Then why are people saying it has negative effects worth quitting it to avoid?

I don't know the answer to that.

I think coffee has more negative effects than caffeine, what with the acid stomach and all. I don't think No-Doz gives people acid stomach. I could be wrong.

Unworrisome and more common side effects of caffeine:

• Nausea (mild); nervousness or jitters (mild)

See your doctor if you experience:

• Diarrhea; dizziness; fast heartbeat; hyperglycemia, including blurred vision, drowsiness, dry mouth, flushed dry skin, fruit-like breath odor, increased urination, ketones in urine, loss of appetite, nausea, stomachache, tiredness, troubled breathing, unusual thirst, or vomiting (in newborn babies); hypoglycemia, including anxious feeling, blurred vision, cold sweats, confusion, cool pale skin, drowsiness, excessive hunger, fast heartbeat, nausea, nervousness, restless sleep, shakiness, or unusual tiredness or weakness (in newborn babies); irritability, nervousness, or severe jitters (in newborn babies); nausea (severe) ; tremors; trouble in sleeping ; vomiting

Withdrawal feels like:

• Anxiety; dizziness; headache; irritability; muscle tension; nausea; nervousness; stuffy nose; unusual tiredness

From here.

I think it would be fascinating if marijuana/hashish had been introduced to Western culture at the same time as coffee. I'm betting everybody would have become habituated to its use in exactly the same way as for alcohol and coffee/tea.

Basically, coffee would totally be illegal today if it were introduced into the consumer market. Addictive! Side effects! Performance-enhancing!

Basically, coffee would totally be illegal today if it were introduced into the consumer market. Addictive! Side effects! Performance-enhancing!

There was some mid-Eastern country that banned coffee in (IIRC) the 1500s or 1600s. They were afraid that folks would sit around in cafes drinking coffee and planning revolution.

They should have just introduced lattes and wireless Internet.

Coffee timeline:

1511: Khair Beg, the corrupt governor of Mecca, tries to ban coffee for fear that its influence might foster opposition to his rule. The sultan sends word that coffee is sacred and has the governor executed.

With all respect to people who can quit it, caffeine is the finest drug EVER. It's cheap! It's on every street corner! They put it in lots of tasty items! It wakes you up and makes you feel better and the only side effect is withdrawal!

Indeed. I love coffee. Given enough coffee, I love everyone else, too. It's a better mood enhancer than booze, and I can drive safely after three cups of coffee. (Safer than without three cups of it, some mornings.)

Coffee history's finest moment:

1453: Coffee is introduced to Constantinople by Ottoman Turks. The world's first coffee shop, Kiva Han, open there in 1475. Turkish law makes it legal for a woman to divorce her husband if he fails to provide her with her daily quota of coffee.

There's a quota?