aaronjw Posted February 9, 2013 Report Share Posted February 9, 2013 :eek: :eek: Mike and Trina swear by their coffee. He enjoys a fine espresso grind, which is "on the cold side"; she prefers a "saturated blend" that is "warm and thicker." The St. Petersburg, Fla., couple refuses to drink the caffeinated beverage, which they say is bad for their health. Instead, they use it as an enema. They each have at least 100 coffee enemas a month, 6,000 in all since their addiction began two years ago. "I started the whole debacle," Trina, who did not want to reveal her last name, told ABCNews.com. "Then it took on a life of its own. I twice tried to stop and felt worse, so I do this every day and as much as I can. But it's very time-consuming." "I love the way it makes me feel," said Trina. "It gives me a sense of euphoria." The couple admits they perform their caffeinated enema at least four times a day. Once, Trina said she did "nine or 10" in a 24-hour period. Her husband Mike, 45, said he initially thought, "Oh my god, how disgusting," but then he tried it, "and now I am addicted." TLC has outdone itself in the fourth season of "My Strange Addiction," which always carries the warning "do not attempt" this at home. The couple heats up the coffee on the stove and injects the liquid into their colons to clean out their lower intestines. In its premiere of the first of eight new episodes on Feb. 13 at 10 p.m. ET, the show will also highlight Lisa, a middle-aged woman from Detroit who eats cat fur, grooming her pet with her own tongue. In subsequent episodes, a woman is addicted to bee stings and another one inhales more than 30 jars of vapor rub every week. In the season finale, a woman is addicted to drinking blood. As for Mike and Trina, for the past two years they have been "unable to function" without their coffee enema, a ritual that takes five hours of planning and executing each day. They fill a 32-ounce bucket with coffee and deliver it to their lower intestine via a Vaseline-coated hose. "That's the freaky part," Trina said. "So I try to relax." While she administers her enema, Trina listens to music, catches up on TV shows and tweets. "I even play Sudoku," she said. But these enemas can be tricky: "I make a quick transition from the floor to the toilet seat," said Mike. "It comes flying out like a torrent." His mother Jan is concerned about their habit, which she says is "kind of gross." They are so addicted, they won't travel or leave the house for long periods of time. Fortunately, they each work from home. The habit began after Trina had a series of issues with her health. "I had a lot of stomach problems, digestive problems with my kidney and my liver," she said. "I started research and it led into coffee enemas and I really started to feel the benefit. I felt like I was living for the first time in years." When she stopped the coffee enemas recently, Trina said she ended up the emergency room with kidney stones. Neither Trina nor her husband had, up until then, visited a doctor in years. Caffeine can cause problems with dehydration and high blood pressure. Her family worries they will have a heart attack. But will they quit? "Not a chance," said Mike. "We can't live without them," echoed Trina. Dr. Roshini Rajapaksa, assistant professor of medicine and a gastroenterologist at NYU Medical Center, said she would never recommend coffee enemas. "There's a down side and really no up side to it," she said. Sometimes known as Gerson therapy, coffee enemas and other cleansing rituals purport to improve health and even fight cancer, claims that are false, according to Rajapaksa. "They claim it's a way of detoxifying and might even be an alternative to cancer treatment," she said. "There is definitely no evidence and I would hate for someone to forego [proven medical] treatment." "The bottom line is there is not any beneficial effect and there is some risk associated with any enema and, in particular, using coffee," said Rajapaksa. Enemas in general should only be used on the recommendation or guidance of a medical professional. Any liquid used as enema would have the same effect, she said, making the person defecate. "Whenever you are inserting something into the rectum there is a danger of causing a tear in the lining," she said. "Over using enemas can sometimes lead to dehydration and it can basically lead to a decrease in bowel function." When ingested, caffeine is a cathartic that causes the colon to contract and "move along," according to Rajapaksa. But when injected into the colon, caffeine can cause irritation. "If it's a warm liquid you are using, then it can cause internal burns and some of the caffeine can be absorbed and those sensitive to caffeine, like pregnant women, have to be careful," she said. As for Mike and Trina, they eventually seek help at the encouragement of her teenage son from a first marriage, Taylor. "I don't want to get the phone call one day that you've keeled over from a heart attack," Taylor tells his mother in the TV series. "I want you to go see a doctor." Mike admits he has cut back on the practice, telling ABCNews.com, "I don't do it daily anymore. It's a little time-consuming so I do like maintenance. I am not a medical professional, but I haven't had any complications or health problems." And he is tolerant of his wife's addiction, he said, "because I love her." http://abcnews.go.com/Health/florida-couple-addicted-coffee-enemas/story?id=18433235 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cleverusername Posted February 9, 2013 Report Share Posted February 9, 2013 tl;dr, but i take 2 200mg caffeine pills a day So that's like what, 2 cups of coffee a day? Does it provide the same effects as regular coffee? Do you notice any negative side effects? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Birdy Posted February 9, 2013 Report Share Posted February 9, 2013 1 cup of coffee i think is around 100mg-150mg so it's around 3 cups of coffee a day no negative side effects unless you're dumb and take 5 pills at once i don't even know why people drink coffee, it's expensive and inconvenient (besides the fact that it tastes "good") compared to pills a bottle of 100 200mg caffeine pills costs $9.95, the same amount of caffeine in espresso shots/coffee at starbucks will cost you 150 times more money oh and when you take these before exams, you don't have the urgency to go to the washroom like you do with liquid coffee... the caffeine pills took me from a high 80 average to a mid 90 average =) I make my own coffee (or drink the free coffee at the mature students lounge) and it really isn't expensive. I get a 1kg can of Folgers on sale for $8 and that lasts me six or so weeks. It is expensive if you drink Starbucks daily, true. There's a social aspect to it as well, though. My friends and I have our coffees together in the mornings, and over lunch when we get together to study. My husband and I make each others coffees in the morning and know how the other takes theirs (not as an enema, fortunately LOL.) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cleverusername Posted February 10, 2013 Report Share Posted February 10, 2013 1 cup of coffee i think is around 100mg-150mg so it's around 3 cups of coffee a day no negative side effects unless you're dumb and take 5 pills at once i don't even know why people drink coffee, it's expensive and inconvenient (besides the fact that it tastes "good") compared to pills a bottle of 100 200mg caffeine pills costs $9.95, the same amount of caffeine in espresso shots/coffee at starbucks will cost you 150 times more money oh and when you take these before exams, you don't have the urgency to go to the washroom like you do with liquid coffee... the caffeine pills took me from a high 80 average to a mid 90 average =) The bathroom thing is important. I hate writing an exam and having to go to the bathroom because I loaded up on coffee beforehand. If it's the same effects as coffee without any negatives, I think I'll try these pills you speak of. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pink Tulip Posted February 10, 2013 Report Share Posted February 10, 2013 No. I could never imagine having to wake up every morning and make a cup of coffee in order to survive. I knew people who worked in Tim Horton's starting at 4 am and never drank coffee. They'd always laugh at the people coming in at 6 or 7 complaining about how they're sleepy because they haven't had their coffee yet (excusing themselves for making money mistakes or something else). Never want to be dependent on that. Plus so much money... Though I have tried a cold brew and a regular brew of my friend who is a barista's special coffee from their shop. If I ever drank it, it would be to taste and not to wake up. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cleverusername Posted February 10, 2013 Report Share Posted February 10, 2013 very highly addicting though (more physically addicting than just the mental addiction from coffee) get the ones from a supplement store like popeyes or GNC if you're going to get one though, nothing from walmart is good Yea, I was going to research it a little before I bought. Good to know. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jochi1543 Posted February 11, 2013 Report Share Posted February 11, 2013 Drinking coffee is not expensive, it's the going out to buy coffee made by someone else that's expensive. We buy a huge vat of regular and decaf coffee at Costco and then just mix them in whatever seems like a reasonable proportion depending on the time of day. Probably spend $20/month on coffee for 2 people, and I chug coffee all day. I haven't noticed it being that addictive. It certainly gives me a noticeable boost when working out, but on days when I don't have coffee in the morning, I haven't noticed any withdrawal. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
axialpac Posted February 11, 2013 Report Share Posted February 11, 2013 No. I could never imagine having to wake up every morning and make a cup of coffee in order to survive. I knew people who worked in Tim Horton's starting at 4 am and never drank coffee. They'd always laugh at the people coming in at 6 or 7 complaining about how they're sleepy because they haven't had their coffee yet (excusing themselves for making money mistakes or something else). Never want to be dependent on that. Plus so much money... Though I have tried a cold brew and a regular brew of my friend who is a barista's special coffee from their shop. If I ever drank it, it would be to taste and not to wake up. I agree. I know someone who has a bad addiction to coffee to the point where they get a headache if they don't drink their morning cup of coffee, and the subsequent cups throughout the day . . . that was enough to put me off. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lolelol Posted February 11, 2013 Report Share Posted February 11, 2013 I haven't noticed it being that addictive. It certainly gives me a noticeable boost when working out, but on days when I don't have coffee in the morning, I haven't noticed any withdrawal. It has different effects on different people, I chug coffee all day too and I don't get any symptoms on the weekends when I'm off the good stuff but some of my friends get monster headaches (that we've actually experimented with just to make sure it was the coffee withdrawal) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
All_nighter05 Posted February 11, 2013 Report Share Posted February 11, 2013 What's addicting about the caffeine pills? I really haven't noticed an addiction with coffee/caffeine yet, and I've been drinking/taking it for years now. I've taken ~6x100 mg (spaced out) in a night at times and I'm fine. And personally, there's something about drinking a hot drink that wakes me up more than taking the pills... have you noticed that too? Just noticed how perfectly my username fits with the thread and my post... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Icebox Posted February 11, 2013 Report Share Posted February 11, 2013 Do people not read the original posts of threads anymore? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FrenchToast Posted February 11, 2013 Report Share Posted February 11, 2013 Do people not read the original posts of threads anymore? I was just going to say that! You read my mind. ~*~ Nice article aaronjw. It made me lol. I like how you made an ironic title and people just read the title, not the article. ~*~ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Exocytosis Posted February 11, 2013 Report Share Posted February 11, 2013 As for Mike and Trina, for the past two years they have been "unable to function" without their coffee enema, a ritual that takes five hours of planning and executing each day. Five hours a day? Sounds like a real pain in the ass. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
markov79 Posted February 11, 2013 Report Share Posted February 11, 2013 Five hours a day? Sounds like a real pain in the ass. LOLOL 10 char. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
IgnoranceReductase Posted February 11, 2013 Report Share Posted February 11, 2013 Five hours a day? Sounds like a real pain in the ass. That's what lube is for. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cerena Posted February 11, 2013 Report Share Posted February 11, 2013 My Favourite bit: Dr. Roshini Rajapaksa, assistant professor of medicine and a gastroenterologist at NYU Medical Center, said she would never recommend coffee enemas. "There's a down side and really no up side to it," she said. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
apache Posted February 12, 2013 Report Share Posted February 12, 2013 despite my ridiculously high dose of amphetamines i'm tired as **** if i don't get my 1200 mg of caffeine a day... coffee to me is... wow tl;dr, but i take 2 200mg caffeine pills a day Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
apache Posted February 12, 2013 Report Share Posted February 12, 2013 basically acts as an antagonist at a couple adenosine receptors which prevent dopaminergic output and vasoconstriction... highly responsive via feedback nuclear modulation and rna transcription so if your competitive antagonist aint there... your vasodilatory and dopamineless What's addicting about the caffeine pills? I really haven't noticed an addiction with coffee/caffeine yet, and I've been drinking/taking it for years now. I've taken ~6x100 mg (spaced out) in a night at times and I'm fine. And personally, there's something about drinking a hot drink that wakes me up more than taking the pills... have you noticed that too? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jochi1543 Posted February 12, 2013 Report Share Posted February 12, 2013 Do people not read the original posts of threads anymore? Yeah, we do, but really, I think our views on coffee enemas are likely the same, hence why I think most of us have chosen to simply discuss coffee, haha. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Islandcrazy Posted February 12, 2013 Report Share Posted February 12, 2013 I agree. I know someone who has a bad addiction to coffee to the point where they get a headache if they don't drink their morning cup of coffee, and the subsequent cups throughout the day . . . that was enough to put me off. That is the typical withdrawal effect for coffee and it has happened to me. However I have learned that drinking a tea in its place for a few days helps and by the end of week you need neither coffee or tea. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
apache Posted February 12, 2013 Report Share Posted February 12, 2013 haha, so bang on Yeah, we do, but really, I think our views on coffee enemas are likely the same, hence why I think most of us have chosen to simply discuss coffee, haha. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
apache Posted February 12, 2013 Report Share Posted February 12, 2013 i've quit coffee for 14 days and literally cannot function not on it, consider i can drop high dose amphetamines cold turkey... meh, mild w/d effects for a day at most... paradoxically ive smoked like a pack (roughly 3/4) a month for years to the aberrant chain smoking of half a pack and never feel the urge to pick up the habit... weird eh That is the typical withdrawal effect for coffee and it has happened to me. However I have learned that drinking a tea in its place for a few days helps and by the end of week you need neither coffee or tea. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Juggtastic Posted February 13, 2013 Report Share Posted February 13, 2013 dont like coffee. teas though, are great. davids&tea ftw. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
alissa Posted February 13, 2013 Report Share Posted February 13, 2013 love the whole experience of both making and drinking a perfect cappuccino, latte or espresso. It can be magic watching the espresso shot pour. The aroma begins and the rest is pure pleasure. My experiences in Starbucks were disappointing. Always too weak for my taste. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kylamonkey Posted February 13, 2013 Report Share Posted February 13, 2013 very highly addicting though (more physically addicting than just the mental addiction from coffee) get the ones from a supplement store like popeyes or GNC if you're going to get one though, nothing from walmart is good It is NOT "more highly addicting", it can't be. It's all the same drug. If I'm taking caffeine simply for the caffeine, then pills are the way to go. Portable and lightweight, way, way cheaper, and... a standardized dosage. That last fact might make it less problematic since you always know what you're taking. Does a pharmacologist want to weigh in here? I have quit cold turkey but then I always go right back to my previous levels. Am I addicted, sure, but at 300mg (about 3 cups of coffee per day) I am not that upset by it. As a teacher, it helps me talk. If I'm going to be talking for 9 hours straight, I want my talky juice. It also has performancing enhancing properties for athletics (especially training). I first started taking them during races (5-6 day sleep deprivation races) because it was not practical to carry a thermos on your back while running through the bush for 3 days in a race. Everything needs to be lightweight and so why bother carrying real coffee? It was actually my teammates (a med student and an ER doc) who took them along. I like the ones from walmart the best, actually. They dissolve faster. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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