• @BigBananaDealer@lemm.ee
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    510 months ago

    imagine if this whole thing was about cigarettes. id imagine people would be questioning why it wasnt age restricted sooner. caffeine and nicotine are practically the same type of addiction, but one of them is legal for almost anybody to get and the other is getting banned more and more

    • Bernie Ecclestoned
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      910 months ago

      What’s the harm from caffeine though?

      I grind beans for coffee in the morning, then move onto tea. It’s got L-theanine in as well as caffeine.

      https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/31758301/

      When I was a teenager, we were shotgunning beers and smoking hash. A lot worse than a few energy drinks a month.

      • @BigBananaDealer@lemm.ee
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        310 months ago

        not having caffeine for a few days gives withdrawal effects same as nicotine withdrawal effects (not exactly the same, but same idea if you get what im trying to convey)

        • @Lazylazycat@lemmy.world
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          410 months ago

          Yeah but there aren’t severe short term or long term effects from drinking caffeine, as there are with cigarettes. Insomnia and increased blood pressure but that’s about it, isn’t it? Smoking causes immediate infections and many long terms issues including lots of different types of cancer.

          • @BigBananaDealer@lemm.ee
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            110 months ago

            short term effects trouble sleeping, irregular heartbeat, restlessness etc. etc. can trigger panic attacks to people who are prone to them and potentially can kill children

            long term are insomnia, constant anxiety (i have witnessed first hand caffeines effects on anxiety. it sucks to see), depression, stomach problems, high blood pressure, and it also has problems when used during pregnancy and breast feeding

            so yeah to me its a little weird how normal caffeine is in life to where it is almost unrestricted where i live while nicotine has flavor bans

      • Fr❄stb☃️te
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        210 months ago

        When I was a teenager, we were shotgunning beers and smoking hash. A lot worse than a few energy drinks a month.

        When I was a teenager, I started drinking coffee before I went to school. Everyone was still half asleep and I couldn’t sit still as coffee was my energy drink. I regret it now because I need more caffeine to wake up.

      • C.Ezra.M
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        210 months ago

        Only those energy drinks that have artificially added caffeine or taurine are going to have their sales restricted to those over 18.

    • newIdentity
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      710 months ago

      Caffeine is pretty easy to quit though. Cigarettes aren’t.

      Also caffeine isn’t as harmful as cigarettes.

      • Flying SquidM
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        410 months ago

        It’s harder to quit than you think for some people. Any addiction can be hard to give up. And you do feel like shit if you stop using caffeine cold turkey after drinking 12 cups of coffee a day.

          • @CmdrShepard
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            10 months ago

            OP referenced nicotine not cigarettes specifically. Things like vaping and chew fall into this category too and both have been restricted in many parts of the world over the last few years “for the children.”

              • @CmdrShepard
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                110 months ago

                So what’s your issue with this one then? It’ll have the same result.

          • Flying SquidM
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            210 months ago

            Maybe. I don’t know. I think it depends on the person. I quit cigarettes cold turkey and have never touched another one since. My wife had to quit over months. We both smoked for the same amount of time and smoked about the same number a day.

            Now I don’t feel I need to quit caffeine. I have a big mug of tea in the morning and that’s it. But I can see someone who drinks coffee constantly, and I’ve known people like that, having a much harder time quitting that than I did quitting smoking.