Ask HN: How Much Alcohol/Coffee Do You Drink?

https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17566520

by snowisgone • 8 years ago

18 43 8 years ago

news.ycombinator.com

bsenftner• 8 years ago

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.

mindcrime2• 8 years ago

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.

chatmasta• 8 years ago

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...

mindcrime2• 8 years ago

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.

agitator• 8 years ago

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.

sadema• 8 years ago

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.

leonagano• 8 years ago

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

Caffeine: 3 or 4 espressos daily

JoeAltmaier• 8 years ago

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

dhruvkar• 8 years ago

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.

verrecken• 8 years ago

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

mrdependable• 8 years ago

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

marssaxman• 8 years ago

Lots. Why are you wondering?

Throwawaydjfjr• 8 years ago

Alcohol: 10-15 drinks/day

Coffee: 2 or 3 cups/day

lastofus• 8 years ago

If you ever decide you want to cutback/stop with the alcohol, I highly recommend the Sinclair Method.

mrburton2• 8 years ago

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.

oceanman888• 8 years ago

while it depends on your age and situation. Most likely you should take your alcohol problem seriously.

malen• 8 years ago

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

raarts• 8 years ago

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.

idoh• 8 years ago

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

EnderMB2• 8 years ago

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.

S_Bear• 8 years ago

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

mrburton2• 8 years ago

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?

kbouck• 8 years ago

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.

elechi• 8 years ago

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.

nso95• 8 years ago

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.

andrei_says_• 8 years ago

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.

k4ch0w• 8 years ago

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

Coffee - 2-4 espresso shots a day

alsobrsp• 8 years ago

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.

tudelo• 8 years ago

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

toutouast• 8 years ago

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

the_jeremy• 8 years ago

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.

stealthcat• 8 years ago

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

Rainymood2• 8 years ago

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

jakobegger2• 8 years ago

Have you tried taking an anti-histamine pill beforehand?

Rainymood2• 8 years ago

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

techwolf12• 8 years ago

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

Antoninus• 8 years ago

Alcohol: Everyday. Coffee: Everyday.

perilunar• 8 years ago

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

EnderMB2• 8 years ago

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.

notheguyouthink• 8 years ago

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.

kup0• 8 years ago

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.

ryanchants• 8 years ago

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

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

Ask HN: How Much Alcohol/Coffee Do You Drink?

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