Ask HN: How Much Alcohol/Coffee Do You Drink? - snowisgone
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mindcrime
Alcohol? Almost none. Don't get me wrong, I'm not a teetotaler or anything, I
just rarely drink. I drank a little more in my 20's (who didn't?) but I'd say
for the past 20 years or so, I average less than 1 drink / month, and probably
drink enough to get a buzz less than once a year.

Caffeine: If you poke me, I'd probably bleed pure caffeine. OK, maybe not
_really_ , not anymore. On average I'd say I drink 2 or 3 cups of coffee
during the day, and maybe 1 or 2 cups of green tea. And a couple of 20 oz
bottles of Coke Zero spread throughout the day as well.

What I don't do, that I used to do, is consume completely ludicrous amounts of
caffeine... in years past, I'd drink 4 or 5 cups of coffee during the day,
then after work go to Starbucks and sit there and drink a can of Red Bull, a
triple-shot latte, and maybe eat a box of chocolate covered espresso beans.
And I'd do that sort of stuff 5 days a week and something similar on the
weekends. Then I had a heart-attack. My doctors say caffeine is fine now, but
in moderation. I don't necessarily claim that the caffeine per-se contributed
to my MI, but what I believe did is the sheer stress of how hard I was pushing
myself during the period. So I don't do that anymore. Not to that extreme
anyway.

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chatmasta
I’m not your doctor, or even _a_ doctor, but I don’t think 2-3 cups per day +
Coke zeros + green teas is considered “moderate” caffeine intake.

If I drank so much caffeine that I got a heart attack, I’d probably stay away
from the stuff...

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mindcrime
True. In relative terms though, I'm in a much better place now than I was.

That said, I probably could stand to cut down even further. What I have been
slowly trying to do is move to not consuming any caffeine after about 5:00pm
or so, to avoid having it affect my sleep. I read something here on HN that
mentioned that even people who _can_ fall asleep after consuming caffeine
late, may not experience the the _quality_ of sleep they need due to the
caffeine effect. So cutting out Coke Zero after work will help with that, and
reduce the total caffeine quantity a bit.

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dhruvkar
Alcohol: Only odd-numbered years (e.g. 2017, 2019). Started this in 2012 to
avoid carrying over college habits into the professional world. Works for me.

Caffeine: Used to be 3-4 cups of coffee, now its 1-2 with some days opting for
matcha or black tea. Slightly lower caffeine content, with no crash, somehow.

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EnderMB
Alcohol: Maybe a few drinks a month? I love going for a beer or three after
work, but the older I get the more I find that I can't tolerate the day after.
It's not even necessarily a hangover thing, but more of a stomach thing.
Regardless of what I drink, I'll feel a bit off for at least half of the day,
so it's not really worth it for me. If anything, I prefer drinking during the
week, because at least I know I'll spend that half of the day where I feel
sluggish/sensitive sat down in front of a computer.

Coffee: Enough that I can go into my local coffee shop, and the nice girl that
usually serves me asks me if I want my usual order. I'm more of a tea drinker
(living up to the British stereotype), mostly because I can drink a few cups
of tea throughout the day and feel alright, but if I've got a busy day I'll
grab a large cappuccino from nearby.

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agitator
Alcohol: Maybe once a week. Never more than a drink or two.

Caffeine: Sometimes espresso in the morning. Not regularly. I think a juice or
a smoothie does a better job of waking me up in the morning. I used to drink a
lot more coffee... but I think I was more groggy until I had my coffee, than I
am now with drinking it sparingly.

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kup0
Alcohol: Special occasions, and other than that maybe a beer or mixed drink
once or twice a month. I have passed my "alcohol era" (which was still only 1x
a week but much heavier drinking) because it does more harm than it's worth. I
think I got a decent amount of enjoyment out of it without most of the damage
(but who knows)

Coffee: Used to be everyday, now my caffeine intake is more varied
(Caff+L-Theanine pills, energy drinks, lots of tea). I probably consume on
average between 300-500mg a day total, spread out. Coffee itself, maybe once a
week, though I plan to go back to drinking it daily. I do love coffee just
lately I haven't had as much of a desire to have it.

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mrburton
Not enough on both accounts.

If I had to give an on average/daily account.

\- 4 double shots of espresso daily; I bought a good espresso machine. \-
around 1 beer every 2 - 3 days

If I have wine, I typically will drink the entire bottle because I hate
leaving a bottle open. I Might do this every 3 months?

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kbouck
_> because I hate leaving a bottle open._

I used to share that concern until I discovered that many young full red wines
are just as good, if not better, in the day or two after opening. No need for
a vacuum plug either. Just plug the original cork back in. The result probably
depends on the style - I typically have very full reds which already benefit
from opening at least an hour before drinking.

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elechi
Not enough. About 1 cup a day (down from 3), but my red bull has gone up by 2
cans of 12 oz, so it's about an even thing. Alcohol, I actually have to slow
down my drinking, but I would say about 10 shots a month is a decent average.

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notheguyouthink
Alcohol: Basically none. Currently I might average 1 beer every 3 months or
so. In the past I have enjoyed a nightly relaxation beer, but found it more
costly than I cared about, so I cut it.

Coffee: 3-4 cups a day. Typically 2-3 in the morning, and 1 in the afternoon
after work. This has gone up and down over the years, in the past I've drank a
lot, upwards of a full pot. Then I developed an eye twitch. Now I'm trying to
control that intake. Lowest I think I've been is 2 in the morning, 1 in
afternoon.

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raarts
You know, if you're on HN a lot and respond to questions like this, you share
a lot of valuable private information. Which is publicly accessible.

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idoh
What is the danger of sharing how many cups of coffee you drink?

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EnderMB
I think the danger is more around how much alcohol you consume, especially if
you do it around professional settings like user groups and hack-nights.

If your name can be tied to a HN account, and your account of drinking at
developer events matches up with local stories of "that guy that gets drunk
each month" then that's enough for sway some hiring managers towards another
candidate.

It's an extreme example, sure, but most people do a few Google searches to see
what comes up when a candidate comes in for an interview. In my experience,
I've seen some...strange things come up on peoples Twitter accounts when I've
done a quick check on them, and while I try to keep my decision to purely a
skilled-based one, a lot of people will have their opinion on someone swayed
by their actions online.

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Rainymood
I'm half-asian so I'm literally allergic to alcohol ... it's a bummer that so
much social interaction is based around alcohol.

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jakobegger
Have you tried taking an anti-histamine pill beforehand?

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Rainymood
I've tried Zantac (i.e. heartburn tablet) but never anti-histamine, is that
something I should check out?

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jakobegger
I'm not a doctor, but desloratadin allows my girlfriend (also half asian) to
drink a glass of wine without getting all red.

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the_jeremy
0, 0.

These responses seem very biased given that they are public and associated
with our public identifiers (usernames). I'm curious how biased. Obviously,
the people who drink very little are more willing to share than the
alcoholics, but they are also more likely to take the time to respond than the
"average" drinker.

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Throwawaydjfjr
Alcohol: 10-15 drinks/day

Coffee: 2 or 3 cups/day

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mrburton
I hope you manage to turn it around once you feel that you hit rock bottom. I
understand its a choice only you can make and no one can force you to do.

Best of luck.

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alsobrsp
Half a pot of coffee per day 500-700 grams of 80 proof on weekends, Fri
evening to Sunday. 50 grams, 80 proof is 116 calories, 0 carbs.

I am on a low carb, high fat, intermittent fasting, 1400 calorie diet. So I
weigh most everything, including the rum.

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tudelo
I have never seen someone list out their alcohol intake in grams. That's
great.

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perilunar
More than is optimal for my physical health, but about right for my mental
health.

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verrecken
Alcohol: one-two times a month. Caffeine: two mate teas a day, no coffee.

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bsenftner
Alcohol: none. Caffeine: 3 English Breakfasts in the morning, and a 'red eye'
(20 oz dark roast + an espresso shot) around 2pm. Worth noting: I also do a
daily hard cardio workout; love to sweat.

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andrei_says_
None and none.

Getting off caffeine was much harder than giving up alcohol because coffee is
free in almost any office.

Getting off sugar in addition to caffeine helped my health, reasoning and
sleep significantly.

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malen
Coffee: 2-3 16oz cups/day

Alcohol: Depends on the kind of day. Stressful, I'll have a couple fingers of
whisky. On a weekend I'll finish a bottle of wine. Usually twice a week

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sadema
Alcohol: usually just a couple drinks a month. A few times a year I'll drink
enough to get a buzz.

Caffeine: Green tea every morning, occasionally a coffee with desert in the
evening.

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techwolf12
Alcohol: Not as much since I got my car. I used to drink 1-2 beers like 3
times a week.

Caffine: 6-8 cups of coffee a day during the week, 1-2 in the weekend

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nso95
I only consume alcohol socially, and only a few times a month. I probably
drink around 5 Cokes per day, I need to cut back.

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mrdependable
Alcohol: Depends, on average six beers a week (2 beers Friday, Saturday,
Sunday) Coffee: 1 or 2 cups a day

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ryanchants
Caffeine: 2 cups of coffee when I get to work, 1 after lunch.

Alcohol: 3-4 beers 4-5 times a week

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JoeAltmaier
Alcohol: none. Caffeine: three or four iced tea or coffee a day (well, six
today so far)

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stealthcat
No alcohol. I drink lots of tea, if you want to consider it as caffeine

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leonagano
Alcohol: once or twice a week, usually 1 or 2 pints of beer

Caffeine: 3 or 4 espressos daily

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k4ch0w
Alcohol - Only socially. Maybe 1-2 beers a month

Coffee - 2-4 espresso shots a day

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toutouast
Alcohol: 0! Coffee: one cup per day in the morning!

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S_Bear
Alcohol: 2 drinks/wk Coffee: 20-ish cups a day.

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Antoninus
Alcohol: Everyday. Coffee: Everyday.

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marssaxman
Lots. Why are you wondering?

