letter word: w*rk.

 

[Martha]

I have a 16-year-old like that, and it makes me wonder what she's going to do to make up for "lost" time...

I have a friend with a daughter who was also like that. She went off to college, did great. However, a couple of months after she left home they noticed an emergency room visit for alcohol poisoning on their insurance statement. She survived like most of us do.

 

[NW-Bound]

Not to scare you Nords, but my son lives at home. He has friends, allright, and is into a couple of hobby activities. If he is away from home, who knows what other kids may get him into?

I saw that Martha's post above made the same point.

 

[Nords]

I have a friend with a daughter who was also like that. She went off to college, did great. However, a couple of months after she left home they noticed an emergency room visit for alcohol poisoning on their insurance statement. She survived like most of us do.

Not to scare you Nords, but my son lives at home. He has friends, allright, and is into a couple of hobby activities. If he is away from home, who knows what other kids may get him into?

Well, if she emulated that type of behavior then she'd be a chip off the ol' block. I didn't develop solid alcohol coping skills until... oh... about six or seven years ago. Not that the Navy was exactly a role model.

We've noticed a pattern of our kid getting interested in something, learning about it, trying it out for a while, screwing it up royally, and finally figuring it out. Then it's on to the next life skill. We've become accustomed to this cycle and we pretty much expect her to make as many mistakes as possible at home where there's usually a safety net. Schoolwork, allowance, saving for a big purchase, healthy eating, school sports, checking account, ATM card, power tools, managing her bills, credit card, driving a car... she's eventually conquered them all... but so far zilch on the drinking/drugs/sex aspect of teenagerdom. (As far as we can tell.) Of course she has plenty of classmate role models for those lifestyle mistakes.

We wouldn't throw her an educational beer bash, but we tell her all of our own stories and how we dealt with (or should have dealt with) the situations. I just wonder when she's going to start dropping the other shoes!

Eh, I'm sure the colleges are better at this than we parents are. Or at least more experienced.

 

[haha]

Not to scare you Nords, but my son lives at home. He has friends, allright, and is into a couple of hobby activities. If he is away from home, who knows what other kids may get him into?

I saw that Martha's post above made the same point.

My kids were cut loose at 16. I was always available, but they were living on their own in Seattle. I didn't throw them out or anything, we were getting along fine, but they just wanted a bigger world. If I had lived down here then they likely would have continued to live with me.

As far as I can tell, they did a much better job of regulating their behavior than I ever did.

Ha