I want to stop DS drinking so much coffee

[legolicious]

DH and I drink nice coffee in the morning. We grind beans and make it in a stove-top coffee maker - it's very strong. We would usually have 2 pots each in the morning (the pot is described as 3 cup) We don't like instant coffee so haven't got any. DS is 16 and has started hammering the coffee - he gets in from school and has one pot, then he has another about an hour or so later. It doesn't seem to stop him sleeping but it really doesn't seem healthy to me - I think he would have 5 pots a day if we let him. Are there any ill-effects?

YABU - no harm in it. Like others say he could do a lot worse.

At 16 physically he is an adult, and this will do him no harm.

the Lavazza decaf is not bad. I can't really see the point in decaf coffee but it's prob the best out there

If it was a standard twelve cup pot, I could see an issue. 3 cups? That's a mug. So he's having 2 cups of coffee, maybe 3, a day. That's nothing. Way better than energy drinks, and coffee has some health benefits. He's old enough, he can make his own decisions on this.

I was drinking two cups if not more per day by 14...

I was eating instant granules out of the pot at 16

I don't use any caffeine nowadays because it aggravates my anxiety. Probably didn't help back then but my tolerance to it was pretty high from a sleep perspective so I didn't care.

Surely it depends how you're making it. Big difference between a mug of coffee (espresso and water) and the same volume of liquid in espresso.

To clarify, I pot is 3 espressos. I make a pot in the morning and maybe have another later, so 2 mugs of coffee. He is making about 5 pots a day unless I catch him at it. He is also costing us a fortune and depleting the plantations of Sumatra Mandehling...

The pot is filled to the top with ground coffee, so at least 3 tablespoons.

I switched to decade about 2012 and after two days of feeling unwell (this was after drinking only one cup of coffee per day in the mornings) I was fine.

I would suggest switching to decaf but not telling him - if you switch over as well you may find you notice the difference in your quality of sleep.

expat make a very valid point about red bull - I would rather my dc was drinking coffee than red bull or the like.

Mixing some decaf in sounds a sensible thing to do if it bothers you. My foster daughter is totally addicted to tea - when she's home she has cup after cup - drinks it with every meal, always takes some to bed with her. Better for the teeth than red bull or fizz though.

Ditto to lavazza decaf. I'm a coffee junkie and have tried them all ! Its the fact that it's the evening that would worry me -it will be impacting his sleep. I'd switch to decaf. And don't tell him you are switching either or he will claim he hates it. I'd just move to decaf and tell him after a couple of weeks. may have done this to DH a few years ago when he claimed he could always tell decaf from the real thing

I think you're cross that he's depleting your supplies and are looking for a health related excuse to stop him from drinking your coffee.

I would so do this if a teenager tried to drink my posh coffee. Alternatively, just hide the coffee.

just buy him the cheapo stuff!!

as an aside I never find that caffeine hypes me up...just never happens. BUT I do get dreadful sick headaches if I haven't had my rations by 8 am

I use an eight cup cafetiere as standard, but have a bigger one for the weekends. And I do not like to share.

I dont get anything from caffine either. At 16 I loved my black tea and coffee.

Now I drink about 3 cups of coffee a day and 6 cups of tea. Im more worried about the sugar than the caffine tbh.

At least its not alcohol.

It's iron absorption that caffeine inhibits btw. I drank a lot at his age mainly to get me through late night assignment deadlines. But I'd sneak in some decaff if I were you (for the sake of you and your dh too!)