[Type 9] Type 9s and Caffeine Addiction or Habit

[Mal12345]

I have enough energy to kill a horse with my eyes sometimes, but I still drink coffee every day since I was about 11. I drink even more coffee when I'm doing something that requires mental focusing, like writing my book for instance. If I'm doing active body stuff, I just energize myself and don't need as much coffee.

Hm. Maybe this is why my enneagram-literate friends are insisting I have a 9 wing.

I find 8w9 to be one of the easier calls to make, simply based on observation, not on their coffee drinking. What kind of book are you writing?

 

[Animal]

I find 8w9 to be one of the easier calls to make, simply based on observation, not on their coffee drinking. What kind of book are you writing?

Fantasy/sci-fi trilogy (or double-trilogy). I've been building on it all my life. I'm working with a co-author who is a linguist & has built languages all his life. He's a 5w4, actually. I do all the plot & characters but we work together on the history and religions and he does the languages. I prefer to let the book write itself in terms of scenes and specifics, but I know where it's going.

Why is 8w9 such an easy call to make?

 

[Kasper]

I'm not asking if 9s need coffee to go into survival mode. I'm asking if they need it to give them the energy just to make it through their day.

Nope. 9s addiction is more about narcotisation than needing caffeine to be awake. 9s are typically low energy, that doesn't mean we don't have any, just that we don't need to be engaged in higher energy things to be satisfied.

 

[Kayness]

I was a total caffeine addict for many, many years. My caffeine of choice was Coke Zero. I can't remember when it started, but it must have been in 2007? I've tried to quit several times and many times I managed to stay away for several months, but the craving was always there beneath the surface, which caused me to relapse several times. I only managed to give it up for good only just last month, and that's because I figured how to actually kill the craving as opposed to just ignore it. I realized that the reason I was addicted to caffeine is because I was tired all the time because I had what I realize now is bad eating habit, meaning that I have a tendency to eat too little real food and tend to leave long intervals between meal. It's a relic from my days when I was deathly scared of eating for fear of gaining weight. Then I would be so tired, really, really thought about it and felt 'low' and have very low energy and motivation to do anything, and I needed a 'kick' and that feeling of excitement, and of course I'd reach for Coke Zero and sometimes sources of BOTH caffeine and sugar like bubble tea, iced teas and coffee and sometimes chocolate. Several months leading up quitting this time i have already greatly tapered off my coke zero consumption and came to this realization that if I really want to kick the habit for good, I had replace it with something so I started eating regular meals and more fruit, and because I was used to going 10-16 hours without food I had such a low appetite so I had to make myself eat even when I wasn't hungry...and what do I know I start having real energy again and I can actually cycle for a lot longer without having to force myself to, I'm losing weight without much effort, my appetite returned, I start to sweat and feel hot again and my skin is so much better now!

 

[Entropic]

Nope. 9s addiction is more about narcotisation than needing caffeine to be awake. 9s are typically low energy, that doesn't mean we don't have any, just that we don't need to be engaged in higher energy things to be satisfied.

You could argue the same for 5s and 4s if so though.

Unrelated to anyone, I personally think how much caffeine we intake has more to do with the culture we live in than our type. I don't drink coffee or any other drinks containing caffeine besides coke in arguably one of the most most coffee-loving cultures in the world. We even got a specific word for a social gathering that includes taking a cup of coffee and a cinnamon roll - fika.

(because Swedish culture is awesome)

 

[Ism]

I test as a 9 and have no addiction to caffeine to speak of. I kinda always wanted one, though. It seems like those who are are also more productive.

 

[cafe]

I know I am addicted to caffeine because if I don't have it I get a pretty awful headache. I don't notice it having much of a stimulating effect, though. If I'm sleepy having caffeine doesn't seem to make much of a difference. I would consider weaning myself off it it, because I don't drink coffee regularly and soda is pretty horrible for you, but I am not giving up black tea. I mean, if you can't have tea, why even live?

 

[Mal12345]

I know I am addicted to caffeine because if I don't have it I get a pretty awful headache. I don't notice it having much of a stimulating effect, though. If I'm sleepy having caffeine doesn't seem to make much of a difference. I would consider weaning myself off it it, because I don't drink coffee regularly and soda is pretty horrible for you, but I am not giving up black tea. I mean, if you can't have tea, why even live?

I gave up all caffeine because of its deleterious effects, both physical and mental. It's a horrible drug.

 

[cafe]

I gave up all caffeine because of its deleterious effects, both physical and mental. It's a horrible drug.

You probably don't feel the same way about tea as I do.

 

[Tabula]

I don't know if I'm physically addicted to it or not (never wanted to test it! ) but would wager a "most likely." Coffee doesn't really wake me up as much as it makes me feel functional and normal; my brain is a bouncy, foggy mess if not. I've been a daily (and too much) coffee-consumer since the age of 14. My therapist thinks my excessive caffeine (and nicotine) consumption is/was my way of self-medicating prior to ADHD diagnosis and medication, which may or may not be true. I still drink way too much coffee after having been on medication for awhile. In addition to whatever benefits of caffeine I experience, I love the comfort and routine of physically putting on a pot of coffee, going to do something else while I wait, being beckoned back to the kitchen by the aroma, preparing my cup the way I like it, and going to sit outside with my mug and a cigarette. Mmm. Easily my favorite part of the day.

I'm not sure this has anything to do with my 9ness.

 

[greenfairy]

I don't drink caffeine. I always drink decaffeinated coffee, and usually decaffeinated tea. Too much caffei9ne makes my heart race, and it doesn't even keep me awake.

Sugar is my drug. But I am a user, not an abuser.

 

[Mal12345]

You probably don't feel the same way about tea as I do.

I love caffeine in any form. So I put up with migraines or "caffeine hangovers" for years. The only way to get rid of the hangovers was to heavily reduce my caffeine intake. A doctor ordered me to limit my intake to one soda a day. Finally I was forced to reduce it to zero. But if the headache was the only issue, I would still be drinking it. There was far more to it.

 

[Mal12345]

I don't drink caffeine. I always drink decaffeinated coffee, and usually decaffeinated tea. Too much caffei9ne makes my heart race, and it doesn't even keep me awake.

Sugar is my drug. But I am a user, not an abuser.

Ugh, I hope sugar doesn't become classified as a drug, even though it probably is one.

 

[greenfairy]

Ugh, I hope sugar doesn't become classified as a drug, even though it probably is one.

Haha, it definitely is. The food industry profits from it, which is why it's not classified as one. But I'm glad it exists because it makes our lives so nice. (thinking about cupcakes...)

 

[Mal12345]

Haha, it definitely is. The food industry profits from it, which is why it's not classified as one. But I'm glad it exists because it makes our lives so nice. (thinking about cupcakes...)

It probably is. This depends on sugar's effect on dopamine receptors.

 

[greenfairy]

It probably is. This depends on sugar's effect on dopamine receptors.

Well, it's addictive and produces a high followed by a crash, and it has damaging effects on the pancreas if consumed in large doses for prolonged periods. Also it is refined from a natural form. So it fits my criteria. Since it gives people pleasure it probably affects dopamine.

 

[Mal12345]

Well, it's addictive and produces a high followed by a crash, and it has damaging effects on the pancreas if consumed in large doses for prolonged periods. Also it is refined from a natural form. So it fits my criteria. Since it gives people pleasure it probably affects dopamine.

I wouldn't try to argue against someone's personal criteria regarding a highly complex subject.

 

[Mal12345]

Chocolate is one source of natural caffeine. I ate a little chocolate ice cream last night and was up until 1:00 AM. My usual bedtime is between 9 and 10 PM.

So I haven't eliminated all caffeine from my diet, but the little bit that I do get just messes me all up.

 

[greenfairy]

I wouldn't try to argue against someone's personal criteria regarding a highly complex subject.

Well, it's kind of arbitrary anyway.

 

[PJWakt]

I'm a 7 with a caffeine habit. It's mainly for the smell and taste, and not usually the stimulant effect unless I really need it.