to be thinking about drinking coffee...

[nervesonnerves]

(lighthearted!) I've never drunk coffee (53 yrs old). However, I am finding it increasingly difficult to get up and have the energy to get through the mornings (especially in winter), and so many friends claim they couldn't do it without their morning fix!

Would it really help me get through the day or is it a really bad habit to start?

YABU - don't start a new bad habit now if you are managing without

YANBU - drink coffee! I love my morning coffee and my day is better for it!!

Coffee and caffeine is not harmful in moderation. In fact, there may even be health benefits of caffeine.
It may give you a boost, it may not. Human body develops resistance to caffeine pretty quickly so the effect may wear off within a week or two.
Red Bull is also probably fine but I am generally of the belief that one shouldn't drink their calories (and it is more expensive than a cup of coffee).
Finally, if you drink tea, you already consume caffeine

My best friend is a nutritionist and she always says that you are not suffering from a deficiency of XYZ, in your case coffee, so adding it doesn’t help.

There is something else going on with your body and it’s not a coffee deficiency.

I have a cake deficiency that needs correcting. 😉

In all seriousness, that's a bit miserable from your friend. I also have a nutritionist friend who recognises we all have our little treats/vices.

OP, why not just give it a go and see how you feel? It's not harmful.

Everything I read about caffeine is that if you manage to kick it, eventually you get more energy, so if you aren't a coffee drinker already, I wouldn't necessarily start at 53. I am mainly a tea drinker and when I do drink coffee I tend to have a slump later . Pepsi max is my hit for energy - I think that's quite addictive though and has all sorts of artificial things in.

Not sure if that's a serious question - but it's not advisable ! Red bull is something I keep in the car as an emergency to keep me awake on a long journey.

I’m pregnant and been missing my morning coffees!!! Definitely give it a go :) I just have (or used to have) one cup in the morning to wake me up.

Coffee is what gets me out of bed in the morning- the thought of that first lovely cup!

Why is coffee a ‘bad habit’?
Excessive caffeine won’t be good but actually a modest amount of real coffee is good for you. See link below from a v reputable source: Zoe.

If you like and enjoy coffee, have some.
If you are concerned about the cause of feeling slow to get started, investigate that.

God knows why anyone attentive to their health would prefer something like Red Bull.

https://zoe.com/learn/health-benefits-of-coffee?utm_source=google_pmax&utm_medium=&utm_campaign=20382344316&utm_adgroup=&utm_term=&utm_content=&gclid=EAIaIQobChMI77j1rO-JgwMVlJZQBh0MaAKcEAAYASAAEgIV2vD_BwE

I know people here seem to love expensive coffee gadgets. The coffee capsules are an environmental disaster. And fancy espresso machines are expensive and hard to fix when they go wrong. Many are a faff to clean.

Can I put in a plea for the humble moka pot. The 6 [espresso] cup size is about equivalent to one decent mug. They're very simple and quick to clean. You can buy replacement parts for them. I'm fussy about my coffee but I find even the packets of ready-ground (like Lavazza etc) make great coffee in them.

If you're drinking too much coffee then do what I did: just have it in the morning and switch to something else for the rest of the day.

How odd that you interpreted it that way.

Clearly she meant if you’ve got a problem with energy, brain fog or anything like that it’s not caused by a caffeine or sugar deficiency and so having those masks the root cause.

How strange you would think otherwise.

Don’t expect coffee to taste as good as it smells.

Coffee supposedly depletes iron in your body (I’m not a scientist) so beware if you have a tendency to anemia.
Personally I love coffee, not quite addicted but I feel there’s something “wrong” if I don’t have my espresso at 1:30.

I am the same age as you and drink coffee. It is a bad habit and I really wouldn't start. It is bad for sleep and your teeth.

I don’t drink coffee as don’t like the taste. I start the day with a Coke Zero for the caffeine hit.

Coffee's good for you so there's no reason not to start drinking it. The bigger concern would be if, as a coffee novice, you pump it full of milk and sugar because those things can be unhealthy.

I've never got the idea of being addicted to coffee. I know some people say they have withdrawal symptoms but personally I don't know anyone who has ever claimed to have them. I drank loads of it daily for 30 years, then the pandemic hit, I started working from home and it dawned on me one day I hadn't had a cup of it in months. It might be that I started young, probably around 6 or 7 which is younger than most people, maybe it got my system ready.

Be aware that coffee doesn't perk you up much though. For me it makes me sleepy rather than makes me alert unless I have a high strength one, triple expresso dropped in an americano type of deal.

Yeah get involved coffee is excellent

I get a mildly annoying headache if I don't have it for a couple of days but it goes quickly

I love coffee! It's more an enjoyable taste than energy though... there's an added benefit that caffeine actually helps with adhd and I definitely have more than a lot of people would (cup 7 is in front of me now).

It's comforting to have a nice hot cup of nice coffee on a cold morning- only good stuff though, fresh ground beans.
And refreshing to have an iced coffee on a hot day, drizzle of caramel or sprinkle of coconut 👌

What about Berroca or a different brand of energy tablets that you dissolve in water. I find I get more energy with those than a coffee. A coffee a morning isn’t really a bad habit but i don’t find it comes with a big energy boost (although some people do)

Why is coffee a "bad habit"?? It's extremely good for you, supports the microbiome and boosts longevity of life. (Fresh coffee of course, and not instant processed muck).

Oh and of course no sugar, syrups or excessive milk.

53 and never a coffee? How are you even alive?!

Apparently coffee may help prevent Alzheimer's so more reason to drink it up

@Dotjones I once tried to give up caffeine and I got horrendous headaches - but I think that was cos I went cold turkey on coffee, tea and cola at the same time . I also found I drank far less coffee and cola when I started working from home .

I’m also someone who’s never had coffee (or tea!) but considering it recently, especially the coffee to help get me more awake in the morning, the smell is awful though.