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On day 3 I broke out in a cold sweat. On day 5 I tried lifting but even doing one bodyweight squat had me panting. My entire body ached. It felt like the flu without vomiting. On day 7 I woke up ready to kick ass as usual. Finally. Caffeine withdrawal is no joke.

Now why would anyone quit drinking coffee when there are manifold health and performance benefits to caffeine? Plus, if you use a Chemex and the right beans, coffee tastes divine. (Yes, black coffee. If black coffee doesn’t taste full and rich to you, use a Chemex or Aeropress and FRESH beans from Blue Bottle coffee.)

I quit caffeine cold turkey rather than tapering off because some symptoms of burnout were showing. I know my body well and have pushed it to the breaking point several times. Once I have to keep amping up the caffeine to feel “normal,” something is going to give.

I would drink a Monster energy drink (250 mg caffeine) first thing in the morning. Then drink some coffee for the antioxidant boost. Then either another Monster in the afternoon or that new “Bang” drink, which has 300 milligrams of caffeine per can. On any given day I’d be taking in 750 mg to one gram of caffeine a day. (Starbucks drip coffee has 180mg for a short, and 410 for a venti.)

Yes, coffee is a drug, and a powerful one.

Drug is a loaded term. Good drugs are called medicine. People don’t like to think of caffeine as a drug, but science doesn’t care how you feel.

Caffeine is a competitive adenosine receptor antagonist, thus blocking endogenous adenosine, thus preventing the onset of drowsiness, caused by adenosine. Individuals who regularly consume caffeine have increased the number of adenosine receptors in their central nervous system (CNS) and become more sensitive to normal physiologic effects of adenosine. In classical drugs of abuse, such as amphetamines and cocaine, adenosine stimulates dopaminergic activity in nucleus accumbens, thus producing dopamine-like effects in that part of the brain, which accounts for its addictive potential. However, caffeine does not induce a release of dopamine in the nucleus accumbens but leads to a release of dopamine in the prefrontal cortex, which is consistent with caffeine reinforcing properties. Caffeine also stimulates glucose utilization in a caudate nucleus, which mediates motor activity and regulates the sleep-wake cycle.

Coffee is a healthy drug, and in fact many studies show that drinking coffee can extend lifespan and militate against dementia and Parkinson’s:

Most cases of Parkinson disease (PD) over age 50 are sporadic, and twin studies strongly suggest a predominance of environmental over genetic etiologies.1 However, few factors have been found consistently in epidemiologic studies to have major effects, protective in all cases: smoking, urate,2 and caffeine consumption.3 The protective effect of caffeine (found not only in coffee, but also in tea, and some sodas) has been demonstrated in large prospectively followed populations of men, with a dramatic reduction in risk (up to fivefold for persons who drank more than 4 cups of coffee a day). Decaffeinated coffee afforded no protection, pointing to caffeine rather than other substances in coffee or tea as the underlying pharmacologic agent

Caffeine also boosts athletic performance and helps you use stored fat for energy when in a fasted state:

Caffeine as a lipolytic food component increases endurance performance in rats and athletes.

Caffeine is one of the famous ergogenic aids in the athletic field. Caffeine has been known to stimulate lipolysis that spares stored glycogen utilization during moderate intensity exercise

If you want to protect against Alzheimer’s, caffeine the f-ck up:

In the CAIDE study, coffee drinking of 3-5 cups per day at midlife was associated with a decreased risk of dementia/AD by about 65% at late-life. In conclusion, coffee drinking may be associated with a decreased risk of dementia/AD. This may be mediated by caffeine and/or other mechanisms like antioxidant capacity and increased insulin sensitivity. This finding might open possibilities for prevention or postponing the onset of dementia/AD.

Caffeine is amazing.

An amazing drug.

(Pictured below: The two most commonly consumed drugs in America. One drug has health benefits.

The other, sugar, will kill you.)

How severe is caffeine withdrawal?
So severe that caffeine withdrawal is considered a medial condition.

According to science, “Multiple studies have demonstrated that caffeine withdrawal syndrome is a clinically relevant entity, and is included in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (5th ed.; DSM–5; American Psychiatric Association, 2013).”

Do you know how your legs feel after leg day? You’re stumbling around. You’re sore. It hurts.

My body felt worse than after a full body leg day style workout. There was a deep ache, and apparently this is common.

Withdrawal from caffeine causes mild to clinically significant distress and impairment of normal functioning. The severity of symptoms vary from individual to individual, and most commonly include a headache, fatigue, decreased energy/activeness, decreased alertness, drowsiness, decreased contentedness, depressed mood, difficulty concentrating, irritability, and feeling foggy/not clearheaded.

I felt all of the above, especially on days 1-2. Some people also have constipation, that’s not an issue as I supplement with magnesium.

• Magnesium is the most important supplement that everyone should be taking.

Yes, the headache has been a non-stop pulsating on the sides of my head. These have lasted every day for a few days, although the severity has decreased significantly.

How long does caffeine withdrawal last?

Depending on how much coffee you drink, withdrawal can last anywhere from 48 hours to two weeks.

The last time I went more than 72 hours without caffeine was in 2011.

It took me two weeks to withdrawal fully.

Quit caffeine cold turkey or taper off?

Most people taper off of coffee rather than quit cold turkey, as the caffeine withdrawal symptoms are milder. If you drink 3 cups of coffee a day, lower your intake to 2.5 cups for one week. Then drop a half cup each week until you’re off. You won’t feel hardly any withdrawal symptoms if you taper slowly.

Cold turkey is for people who must get some rest and mellow out.

How tired are you if you quit coffee cold turkey?

I slept for 16 hours for the first 3 days due to physical exhaustion. My entire body felt like it was lead. Walking into the next room left me winded.

Why quit cold turkey?

I had been pushing my body and mind too hard for too long, and quitting coffee cold turkey forced me to relax for a few days. The best benefit of stopping suddenly is you must get some rest. Your body won’t give you a choice.

Invariably people will say, “Why would you quit drinking coffee? It’s so great!”

Those are called people who don’t read, because I explained my reasons for dropping coffee.

And of course I’ll start drinking coffee again. That mushroom coffee stuff is good.

Alternatives to drinking coffee.

I was no caffeine at all, from any sources, and this included green and black tea, although you can enjoy “herbal” tea.

Detox herbal tea (caffeine free)

• 3 bags of Biodynamic Tumeric Cinnamon
• 5 drops stevia
• Put stevia drops in bottle of a coffee mug.
• Boil water in a kettle. Add stevia. Add the bags.
• Drink, enjoy.

I also enjoy cans of Zevia, a refreshing drink made from the plant stevia. Check the bottom of the cans to make sure it’s labeled caffeine. Cream Soda is my favorite flavor.

Caffeine Withdrawal by day.

Day 1 – Complete fatigue, could barely get out of bed. Chronic headaches, although nothing severe as a migrane. Slept 16 hours.

Day 2 – Fatigue, trouble doing day-to-day tasks, extreme irritability. Continued headaches. Slept 16 hours.

Day 3 – Broke out in a sweat, still tired, still had a headache, vision blurred for a minute.

Day 4 – More of the same, except not as sleepy. Back to a normal sleep schedule.

Day 5 – Went to gym but “phoned in” the workout as I was weak weak weak.

Day 6 – Starting to feel normal except the extreme body aches persisted. Still a mild headache.

Day 7 – Today. Woke up with the usual HYPE I feel for life. Headache is persisting.

I’ll be back on coffee soon, because it’s healthy and makes you feel good.

For me, quitting caffeine cold turkey was about self-management and self-care.

If you’re feeling burned out, consider cutting down the caffeine for a forced “vacation.”

Or taper it down.

Or don’t do anything at all.

It’s your life, after all!

And if you want to get HYPED, try Gorilla Mind Rush and Smooth.

The greatest barrier to first-generation wealth is being shut out of the network efforts of established players.

Elite colleges aren’t expensive because of the education. I’ve met and competed against the most highly educated in the world. Most of them don’t read books. The value is in the network.

Network effects have been mathematically modeled, revealing what it now called Metcalfe’s law: “Metcalfe’s law states the effect of a telecommunications network is proportional to the square of the number of connected users of the system.”

With a network, 10 people isn’t only 10 people. Ten people in a network is equivalent 100 people (N-squared), as each person within the network has other connections outside of the network.

In other words, if you “know a guy,” then your guy knows another guy….

Take for example an event I co-hosted with Mike Bolen of Mindset Squared. Mike is a successful real estate developer, and his business partner manages and invests in outside properties. We walked around as they showed me a house they are preparing to flip.

A real estate investor (one guy, Mike) would know

• mortgage broker
• real estate agent (seller side and buyer side)
• accountant
• lawyer
• handy man

People who attended the event included start-up founders, an entrepreneur who began as a mechanic who expanded into franchising his methods, and many others. Each person knows someone who knows someone, and on and on….

There are two types of networks – information networks and personal networks.

You are inside an information network right now. When you learn from someone you wouldn’t have access to, you’re networking your mind with other minds.

Maybe you’ve never thought about networking that way, and now you should, for two important reasons: Your mind is open to new possibilities as you’re able to expand your network into the living and the deal. And also because what you’re reading becomes who you are.

“You can put distance between yourself and the center of your nation or your family, but you can never totally cut your lines of connectivity. Even when we turn inward, an army of invisible others speaks through our thoughts, twists our emotions, and populates our privacy.” – Howard Bloom, the Lucifer Principle.

How can you create personal networks?

The single best way to form a network is to attend events. I really have no patience for people who say they have trouble meeting people if they aren’t attending events.

The best events are transformative and mindset based, and the best mindset training I’ve ever gone through is Mastery In Transformational Training. (Listen to my podcast review here.) If you want to meet people like [x], then attend an event where people are [x].

Sure, people have social anxiety or whatever, but you need to fix that, and there are thousands of resources on that. Generally speaking, dress to impress.

Compounding Networks and What this Means.

“Compound interest. Compound interest is the eighth wonder of the world. He who understands it, earns it … he who doesn’t … pays it.” – Albert Einstein.

Wealth doubles every 7 years, and the doubled wealth doubles again in 7 years, and on and on. (Read, The Rule of 72.) Compounding interest is why the rich get richer.

The same principles apply to personal networks.

Play iterated games. All the returns in life, whether in wealth, relationships, or knowledge, come from compound interest. – Naval Ravinkant

Negative Network Effects.

The upsides of networks include downsides. For example the enemies you make will shut you out of their networks.

Why do you think even very rich and “alpha” men are afraid to admit they voted for Trump?

In Silicon Valley or Wall Street, people who voted for Trump will be shut out of networks. Even one or two noisy haters can shut down a deal, under the principle of The Most Intolerant Wins.

If you make enemies over the years, you’ll lose out on network effects.

Those networks may also conspire against you, as Peter Thiel did against Gawker. Gawker made a lot of enemies, and it appears that its legacy lives on, as many in the fake news media continue to lie about, stalk, and harass people.

It only takes one person to ruin a network. (Trust.)

Successful networks are high-trust, because it only takes one person to destroy a network.

In my own personal network, a person who was indulged by far too many (against my wishes) for far too long wreaked havoc on the personal and professional lives of many by gossiping, back-biting, lying, and overall thinking he was a Secret King destined to rule us all.

You must purge any low-trust person immediately, and if you want to remain in networks, you must exemplify high-trust at all times.

You are your network.

Literally.

It’s been shown, for example, that having network effects extend to weight management and obesity:

As described in the July 26, 2007, issue of The New England Journal of Medicine, the researchers found that friendships can have a crucial influence on a person’s weight. The likelihood of becoming obese increased by nearly 57% if a close friend had become obese. In same-sex friendships, a close friend becoming obese increased a person’s chance of becoming obese by 71%. The effect was strongest among mutual friends, with the risk of obesity rising by 171% if a close mutual friend had became obese.

Health gains compound over time. Eating dessert now and then isn’t going to hurt anyone, but if you’re out with people who chose clean food vs. appetizers and desserts, you’re going to be nudged into the direction of least resistance.

Your friends’ and confederates’ habits and interests will become your habits and interests.

Choose wisely.

P.S. If you enjoyed this article, sign up for free to receive more like it.

UPDATE: Peter Bright has been convicted.

In what can only be described as a pattern, yet another person who has stalked and harassed Mike Cernovich has been arrested.

The Daily Dot broke the story:

Tech reporter Peter Bright has been arrested for soliciting sex with children online. He was employed by Ars Technica until recently.

The allegations are stomach turning and not the kind of content suitable for this website, which is focused on mindset and personal development.

But you often see people attacking me, and you need to know the kind of people who harass me and my family.

At Bright’s urging, the two then began chatting via WhatsApp, which continued for a few weeks. At times using euphemisms, Bright reportedly wrote of molesting both children and raping the 7-year-old. He also allegedly sent pictures of his penis, and photos of test results showing he did not have any sexually transmitted diseases.

According to the complaint, both consistently referred to his plans to molest the children as “teaching” them “lessons,” and Bright described how he would begin slowly and move on to more intense sexual activity.

“I’m thinking maybe something involving foreskin is the way to start,” he allegedly said.

The agent writes that Bright inquired about whether the “lessons” were to be heteronormative. When she professed ignorance, he explained, “Does [the Girl] eat flowers and [the Boy] suck snake.” The document says that the agent understood “flowers” and “snake” to mean vagina and penis, respectively.

Posting on Twitter with a verified account as @DrPizza, accused child sexual predator would often join harassment mobs against Cernovich.

The child sexual predator and pedophile called Cernovich a Nazi.

This person who stalked and harassed me was arrested as a child sexual predator.

When you see people attack me / my family, know this is what they are. https://t.co/EEETIwl0ex

— Cernovich (@Cernovich) June 8, 2019

The child sexual predator also called Cernovich “off the rails,” in a conservation he had with his good friend Charles Johnson of Little Green Footballs.

You are going to prison. You can’t even reply now as you’re being held without bail as a child sexual predator. https://t.co/ADIlh9M1NA

— Cernovich (@Cernovich) June 7, 2019

Peter Bright, a pedophile, also attacked my reporting.

This man was arrested for allegedly soliciting sex with children.

Story here: https://t.co/752c2P1zr2

As you can see, there is a pattern to people in the media who attack me. https://t.co/vr8yxiN1SM

— Cernovich (@Cernovich) June 7, 2019

Peter Bright isn’t the first pedophile to harass me or my family, as a Columbia University Student and member of their student newspaper led a protest against me during my college talk.

Peter Bright also amplified this harassment campaign against my family and interacted with my stalkers and those who have threatened my daughter.

It’s not mere hype to say that evil and powerful media voices are seeking to silence me, but we will continue to fight back.

“Ambition must be made to counteract ambition.” – Federalist No. 51.

Robert Mueller did not indict President Donald Trump for obstruction of justice, nor could he have even if there were evidence of a crime. This is due to the very design of the Constitution. Moreover it’s dishonest for legal scholars to claim it’s “undemocratic” that a sitting President can’t be indicted.

The Structure of the Constitution and Separation of Powers.

The Constitution vests powers into three separate but co-equal branches of government – Legislative, Executive, and Judicial. The powers of the respective branches of government are enumerated in Articles I, II, and III in the Constitution itself.

Article 2 of the Constitution lists the powers of the Executive branch, and reads, “The executive Power shall be vested in a President of the United States of America.”

The power to prosecute is an executive power. That’s why the President appoints federal prosecutors in each district.

To understand the role of separated powers plays, think of it like this: Congress writes the laws that define crimes, which the President signs. The Executive branch enforces those laws. And the Judiciary interprets them.

If you’re pulled over with a brick of marijuana in your car, you’ll be prosecuted by the Department of Justice (Executive) because transporting marijuana is a crime (as defined in the United States Code, the body of laws written by the Legislative branch). A judge will determine whether the law is constitutional or if your rights were already violated.

“But it’s undemocratic that Trump can’t be indicted,” you might say.

Trump is an elected official. Mueller was not elected. How would it be democratic for an unelected official to disrupt the ability of the highest elected official to govern?

The obstruction of justice paradox.

The power to prosecute resides within the Presidency. How then could you obstruct your own investigation?

Imagine Hillary Clinton had been elected POTUS. A US Attorney in Iowa, looking to make a name for herself, decides to indict Clinton for various crimes.

Would that be democratic?

If President Clinton had fired the US Attorney, would that be obstruction? Why? The power gives President Clinton that power.

The democratic remedy against Trump is impeachment.

Article 1 of the Constitution provides:

The House of Representatives shall chuse their Speaker and other Officers; and shall have the sole Power of Impeachment.

Furthermore:

The Senate shall have the sole Power to try all Impeachments. When sitting for that Purpose, they shall be on Oath or Affirmation. When the President of the United States is tried, the Chief Justice shall preside: And no Person shall be convicted without the Concurrence of two thirds of the Members present.

Judgment in Cases of Impeachment shall not extend further than to removal from Office, and disqualification to hold and enjoy any Office of honor, Trust or Profit under the United States: but the Party convicted shall nevertheless be liable and subject to Indictment, Trial, Judgment and Punishment, according to Law.

Democratic officials (Article I) have the power to remove a democratically-elected official (Article II).

The system is functioning exactly as it should be.

By the way, to get a sense for what the United States has lost, and to understand how far into the gutter so-called legal scholars have dragged us, read the full excerpt from Federalist No. 51.

The interest of the man must be connected with the constitutional rights of the place. It may be a reflection on human nature, that such devices should be necessary to control the abuses of government. But what is government itself, but the greatest of all reflections on human nature? If men were angels, no government would be necessary. If angels were to govern men, neither external nor internal controls on government would be necessary. In framing a government which is to be administered by men over men, the great difficulty lies in this: you must first enable the government to control the governed; and in the next place oblige it to control itself.

Could you imagine such insights coming from any modern legal commentator or observer?

P.S. If you enjoyed this article, listen to the full podcast about Trump and Mueller here.

Gossip mongers and wannabe Internet e-celebrities are claiming I’m “anti-Christian.” This is a silly claim but it’s catching on, so why not use some jiu jitsu on their drama and get more people reading me here?

Anyhow, Hoaxed Movie was co-directed by Christians. They are the kind of Christians who pray at meals. They also have better uses of their time than to cry about a Cerno Tweet.

They thanked their prayer group and also Jesus Christ in the ending credits to Hoaxed.

The director of cinematography is also a Christian.

Netflix is threatening to shut down operations in Georgia unless the state allows open access to abortions:

Netflix’s Chief Content Officer Ted Sarandos suggested that the streaming service is considering boycotting Georgia in light of the state’s “fetal heartbeat” abortion ban, the NYT reports.

Although I don’t have strong opinions about abortions, I do have strong opinions about community organizing.

You can’t get a bunch of Christians to boycott Netflix?

Over 20,000 people unfollowed me over a Tweet about Christianity and Islam.

What if those 20,000 anger mongers picked up their phones and called Netflix customer support to cancel their subscriptions.

But that would require righteous action rather than demonic rage.

When UK schools wanted to mandate sex education for children, Muslims banded together and pulled their children from school:

An estimated 600 Muslim children have been withdrawn from a school in protest against lessons about homosexuality and gender equality. The pupils, aged between 4 and 11, are being kept home from Parkfield Community School in Birmingham to protest the school’s ‘No Outsiders’ programme, which teaches children about LGBT lifestyles.

(I also don’t have strong opinions on sex-ed. My point is about activism and impact. Muslims show up. Christians don’t.)

I can hear the excuses now…If Christians did that, the media would attack them.

And so what? Have you not read the Bible?

Blessed are ye, when men shall revile you, and persecute you, and shall say all manner of evil against you falsely, for my sake. (Matthew 5:11.)

Also, the fear Christians have is overblown. If Christians showed up to protest, one or two parents would be singled out. But as long as Christians held the line and had the backs of everyone targeted, then Christians would win.

The minority rule will show us how it all it takes is a small number of intolerant virtuous people with skin in the game, in the form of courage, for society to function properly.

I know a lot of people want to use my name for clicks, and that’s part of the game. But those of you who “like” me and are confused, get your priorities in order.

Stand up for yourselves.

Organize a boycott.

Stop crying about how Christians are being bullied. There are over 70 million of you in the country. Get on the phone with Netflix and demand they apologize for promoting aborting and funding anti-Christian products. Or cancel your Netflix subscriptions.

P.S. Remember that gossiping is a sin.

For I am afraid that when I come I may not find you as I want you to be, and you may not find me as you want me to be. I fear that there may be discord, jealousy, fits of rage, selfish ambition, slander, gossip, arrogance and disorder. (2 Corinthians 12:20)

P.P.S. And be sure to leave a review for Hoaxed Movie here.