I am so glad you get it! Fantastic information has nothing to do with preaching, being religious or hyperbole. It's vital science and health factual education being made available to a much wider audience online than for those who aren't interested in listening. One of the major problems with caffeine is that it masks fatigue. To break it down: How does caffeine work? Caffeine is a pesticide. It's a naturally occurring pesticide in that little coffee or cacao plant that is to stop animals from eating too many of the seeds, because if you eat the seed, crush it up, the plant can't reproduce. So that seed, the caffeine, is a pesticide that kills animals who eat large dosages. So what happens is when humans eat caffeine we don't die but the body goes 'WOW' it's a neuro toxin, a poison but it's actually classified botanically as a neurotoxin so that damage can kill brain cells. When you consume caffeine, or theobromine which is in cacao, chocolate etc the body goes 'whoosh' *neurotoxin* and it releases adrenaline. what does adrenaline do? It pushes the fight - flight hormone. It pushes sugar into the cell giving you a boost of energy. It also vasodilates your arteries and increases your blood flow.
Caffeine = neurotoxin = adrenaline. Most people fail to understand how caffeine or theobromine works. They just say "yeah i'm tired, boom have some coffee, caffeine" and they don't question it. So when you have these stimulants, you're masking fatigue. You're delaying your growth hormone response. because when you're tired you should get some water, fruit or have a nap - restore, regenerate, replenish. Significant distinction between replenishing and getting a jolt of false energy. So this idolization of coffee "I live for coffee" "i have x number of cups of coffee a day" is a reminder of why these discussions are so necessary. Lifestyles need to be adjusted as all coffee does is bring you up a false level and then drops you off significantly, eventually you're going to have pay that depreciated affect, that masked fatigue. Caffeine can be likened to a credit card, you buy that shiny looking object called 'energy' today but you're going to be paying back in interest later on. "I don't' care, i just want it now, i just need it now!" Remember, you'll be paying it back. That's why when people get off the caffeine and join the raw, vegan lifestyle, they might gain some weight because their metabolism is thrashed, they don't sleep, their brain is just on fast forward and they're strung out.
I would recommend saying goodbye to caffeine for a good period of time, understanding that these are neurotoxins and it's a social drug - coffee is associated with the social scene and you can see the addictions it breeds with 3 or 4 cups a day. Instead of drinking what is botanically classified as a neurotoxin several times a day with follow up damage, drinking cold, clear, fresh spring water instead - the benefits are for the brain, body and life long term.