I imagine the world would be a little less wired and a lot more grumpy. Could you imagine what it would do to the stock market? Not necessarily the people who own stock in coffee but to the people in the bull pin/pit or whatever it is called. There would be no one there and trading might come to a complete halt! All stocks and trading would suffer! The WHOLE world would be hitting the snooze button and sleeping and being grumpy all at once!!
Without a doubt, that would be a world-changer.
This post was edited by Merlin at December 17, 2019 2:59 AM MST
Unfortunately not. I am a huge Paul Newman fan and woud love to see it again. Sorry I didn't hyphenate world-changer. It crossed my mind but I thought it might be hyphenate-abuse and wasn't sure. I opted not. Thanks for showing me how to spell it correctly. :) :)
I never drink coffee because my momma warned me when I was young, "You will become addicted." So I don't drink it. However, I like coffee flavored ice cream and candy.
We would probably use Ephidra to brew a coffee equivalent. Ephidra sineca grows wild from Pakistan to the Middle East. It was the plant from which epinephrine was distilled before it could be synthesised. It is primarily a stimulant, but also enhances endurance, strength, reflexes and courage. In ancient Mitannia, it was known as Soma and treated as a sacred drug available only to warriors before going into battle.
There are also numerous other herbs with stimulant effects.
The most likely candidates are tea and chocolate, both of which contain caffeine.
That's a key ingredient in a favorite indulgance of many here in the US, commonly referred to as:
Crank
Crystal
Ice
Speed
Getgo
Go Fast
Poor Man’s Coke
Redneck Cocaine<--MY PERSONAL FAVORITE
Trash
Garbage
At one time, Ephedrine was sold at gas stations and mini-marts. I recall picking up a bottle or two when I was gassing up and on the run. Sales of products with ephedrine are monitored bu state and federal authorities to try and stem back-yard chefs from whipping up batches of Redneck Cocaine
This post was edited by Jon at December 17, 2019 7:50 AM MST
Only knew two of those nick-names. We have the same drugs wreaking havoc with addicts' lives here in Oz. Widely considered an epidemic. One of my literary acquaintances is a former ice addict, now in his early 30's and still trying to piece his fried brain back together. Great wordsmith but still struggling to function in the real world. Most of our truck drivers are half-wild with it. I steer well clear of them on the roads.
Meth has wreaked havoc here. It's extremely easy to become dependant upon a substance that throws you into a manic euphoria.
You did well avoiding those venues. From what I know of you through your posts, I assume the opportunities have been presented to you many times. Am I assuming too much? lol
I am not ashamed to admit that I traveled a road paved with cocaine when I was younger. It was fun for a while until the consequences of my indulgence led me to a slippery descent into irresponsibility and self-annihilation.
Many people in my personal life have suffered from addiction. Watching and seeing how they were affected gave me the strength to cease and avoid the temptations offered. I do indulge on rare occasions with cannabis and alcohol, but not all that often.
"Great wordsmith but still struggling to function in the real world."
It's too bad about your friend. I understand this all too well. Chronic dependency can create tragic results such as what happened to your friend.
I wouldn't survive. I need at least 2 cups of tar to get my heart started in the morning. I quit smoking, I was able to beat an opioid addiction, I enjoy a beer but can live without it. Do NOT take my coffee away.
I was prescribed painkillers for crippling sciatica due to a ruptured intervertebral disc. Without the painkillers, I couldn't sleep (I was without them for a week while my doctor was on vacation - I didn't sleep and at the end of that week I was hallucinating). The strength had to be increased periodically as I developed tolerance and each became ineffective (from codeine to tramadol to endone to methadone). An operation (discectomy and fusion) took most of the pain away - took several years to convince a neurosurgeon to bite the bullet and do it. A little arthritis, I can live with that. I was able to wean myself off the drugs after that over some weeks - decreasing the dosage weekly, eventually to nil.
My apologies for changing the subject in the thread so. Glad you made it through all that. I find most surprising the time it took to convince a neurosurgeon--or indeed the need to convince.
When I had the same thing, I only took an oxy when the pain was intolerable. I knew I would get hooked if I started them on a regular basis. I told my doc I didn't want any. I stuck with Ibuprofen. My fusion last April was a miracle.
Merlin 