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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.