I seem to be one of the few writers whose productivity plummets if I consume any caffeine. My focus shifts to repetitive/pointless tasks like video games instead of creativity. I often wonder how many children would never have been born if not for alcohol. Likewise I wonder how many books would never have been written without caffeine. These are civilization transforming agents (though there is always a price, and eventually always a comedown). What would a whole society with 36 hour tremors be like to live through I wonder?
On a handful of occasions, I have fasted from caffeine. It's okay. I do get a bit of a headache the first day.
Alcohol is much different. I have a wobbly relationship with it. A use disorder, but not dependency...
Substances in general are at the center of my life. I enjoy drugs. Some are too risky to tangle with though. Caffeine, nicotine, alcohol, and love are all manageable, I think.
I tried giving up smoking by using nicotine patches but they made me crave the real thing even more. I tried herbal cigarettes, but it was like smoking lettuce leaves -- I should imagine. I tried just stopping but I would always end up buying a packet, smoking one, feeling guilty, throwing the packet away, then repeating the process a day or two later: an expensive hobby. I finally quit by telling myself that I would have a cigarette after my next meal, and then doing the same when it came to the next meal, until I realised that I hadn't smoked for a week, so why spoil it now?
I had my first fully sober month in October (alcohol) by doing a similar thing. I'll drink tomorrow. Funny how the brain can know it's being deceived and still comply.
I'm glad you quit, Terry. What a powerful gift. My journey with cigarettes was like and unlike yours. The buy, smoke, dispose, recover, smoke and dispose loop resonates. Actually quitting was a 5-year journey of stepping nicotine to zero so I was on an even playing field with the oral fixation.
Cigarettes, as I said, are still a joy to my fascinated mind, and so in that way I've been saying to myself for a couple years now, "I'll have a smoke after my next meal."
I started writing after I quit drinking. I often wonder what it would be like to write buzzed and skip the part where I overthink the beginning of a story and rewrite it 27 times. But I’ll never try it.
Grey topic.Odd that you happened to choose today to discuss it. I am currently writing a newsletter regarding similar matters. I hope to have it completed by the afternoon. Then I will give your words the attention they deserve. Happy Saturday.
My relationship with drugs in general is a strange one. I read/study/watch on them like most people do true crime stories.
My brain is a playground of sugar, psilocybin, caffeine, mescaline, nicotine (not any more), alcohol and more. Opioids are not worth the risk, though I'd perhaps dabble in a poppy tea. Very grey topic, I know. I try to relate it honestly but also with respect to how heated the discussion can be.
Funny story: I wrote that first message quickly, and autocorrect changed “great” to “grey”. However, grey fits too. I can answer most questions relating to drugs, alcohol, and addiction if you’re ever curious about something. Thanks to my finding literature and becoming obsessed with writing, I have goals and meaning in my life that I never imagined. I would never return to my old life because it would destroy everything I’m working toward and obliterate rational thought.
I joke with my wife often that I love drugs. I'm not a "user" though I'm probably on the road to being called a psychonaught. I fear pharma though. I'd gladly talk drugs if you felt it was a productive conversation for both of us. There might even be a fit for a podcast episode on it for my show...
I'm confident we could make it a productive conversation. Do you have an idea in mind, an angle, to introduce the topic on your podcast? I would relish the experience.
Working as a teacher then Adminstrator of a high school in Philadelphia. My children will tell you I was a workaholic, only taking off under family duress. I was driven by a need to support and protect them knowing they needed that kind of committment. Retiring was a challenge!!!!
I seem to be one of the few writers whose productivity plummets if I consume any caffeine. My focus shifts to repetitive/pointless tasks like video games instead of creativity. I often wonder how many children would never have been born if not for alcohol. Likewise I wonder how many books would never have been written without caffeine. These are civilization transforming agents (though there is always a price, and eventually always a comedown). What would a whole society with 36 hour tremors be like to live through I wonder?
On a handful of occasions, I have fasted from caffeine. It's okay. I do get a bit of a headache the first day.
Alcohol is much different. I have a wobbly relationship with it. A use disorder, but not dependency...
Substances in general are at the center of my life. I enjoy drugs. Some are too risky to tangle with though. Caffeine, nicotine, alcohol, and love are all manageable, I think.
Love makes me stupid more than alcohol. I stay away from relationships because of it. And I don’t want to get distracted from my work.
Hi Jody. First, on an unrelated matter I have v you a shout-our in https://open.substack.com/pub/terryfreedman/p/experiments-in-style-gimme-the-blues?r=18suih&utm_campaign=post&utm_medium=web
I tried giving up smoking by using nicotine patches but they made me crave the real thing even more. I tried herbal cigarettes, but it was like smoking lettuce leaves -- I should imagine. I tried just stopping but I would always end up buying a packet, smoking one, feeling guilty, throwing the packet away, then repeating the process a day or two later: an expensive hobby. I finally quit by telling myself that I would have a cigarette after my next meal, and then doing the same when it came to the next meal, until I realised that I hadn't smoked for a week, so why spoil it now?
I had my first fully sober month in October (alcohol) by doing a similar thing. I'll drink tomorrow. Funny how the brain can know it's being deceived and still comply.
I'm glad you quit, Terry. What a powerful gift. My journey with cigarettes was like and unlike yours. The buy, smoke, dispose, recover, smoke and dispose loop resonates. Actually quitting was a 5-year journey of stepping nicotine to zero so I was on an even playing field with the oral fixation.
Cigarettes, as I said, are still a joy to my fascinated mind, and so in that way I've been saying to myself for a couple years now, "I'll have a smoke after my next meal."
I started writing after I quit drinking. I often wonder what it would be like to write buzzed and skip the part where I overthink the beginning of a story and rewrite it 27 times. But I’ll never try it.
Writing under the influence of alcohol dulls my creativity and discipline, but I'm a fan of caffeine for it.
Grey topic.Odd that you happened to choose today to discuss it. I am currently writing a newsletter regarding similar matters. I hope to have it completed by the afternoon. Then I will give your words the attention they deserve. Happy Saturday.
My relationship with drugs in general is a strange one. I read/study/watch on them like most people do true crime stories.
My brain is a playground of sugar, psilocybin, caffeine, mescaline, nicotine (not any more), alcohol and more. Opioids are not worth the risk, though I'd perhaps dabble in a poppy tea. Very grey topic, I know. I try to relate it honestly but also with respect to how heated the discussion can be.
Funny story: I wrote that first message quickly, and autocorrect changed “great” to “grey”. However, grey fits too. I can answer most questions relating to drugs, alcohol, and addiction if you’re ever curious about something. Thanks to my finding literature and becoming obsessed with writing, I have goals and meaning in my life that I never imagined. I would never return to my old life because it would destroy everything I’m working toward and obliterate rational thought.
I joke with my wife often that I love drugs. I'm not a "user" though I'm probably on the road to being called a psychonaught. I fear pharma though. I'd gladly talk drugs if you felt it was a productive conversation for both of us. There might even be a fit for a podcast episode on it for my show...
I'm confident we could make it a productive conversation. Do you have an idea in mind, an angle, to introduce the topic on your podcast? I would relish the experience.
You have my email from this newsletter. Shoot me a note and I'll get you a link to schedule.
Working as a teacher then Adminstrator of a high school in Philadelphia. My children will tell you I was a workaholic, only taking off under family duress. I was driven by a need to support and protect them knowing they needed that kind of committment. Retiring was a challenge!!!!
I can only imagine. Did you lean on caffeine, nicotine or anything else to make the journey more palatable?
Having a stiff drink with dinner helped a great deal
I understand. I enjoy drinks in most situations. People might enjoy me less on drinks though…