What's the best way to use coffee as a nootropic?

[Manjushri]

I'm talking about the type of coffee, how much should I consume it to never build tolerance or only a slight one, etc etc. 

I've been experimenting with coffee and I love the high in all levels and I never have a crash. I'm just worried I might overuse it and then fuck it up. 

Basically I guess I want to drink it my entire life but only as a nootropic. So I want to maximize the effects and minimize the negative things.

What I'm drinking at the moment is one nescafe a day and it's only because of exams. Coffee makes me feel so good, like physically pleasant, energetic, concentrated, everything. And it's a pretty cheap legal drug too.

Is one daily with 2 days detox the way to go or how the fuck should I go on with drinking this and not becoming the zombie coffee addict type where coffee just becomes a crutch and not a stim.

thanks in advance

[Rilles]

use it for specific tasks where you need energy and focus , not as crutch in the to get up in the morning, cycle it on and off if you get addicted

just beware that the coffee-mind is a fucking bastard, you will become addicted to it sooner or later, ive stopped and started probably four times in the 10 years ive been drinking, i can go 6 months without it and then fall back just because “a little taste wouldnt hurt...”

Edited September 15, 2019 by Rilles

[TrynaBeTurquoise]

3 hours ago, Rilles said:

use it for specific tasks where you need energy and focus , not as crutch in the to get up in the morning, cycle it on and off if you get addicted

just beware that the coffee-mind is a fucking bastard, you will become addicted to it sooner or later, ive stopped and started probably four times in the 10 years ive been drinking, i can go 6 months without it and then fall back just because “a little taste wouldnt hurt...”

I think you are taking coffee too seriously. This is like a no-fap kind of mentality lol.

i realize it can be addictive to some people, but this is far from always the case. IMO, stop putting it on a pedestal where it has so much power over you and if you truly dont want to partake you wont. That which you resist persists.

[TrynaBeTurquoise]

-Get a high quality organic coffee as your best attempt to avoid heavy metals/pesticides.

-Drink in moderation (cycle days on/off) (minimal effective dose)

-Drink before 2pm at the latest (recommended before noon) so its out of your system by evening time

-Pair with exercise/quality nutrition 

[Rilles]

38 minutes ago, TrynaBeTurquoise said:

I think you are taking coffee too seriously. This is like a no-fap kind of mentality lol.

i realize it can be addictive to some people, but this is far from always the case. IMO, stop putting it on a pedestal where it has so much power over you and if you truly dont want to partake you wont. That which you resist persists.

And thats how you totally invalidate someone. 

[TrynaBeTurquoise]

1 hour ago, Rilles said:

And thats how you totally invalidate someone. 

From your POV

[Rilles]

6 hours ago, TrynaBeTurquoise said:

From your POV

Thats what I was getting across and you invalidated it, now do I have one or not?

[DrewNows]

@Manjushri our bodies build up tolerance to caffeine in no time at all. Continue with a coffee every few days, you may notice it becomes less and less noticeably energizing. Any kind of dependency will yield a tolerance effect. I do like the shift in perspective to thinking about using coffee as a booster, and letting go of that perspective in which it becomes an enemy, a fear, or an overthought about stimulant. Even addiction can be seen as a clue there are unmet needs or fears to be faced in order to feel and be content. What i've found is the more in tune and mindful with the body, the less concern about substance abuse. Check yourself before you wreck yourself. Cravings are usually a sign of unmet (emotional) needs/fears. 

Edited September 16, 2019 by DrewNows

[TrynaBeTurquoise]

2 hours ago, Rilles said:

Thats what I was getting across and you invalidated it, now do I have one or not?

You always have your POV, doesnt mean I agree with it.

My intent was not to invalidate it, im sorry if you took it personally. You can disregard my comment. 

[Rilles]

37 minutes ago, TrynaBeTurquoise said:

You always have your POV, doesnt mean I agree with it.

My intent was not to invalidate it, im sorry if you took it personally. You can disregard my comment. 

got it! Peace out!??

[Manjushri]

@DrewNows I dont actively smoke nor drink coffee but I love to use both cigs and coffee from time to time. Whenever I started abusing it I just quit and reevaluated (when I was a kid smoking packs on school trips for fun and then suddenly get additcted). Now I cant get myself to the point of addiction because I'm actively actualizing and using them only moderately haha

Edited September 16, 2019 by Manjushri

[outlandish]

On 9/15/2019 at 8:03 AM, Manjushri said:

I'm talking about the type of coffee, how much should I consume it to never build tolerance or only a slight one, etc etc. 

I've been experimenting with coffee and I love the high in all levels and I never have a crash. I'm just worried I might overuse it and then fuck it up. 

Basically I guess I want to drink it my entire life but only as a nootropic. So I want to maximize the effects and minimize the negative things.

What I'm drinking at the moment is one nescafe a day and it's only because of exams. Coffee makes me feel so good, like physically pleasant, energetic, concentrated, everything. And it's a pretty cheap legal drug too.

Is one daily with 2 days detox the way to go or how the fuck should I go on with drinking this and not becoming the zombie coffee addict type where coffee just becomes a crutch and not a stim.

thanks in advance

You should start by drinking some real good coffee instead of nescafe  Organic, fair trade beans, freshly roasted at a good local roaster. Get a decent grinder and espresso machine if you want really good coffee, or an aeropress or drip for very good coffee on a simple budget.

What are the negative effects you're worried about?

If you wanted to have 0 tolerance, you could cycle it like you said, with that period of rest. You'd probably still build up a bit of tolerance slowly like that, but it would disappear after a week or two of total abstinence.

"Detox" isn't the right word, since it's not really toxic.

[Manjushri]

5 minutes ago, outlandish said:

You should start by drinking some real good coffee instead of nescafe  Organic, fair trade beans, freshly roasted at a good local roaster. Get a decent grinder and espresso machine if you want really good coffee, or an aeropress or drip for very good coffee on a simple budget.

What are the negative effects you're worried about?

If you wanted to have 0 tolerance, you could cycle it like you said, with that period of rest. You'd probably still build up a bit of tolerance slowly like that, but it would disappear after a week or two of total abstinence.

"Detox" isn't the right word, since it's not really toxic.

Thank you!

Espresso is too strong for me. I drink really weak coffee and still get half-jittery in a good way because I guess I'm really sensitive to it

I don't want to be like my mother, who drinks 4 cups of coffee just to be functional.

What do you think is the best way to cycle?

I'm also interested in other nootropics, first to start with the "natural" ones because my body is obviously really sensitive to stims, I guess I wouldn't be able to sleep for 3-4 days because of modafinil

[outlandish]

@Manjushri

I guess you'll have to figure out your own cycle. 1 day on, 2 off sounds like a good place to start. My "cycle" is one every day, and then usually a second one before noon. I don't bother trying to reset tolerance very often. I don't see my habit as a problem.

I've tried modafinil a few times and don't really feel the need to bother with it. It definitely works, but it made me a bit aggro in a way I'm not proud of. Plus it's a bit expensive and not as fun to take as coffee, and not super well tested as a chronic drug. I've also tried piracetam. I don't know if it really did anything for me.

Coffee and tea are by far the best nootropics if you ask me! They are extremely safe, well tested and studied, so you know you can take them chronically without anything weird happening. And they are delicious, readily available, and tons of health benefits.

[Manjushri]

@outlandish Has 1 day on 2 off been tested to make you minimal tolerance? I basically already do minimal effective doses but because of exams I've been using it frequently.

I want to be a chronic user, yes. The high is worth it. I don't want to get addicted.

[DrewNows]

@Manjushri usually the care free types of people with little to no neuroticism in daily functioning have no addiction problems. It’s not really part of their MO so they can get away with lots of moderation and drop things with ease, even if they do fall victim to receieving dopamine hits as most humans do. The safest bet is always taking responsibility for one’s body because there’s just too much out there used to escape from ourselves 

If you’re like me and overthink and place high value in getting your needs met by yourself then “inner work” is a must. When we don’t allow others to help fulfill some of our needs, addictions are unavoidable. So what’s this mean? It means addictions aren’t bad, sure they can be unhealthy, but they show us what we don’t wish to see or are unwilling to face or change, whether that’s a story about ourselves, a situation or other people’s influence. Using fear to avoid overtaking something you desire will never yield good results. There are two things in our power, focus and meaning, we choose to create these, to make up our reality. It’s a scary thought we have such power but that’s the beauty of being, we can accept fear, even embrace it because it too is of our creation, merely an illusion 

[outlandish]

5 hours ago, Manjushri said:

@outlandish Has 1 day on 2 off been tested to make you minimal tolerance? I basically already do minimal effective doses but because of exams I've been using it frequently.

I want to be a chronic user, yes. The high is worth it. I don't want to get addicted.

I don't know of any research about that specific schedule, but it sounds good. It should keep your tolerance down. 

You're over-worrying about becoming addicted to coffee. It's not very addictive, it's super easy to stop. It's not even properly addictive the way nicotine or alcohol are. 

It's good for you too, unless you're drinking more than 4-5 cups a day the health benefits outweigh the harms. That's the funny thing about it, it's different from almost any other drug out there in that you actually are healthier by drinking it every day.

You can enjoy it without any guilt.