To use Hot Chocolate as my main drink instead of coffee?

[DayInTheLifeOfaMum]

For background I don’t like coffee, I can’t stand the taste of it unfortunately, I wish I liked coffee but I just don’t. Since being a mum I’ve ended up drinking Hot Chocolate in the same way that some people drink Coffee, multiple times a day, at both home and work. I feel like my hot chocolates make me more awake and more alert in the same way that coffee does that for some people, I just can’t stand the taste of coffee though. DH reckons I should stop drinking hot chocolate like this, but he drinks multiple coffees a day which is not much different as I’m using hot chocolate to feel more alert and more awake which is the same thing that he uses coffees for! AIBU to use hot chocolates as my main drink instead of coffees?

Full of sugar then I reckon. I’m enjoying this made into hot choc with water or milk for a protein hit 👍

https://www.willpowders.com/collections/protein-powder/products/milk-chocolate-protein-powder-500g

It sounds like the drinks you are choosing are high in calories and sugar and therefore I wouldn't personally drink them so frequently myself. I love the occasional hot chocolate but it is a treat drink. I'm an obese woman addicted to sugar, I am making an effort to lose weight but even when I wasn't I would say this was too much. Could you switch to tea? I like biscuit tea it tastes like malted milk biscuits!

Have you tried the salted caramel teabags in aldi ?
I know you said you don't like tea but you may like this one because of the sweet flavour.

“And I (and many others) are merely
stating the facts by letting her know it’s way too much sugar and people have suggested some healthier less harmful alternatives”

And my “sensible” opinion is that she ignores her DH (or any mumnetters) who is focusing on the fact she is consuming more hot chocolate/sugar than is ideal, rather than helping her to get more sleep which imo is where the real issue lies.

I’m sure the OP is smart enough to realise that drinking multiple commercial hot chocolates will mean she is consuming a lot of sugar and doesnt need the obvious pointed out to her.

She was asking if she was unreasonable to drink a lot of hot chocolate instead of coffee (which she doesn’t like) for her sleep deprivation. It sounds like she isn’t getting much sympathy or help for her sleep issues from her DH (or indeed some of the posts on here), so in my opinion she is not being unreasonable to do what she needs to do to keep going for her child/s sake till such time as she is able to get more sleep 🤷‍♀️

These coffee threads are the oddest trolling I’ve ever seen.

I drink a mix of Costa hot chocolates, hot chocolates from other coffee shops.
You must be spending loads on these drinks, what a waste of money.

She didn't mention sleep deprivation anywhere @IamnotwhouthinkIam
Why are people making things up?

They both seem to want hot drinks to keep them alert, so why is DH supposed to be sympathising with her about an issue she doesn't say that she has? You seen to be just looking for a reason to blame the man.

Thanks, @ForeverDelayedEpiphany . I think I always choose cocoa without any additional ingredients, so I guess that the key difference is between roasted and unroasted beans. I'm sure that the less processing the beans are subject to the better, so I probably would choose the brands that call the powder 'cacao' if they didn't mark the price up sooo much - and if they didn't represent their product almost as if it was a health supplement rather than a variation on good old cocoa powder!
I think that cocoa/cacao are very healthful indeed, when not mixed with sugar. Plus of course they keep the Dementors at bay! (Or do they -- do you have to have actual bars of chocolate to recover from exposure to Dementors? Are you around to confirm, JKR??)

Exactly, good point - and even if it is sleep deprivation we can sympathise with it AND tell her that drinking that amount of hot chocolate is massively unhealthy and will not help with her sleep issues in the long terms since she did ask AIBU 😆🤦🏽‍♀️

You drink freshly boiled water? Doesn't it burn your mouth? Why just water and not a fruit tea or something? I always drink water but couldn't drink it hot

@Ilovecakey If want a hot drink, why would I drink something cold?! Most people drink hot tea and coffee, not cold. It's the same for me with water.

I don't like fruit tea, it's like drink pot pouri. Never burnt my mouth, and besides, after two decades of drinking boiled hot water, my mouth is pretty best much asbestos. I do drink cold water but prefer hot. Indeed, one of the hardest things about undergoing chemotherapy was I found drinking anything hot intolerable.

I drink hot water sometimes, but not freshly boiled. I started when I had flu and cold water felt sharp but tea tasted weird. Once you get used to it it's quite nice

I give up @saraclara and @Loxiro , I can’t argue with people determined to think black is white, this is why I don’t generally come on AIBU - I’ll ignore being goaded further after this 🤣

OP said she and her DH needed multiple drinks with caffeine (hot chocolate for her and coffee for DH) in order to stay “alert and awake” (so a lack of sleep, hence my mentioning it 🙄). If you are both determined to point out the obvious “BUT HOT CHOCOLATE HAS A LOT OF SUGAR - shock horror 😱” , rather than remembering the OP is a grown woman so very likely knows this already and can do whatever the hell she wants with her own body, as opposed to doing what her DH says (that she “shouldn’t drink it like this”)- then I can’t help you both 🤣

Normal people on AIBU - “Of course YANBU and can drink whatever you want OP, since it’s not hurting anyone else - and no you don’t have to drink coffee instead like your husband if you don’t want to”.

Hope this helps OP - I’ve seen you have had a few helpful suggestions of alternatives to improve your sleep or to help keep you awake (that aren’t tea or coffee) amongst the posts treating you like an idiot 🤣 but in general I’d suggest not posting in AIBU next time!

One other thing occurs to me, @DayInTheLifeOfaMum - drinks with hot milk in them are used to help people get to sleep - there is something in hot milk which promotes sleep, so whilst the caffeine in the chocolate, and the sugar, may be giving you energy, they are also fighting against something that will make you more sleepy - which doesn't seem helpful, to me.

Too sickly

I drink hot chocolate during the day as a change from coffee, I use one that can be made with just water so it avoids the calories of milk, and isn't sleep inducing.

I love hot chocolate especially in winter. I get jokey criticism from colleagues occasionally. They are all 'normal' and drink Monster, Red bull or coffee. At the end of the day life is short, if something this insignificant makes you happy, go for it. Buy your husband a newspaper so he can see all the other stuff he can worry about 🤣

Hot chocolate contains a shit ton of sugar (and potentially other crap depending on the type you make). Coffee has either less or no sugar and also has a ton of health benefits if drunk in moderation (ie a few cups a day). So yes you are being unreasonable- the two drinks are not comparable.
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If you are drinking several of these a day you are consuming huge amounts of sugar, and that's not good for you.

Once your grownup teeth start coming through at the age of 9 or so you should be working towards your main drink being sugar free.

Could you try hot squash? ( lovely) especially Ribena! hot chocolate is very sugary. With squash at least there are sugar free versions.

Really? Ooh I’m a psychopath too! A tight one because I won’t pay £4 for a black coffee 😂

@DayInTheLifeOfaMum While I still think YANBU to drink whatever you want and your DH can do the same; IF and only IF you fancy trying something else (apologies if it’s already been suggested and I’ve missed it)- I personally found eating a small square of ultra dark choc (the 75 or 85% stuff) every 2- 3 hours alongside a few nuts/seeds (so that the protein, fibre and “good” fats lessen the immediate sugar/caffeine high - I chose almonds as particularly high in protein) works better to keep me going than things like hot chocolate.

I hate coffee and tea too, but when I’m really tired dark choc and nuts are easily portable and not that unhealthy. I do use water as my main drink - as being dehydrated can make the tiredness headaches/dozy feeling worse, but you do what suits you. Hope things improve for you, feeling tired all the time is miserable

You should drink whatever hot drink you like. No one else's opinion is valid, they don't have your mouth. Neither does your husband.