[EDITED] I recommend tea (black, green, oolong or white—i.e. white leaves, not with milk). As well as being rather lower in caffeine than coffee, tea includes L-theanine, which (a) increases the benefits of caffeine (viz. attention, accuracy, energy) and (b) counteracts jitters and headaches from caffeine.
Oolong tea usually has a bit more caffeine than the others, though green & white teas have a somewhat better ratio of L-theanine to caffeine. But caffeine and L-theanine contents are very variable anyway.
Seems like a good middle ground, especially depending on the person or as an alternative to quitting cold turkey. But the active ingredient is still basically the same, which has been in use for thousands of years (like alcohol) and probably started before humans were very good at self-evaluation and problem solving.
[EDITED] I recommend tea (black, green, oolong or white—i.e. white leaves, not with milk). As well as being rather lower in caffeine than coffee, tea includes L-theanine, which (a) increases the benefits of caffeine (viz. attention, accuracy, energy) and (b) counteracts jitters and headaches from caffeine.
Oolong tea usually has a bit more caffeine than the others, though green & white teas have a somewhat better ratio of L-theanine to caffeine. But caffeine and L-theanine contents are very variable anyway.
https://examine.com/supplements/theanine/research/#nutrient-nutrient-interactions_caffeine
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4787341/
Seems like a good middle ground, especially depending on the person or as an alternative to quitting cold turkey. But the active ingredient is still basically the same, which has been in use for thousands of years (like alcohol) and probably started before humans were very good at self-evaluation and problem solving.