Hearing a friend describe how he reacted to caffeine made me realize that some people have wildly different responses than I do.
Caffeine doesn't make me feel particularly great, and I feel almost no compulsion to have more than one cup, but it made him feel amazing, and he felt compelled to drink more.
I can stop drinking coffee for a week without any annoyance, but if he tries to pull back or stop drinking caffeine, he experiences 2 weeks of crippling headaches.
My takeaway: work your way into any drugs tentatively, and don't listen to people who tell you how much "everyone" responds to it.
For me, caffeine induces a wonderful sense of euphoria (as well as increased energy, increased focus, increased ability to sleep soundly, and decreased appetite), yet I simultaneously feel no impulse to consume it and usually don't.
I have to actively remind myself to consume my caffeine when I really need the boost in focus. The euphoria is a pleasing side effect, but not something I think about when I'm not experiencing it. It's common for me to go weeks at a time without having any, just because I didn't think to.
I think there could be a genetic factor here. Addiction (to alcohol, cigarettes, caffeine, etc.) seems to be fully absent in my family history.
I have an espresso superautomatic, beer in my fridge, and prescribed stimulants, and I often go months without partaking in any of that because it has to be a conscious decision and sometimes it never crosses my mind. I'm uncomfortable leaving my baseline.
It's like wearing fancy clothes. It's enjoyable for a few hours, but I wouldn't want to wear them frequently.
Caffeine doesn't make me feel particularly great, and I feel almost no compulsion to have more than one cup, but it made him feel amazing, and he felt compelled to drink more.
I can stop drinking coffee for a week without any annoyance, but if he tries to pull back or stop drinking caffeine, he experiences 2 weeks of crippling headaches.
My takeaway: work your way into any drugs tentatively, and don't listen to people who tell you how much "everyone" responds to it.