This is it, combined with the points brought forth by the parent. Like all things, a healthy balance seems to be the optimal strategy. Life’s a journey; good idea to plan but the people and places you find off the beaten path are often the most rich and rewarding.
“…doctor roles (e.g. anesthesia)…” Anesthesia has primarily been a nursing role, and it’s been this way since the American civil war. Physicians didn’t really want any part of it early on as it wasn’t very prestigious or lucrative. Nurse anesthetists have historically provided and continue to provide the vast majority of anesthetics, in the US at least.
Funny, I was addicted to nicotine for around 10 years. I got tired of smelling like smoke and I became really tired of the taste. Decided to quit one day and just stopped and have no desire to go back. It was incredibly easy. That was around 20 years ago. Caffeine/Tea/Coffee I am fiendishly and hopelessly addicted to; having tried numerous times to quit or cut back intake and I always fail.
My experience is similar. I started drinking coffee when I was around 15 and only took two very brief breaks like <2-3 weeks through my 30's. The acute withdrawal was hell. A few years back I decided to quit caffeine for one year and get fully past the acute withdrawal. The withdrawal was hell and so was the long withdrawal. I never felt normal for a full year. I slept great but felt mentally and physically sluggish, esp. mentally, for the whole year. The drug docs call this long withdrawal PAWS for "post-acute withdrawal syndrome". Most doctors are oblivious that it applies to caffeine too. I made it a full year and resumed drinking coffee and my mind and energy improved immediately. I only drink about 2 cups in the AM now but I am very slowly weening myself off by by gradually reducing the number of scoops of coffee in my brew to protect my sleep.
I smoked for about 2 years in grad school but had no problem quiting. One day I just stopped and like you I had no desire after the initial urge was gone. Maybe I was not fully addicted yet.
I have the exact same experience when I quit coffee for any lengthy period of time. Short term withdrawal is hell, then boost of energy and the best sleep of my life consistently every night. Feel great for several weeks then realize how mundane and boring everything is without the buzz, have a cup of coffee and WOW, Im alive again! It's a brutal cycle and I fear I've done irreparable damage to my brain at this point.
As an aside, I highly recommend the Audible book "Caffeine" by Michael Pollan if you haven't already heard it. It's quite brilliant.
That is basically where I am at with my relationship to caffeine/coffee. Sleep much better without it. But life feels a little duller without it as well. And then my first cup back after a long period of abstinence is absolutely magical. That feeling quickly fades after about a week of use though.
I tried limiting it to just once a week to see if I could capture the magic, but my discipline was lacking a bit, and even when I was able to stay on that schedule, it still felt like my tolerance was building.
"Friendships are formed through shared experiences. The more intense and positive the experience and its outcome, the more durable the friendship. Simple as that."
Propaganda and hyperbole aside, it must be clear to even the most obtuse among us that the earth is a finite system sphere with finite system resources. Even if it isn't as bad as we're being led to believe, the steps we could be taking to mitigate a positive feedback spiraling collapse in the system loop are things we should be doing anyway. I don't see how anyone here can argue that generating millions of one-time-use plastic receptacles is a good idea in any system or in any way sustainable long term, so what is the harm in making the changes we should be making now, as if it were as bad as we're being led to believe?
Why do people conflate climate change with plastic? Does creating reusable glass or metal containers use less energy or create less CO2 than making things from plastic?
Plastic pollution (particularly in the oceans) is really disturbing, but other than burning it, I don't see what it has to do with warming.
Before we were concerned with the climate, we were with the environment. The amount of plastic pollution, especially the potential impact of microplastics, is part of that, like global warming. At least in my view, I see them all as negative impact on our environment. At minimum, negative for ourselves.
Mercury, pesticides, and plastics in the ocean are horrible in my opinion. However, I've seen more than one person who seems to think recycling is going to have an effect on atmospheric CO2 levels.
I’m not sure where the idea came from, but Michael Pollan has also propagated in his books this idea that human beings have been domesticated by plants. See, The Botany of Desire.
Just an amazing comment. As someone who has experienced profound states of psychedelia, and having consumed vast amounts of data pertaining to such experiences, yours may be the most unique and original commentary regarding the topic that I’ve seen yet. Bravo, and I’ll certainly be returning to this comment at a later time and date.
