Caffeine Blues: Wake Up to the Hidden Dangers of America's #1 Drug

Disclaimers: I love coffee, but I'm anti-caffeine, so I was already biased coming into this book. Much of what Cherniske writes in here is confirmed in other research I've read, but it's good to see it all compiled in one place. He discusses not only the obvious effects of caffeine, like the jitters or insomnia, but also the culminative effects and the issues created for people who have pre-existing health issues like diabetes. He also points out all the ways we consume caffeine -- it's not just the obvious items like coffee, but also in "decaffeinated" coffee and tea, and in chocolate. Most helpfully, Cherniske provides lots of advice for getting caffeine out the reader's life, like alternative drinks that are naturally caffeine free. show more My only issue with the book is that sometimes Cherniske is over the top in his assertions and language. At one point, he compares people who drink caffeinated beverages to people who use illegal drugs. He specifically states that he sees no distinction between the two groups. Of course, this book will probably call out most to people like me who are already aware of some of the issues with caffeine and thereby misses its target audience of everyone else. show less

I didn’t think I consumed much caffeine until this book opened my eyes to the fact that there is quite a lot of caffeine in tea, not just coffee and other known sources. My many teas a day habit was contributing to my mood swings. I quit tea and coffee cold turkey (in 2006) and boy did I have a headache for a few days. It is recommended that you reduce your intake gradually but I am a bit of an all or nothing girl so just got it over with. It was worth it, I discovered that it’s possible to go to bed and just fall asleep – I thought it was normal to toss and turn for a few hours first. I discovered that ones mood can hold steady through the day and doesn’t need to plummet down and then be “fixed” up by the next drink of tea show more or coffee.
I drank various herbal teas for a while when I quit but now I pretty much just drink rooibus (redbush) a naturally caffeine free tea that, to me, tastes sweet without milk or sugar. show less