intoxicants...
 

Hi all,

Please could you advise me? What do you see as intoxicants? Clearly drugs and alcohol are, but what about coffee? Enough cups and I'm bouncing around the room, and it does affect my ability to uphold right speech (though obviously not as much as alcohol would). Is there anything else you would avoid?

Thanks for your thoughts
Fee

I used to drink a lot of coffee for many years. Night has been the best time to work. When I started meditation, particularly Anapanasati, it was noticed that too much coffee made it more difficult than with less. Drinking more tea is makeing it easier.

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Hi Fee,

Recreational drugs and alcohol are classed as intoxicants in the 5 precepts.

I dont think anything else is - but if people are caffeine-sensitive and get jittery or hyperactive with coffee or coke/fizzy drinks with added caffeine, then they should be avoided.

I always have a cup of Italian filter coffee when I get up in the mornings myself, because I enjoy coffee at the start of the day. I drink tea or water during the remainder of the day.

Sure. It is the best moment for a cup of cofee!

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If it affects your ability to keep right speech then yes.
Also caffeine is addictive. People who drink caffeine regularly and then try to quit go through withdrawals.

I went through caffeine withdrawl which showed the effect of the caffeine on my body. I was working 12 hour nursing shifts in a two days on followed by two hours off roster - from 0700 to 1930, in a psychiatric hospital and as part of the working environment began drinking filtered coffee which we always had available and on the boil.

After several weeks, on the two days off I began getting headaches and felt shaky and nervous. I changed the coffee to decaffeinated and gradually decreased my intake.

Nicotine had a similar effect on me, when I increased my social smoking a few years back and for this reason I no longer have any tobacco. I still drink coffee - mid morning, afternoon or after an early dinner.

Interestingly, it does not appeal to me in the morning - I meditate in the early mornings and like a cup of black tea after with my breakfast ... the only time I like black tea.

Absolutely!!!!!! I used to drink 8 cans of Coke a day (starting in my final year of High School and right up to end of college). I then tried to go "cold turkey" and had migraines, the shakes and everything. I now drink two cans of Coke Zero a day and find that's my happy medium.

In metta,
Raven

Strong tea and yerba mate also give this artificial energy so I try to drink them only if necessary...
I am not sure whether we can include green tea to this list...What do you think?

As Trilaksana (#5) said... caffeine is addictive... I found difficult to meditate with the usual amount of coffee I used to drink so I lowered it. But I don't know for the case of tea. Some tea has caffeine too, like black tea. Don't know about mate. I have never tried it.

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Green tea and herbal or fruit teas are fine. My personal favorites are Nettle tea, and Rose-hip and Hibiscus. (as well as good old-fashioned English tea with milk !)

At Amaravati monastery they serve mugs of hot spiced Chai tea with milk for the lay practitioners, in the break in the middle of their 2 hr Sunday afternoon talk and question time sessions.

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