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

[Madawar]

I have recently started drinking up to 6 coffees per day. I don't feel any less healthy but I feel it doesn't seem healthy. Alcohol Every Friday after work.

How much do you drink and does it affect your Work/Family and social life?

[lsiunsuex]

5-6 years ago, I was drinking about a pot of coffee a day between buying it from the coffee shop down the street or just making it at the office. Now I'm down to 2 cups during a work day and maybe 1 at night if I'm feeling tired. Usually just 1 on a weekend day. I can go without it and not get a headache which is nice.

Alcohol wise; I try not to drink during the week unless it's at dinner for business or a special event (birthday, anniversary, etc...) - on the weekend, either a glass of wine or a couple whiskeys on the rocks casually with the wife while watching a series or movie.

The only thing it's ever effected was money. Buying coffee at Starbucks or Tim Hortons on a regular basis is a waste IMO. Same with alcohol - cheaper to buy a bottle at home and drink it slowly then at a restaurant. Conversely, as you get older, it becomes (or has become for us) more important what you drink then the quantity - good stuff is expensive so you don't really want to blow through it quickly.

[twobyfour]

No coffee. 2 cups of tea per day. No more caffeine than that, and none after lunch, or I won't be able sleep easily or soundly. Caffeine crashes and the exhaustion from caffeine-related sleep deprivation are both so much worse than just not consuming caffeine at all. It's not worth it.

Alcohol: up to two beers at a date, happy hour, or other event. Three if it lasts more than 4 hours. A glass of wine if eating dinner with someone else. Probably averages 2-3 nights per week with any alcohol consumption. No negative effect on social life (though I do enjoy social events more when self-medicating for social anxiety with those beers). More than one drink does affect my sleep that night and energy levels for a couple days, but I haven't been hung over in a decade except for after that one wedding...

[mrits]

I can drink coffee up until I go to bed and have no issues sleeping. However, if I drink more than a few beers I wake up after a couple hours and can't get back to sleep.

[partisan]

1 - 3 cups of tea per day. About to make my second one now. I worry about potential health effects, but I am striking a happy balance here in contrast to when I was drinking twice as much tea.

In terms of drinking, we usually have a bottle of wine or prosecco 1 - 2 times a week. I get one or two drinks whenever we go out for dinner so that is once a week. I don't think I see an impact, but I don't ever get drunk. I just get sleepy and I usually give in to the call.

[asidiali]

I just had to quit drinking coffee cold turkey due to stomach issues.

I was drinking around 2-6 lattes on any given day for maybe the past 2 years. Never had a problem. About 1 month ago I started having horrible acid reflux and general stomach pains, would wake up vomiting, etc. I went to the ER, discussed my habits, did some scans - and they told me to stop drinking coffee.

First week was hard. Second week I had no cravings and was feeling great. By week 3 (last week) I had lost weight (this was my only dietary change), I was feeling sharper mentally and I was no longer still half-asleep in the morning before that first cup. In short - felt a worlds difference.

I'm not against coffee now, but cutting it out of my life, even if it's temporary, definitely was the right decision for me.

(As for alcohol, I don't drink.)

[mswen]

5 to 7 cups of black coffee a day sometimes with a shot of espresso. Research on health and coffee is mixed though I think the overall current conclusion is that the benefits outweigh the risks. However, I admit to being biased because I really enjoy coffee.

Almost no alcohol - 1 every few weeks or months depending on circumstances. Party/reception or business dinner at high-end restaurant. And, then it is just one drink.

I am not against alcohol but very cautious around it. I have lost a friend to a drunk driver and had family members lose custody of their kids because abuse of alcohol ruined their ability to drive, work and function as responsible adults.

On the other hand I know plenty of people who drink alcohol much more regularly than I without any notable effect.

[xtiansimon]

Large bowl-o-latte in the morning. 10 oz of strong French Press coffee when I get to work, and another 10 oz after lunch ~3pm. Then one 12-16 oz beer/ale/porter at home to bring my plane in for a landing.

How does this effect others? Heck with them, this is the minimum functioning me.

[dvanwag]

I'm in tech management,so my days tend to be pretty stressful. I also may or or may not fit the profile of a typical dysfunctional veteran.

The easiest way to answer your question is like this: If drinking alcohol was an Olympic sport I'd have a few gold medals, and I drink enough caffeine to keep the entire Chinese Red Army awake for a week.

[soloadventurer]

2 double shot espressos, one early morning, and one late morning. No coffee after noon.

1 glass of watered red wine with dinner (my only meal each day). When going out, I will have 2-3 glasses of wine, but only once every two weeks or so. The rest of the time I'll drink Perrier or soda water.

3-4 glasses of water a day. More on workout days, but I find on a ketogenic diet my water requirements are less. I don't add salt to my food, and I cook all my meals. I don't use condiments either.

I don't drink tea, energy drinks, juice, smoothies, or pop. What I enumerated above is what I drink.

[Slaul]

Anywhere from 3-8+ coffees a day depending on how I'm feeling that day and what my workload looks like.

I always have a coffee first thing in the morning, another in my travel mug on my drive to work, and usually make another when I get to the office.

Some mornings/extremely busy days I'll sub in a caffeine pill for that extra boost.

I usually cycle down my caffeine use a few times a year, going from my usual 3-8 down to about 2 coffees a day. I find this helps me from building too much of a tolerance and needing to constantly increase the dosage.

I really only drink alcohol on the weekends and even then not very much.

[gubsz]

I generally don't drink coffee, it makes me jittery and anxious.

Alcohol...once a month but in large quantity. Usually go on a bender while barhopping/at a party with friends. Definitely need to shake that habit.

[Arcsech]

Almost no coffee, but a fair bit of caffeine - maybe 3 or 4 cups of tea with an occasional soda mixed in. I'm working on night classes for a graduate degree as well, so towards the end of the semester mix in some energy drinks too - definitely not healthy but the only way I can make it through.

Very little alcohol, 1-2 drinks once every other week or so, often with stretches of a month or more with none at all. I just don't seem to enjoy it as much as many people do, although it is nice sometimes.

[bigzen]

3 - 5 cups of coffee per day. And an average of 3 beers per night.

Once or twice per year I tend to take 1 - 4 weeks off from alcohol and taper down on caffeine significantly. .. sometimes down to no caffeine. It's rough going for a few days but afterwards I feel that I can't tell the difference between not consuming and consuming

[csnewb]

2 cups of coffee a day. One after breakfast, but the coffee making process is a morning ritual. I buy specialty coffee (Verve, Four Barrel, etc), grind the beans myself, and brew them using a pour over method on the Chemex device. I'll have whatever coffee we have at work in the afternoon for another energy boost.

[orange_county]

I used to drink coffee occasionally but if I take a break or drink too much I get really jittery and sick. So I'm not longer drinking it. Though I might have a half cup before the gym as a boost.

As for alcohol, it's always present at work and it's hard to not drink. I can't say no to free beers ;)

[duren]

French press (~35g of beans) or 2 consecutive double espresso shots in the morning. Another double espresso shot in after lunch.

I drink a fair bit of alcohol; probably 3-10 servings during the week and 10-20 servings most weekends. Not drinking would affect my social life.

[throwaway12a123]

2-3 Cups of coffee per day and 3-5 pints of beer (5-7% alcohol) per week.

This is considered low for myself and times in my life I have had about 2x this amount of alcohol/coffee. I am not saying my current consumption is healthy, that is just what it is.

[tjalfi]

I drink 2 or 3 cups of coffee per day. I stopped drinking alcohol about 12 years ago. I'm sure it has affected my social life but it's only one of many factors.

Edited to change the wording of the third sentence.

[amjaeger]

0-3 cups of coffee per day (with 3 being rare) 3-16 drinks/2 weeks. I just graduated so that number was even higher cause of celebrations, but it was usually pretty low.

I wish there were more comments here, would be a cool survey for HN

[spoonie]

I try to limit my coffee to around 3 cups per day, or else it starts to affect my sleep.

I drink, on average, 6 standard drinks per week (all beer). Usually after work and, in the last 3 three years, no more than 2 at once.

[MichaelBurge]

Usually 24 cups if I'm drinking coffee that day. But it's sporadic: I'll keep that rate for a month or two, and then nothing for 2-3 months.

I'll have a beer or wine or something once every 6 months or so.

[michaelflux]

2-3 double shot flat whites. Typically before 2pm - most of the time with MCT or Brain Octane oil and a bit of unsalted butter mixed into the milk while steaming it.

Another 2-3 cups of black tea. No alcohol.

[bbcbasic]

I go decaf for coffee and avoid caffeine. I think I feel better for it. Typically 4 or so beers a week, more if there is a night out but that's rare nowadays

[bobbba]

coffee free for the last 30 days (used to drink about 2 cups per day) and alcohol free for the past year (used to drink about 3 glasses of wine every evening and more on the weekend) Feel great - work/family and social life definitely massively improved.

[samblr]

One coffee a day after breakfast. Have gone alcohol free for a good 5 years now! Feels better.

[fooYou]

1-2 cups of coffee. No alcohol. Trying to stay youthful into old age.

[soneca]

No alcohol. 1 or 2 drip coffees each day I make myself at home.

[wayn3]

None, except for the very occasional glass of wine.

[asdf33323]

No alcohol. 1-2 coffee a day.

[crispytx]

none

[milquetoastaf]

Shot of espresso in the morning. Probably like 10-12 beers a night?