Drinking Henny wrote:
Never had coffee in my life
Neither have I, but I still used to ingest a lot of caffeine via Diet Coke. After my little heart attack I was told not to take caffeine (I already didn't smoke or drink alcohol), and I mostly have not.
The exceptions:
If I'm going to be driving for several hours, I sometimes will have some caffeine midway as a precaution against drowsiness.
I walked a marathon earlier this year, and about an hour before the race I had ~20oz. of Diet Coke, for caffeine's documented benefits on endurance. Seemed to work great.
Having been "clean" from caffeine for a long time, I *really* notice its effects on the rare occasions that I use it. Alertness, yes; but sleeplessness that night is pretty much a given.
And BITD when I would occasionally quit caffeine for a few days, I definitely noticed the withdrawal headache. Best way to avoid that in future: don't resume a caffeine habit.