Caffeine and Nicotine

D

Drew

New member
A friend of mine and I were having a discussion on the effects of caffeine and nicotine on shooting performance.

I rarely drink anything with caffeine, but I do smoke occasionally. I was wondering if anyone had quit either of the two and noticed an improvement in shooting accuracy. Or do you guys think that it has no effect?
 
My experience is caffeine is detrimental to good shooting. If you are a heavy smoker as I was for 40 years, then doing without will give you the shakes. Best to quit, however.
This from a guy who smoked 5 packs a day for 40 years.

marsh

[This message has been edited by marsh (edited October 30, 1999).]
 
The last time I quit smoking, I thought I'd distract myself by spending more time at the range. That didn't work out well at all!!! ;)
 
If you normally consume a lot of caffeine during your day, you become used to the chemical reaction in your body and there are no shakes or negative reaction to said caffeine. However, if you normally consume a lot of caffeine and quit, your body will react to the loss of stimulation. You can get the shakes and suffer massive headaches.

If you don't consume much caffeine and your body is not used to the reaction of caffeine, upon consuming a large amount of caffeine you will experience the same shakes and headaches as the Caffeine user does when he or she goes cold turkey, so to speak.

You can become poisoned from too much caffeine but the amount of coffee or colas required to reach the poisoned stage is beyond the ability of anyone to consume. You would die from other medical problems resulting from the ingestion of that much liquid before suffering from caffeine poisoning.

Boy, its a good thing I just read an article on caffeine just yesterday. ;)

I have no knowledge of the effects of cigarettes on shooting. Unless you insist on smoking while operating a reloading press.

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Ne Conjuge Nobiscum
"If there be treachery, let there be jehad!"
 
From my experiences I would say caffiene WILL affect ability, smoking may, but probably not. That is unless you don't smoke and decide to start at the range, then you'll be too busy hacking and gagging to even worry about the target. ;)
I smoke about a pack a day, and I have won four state championships, so whether I would've shot better if I didn't smoke remains to be seen. I worry more about getting the "shakes" from hunger than from anything else.

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Happiness is a tight group!
 
Any specific human performance will be influenced by 1. Training 2. Physical Condition 3. Diet 4. Mental and Emotional State. Smoking puts a big hurt on your potential. Caffeine is a drug and has a place in usefull pharmacology. Nicotine although a drug, is useless to anyone who wants to grow.
 
Any time I want to hit what I aim at, I avoid coffee/caffeine. As an ex-smoker, I don't feel nicotine effected my marksmanship one way or the other.

BTW, Elmer Keith recommended a shot or two of whisky to calm the nerves on match day in one of his books, Sixguns by Keith, I believe it was.
Of course this was in the days of "I don't need no stinkin' ear plugs!"

WHAT?

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Just one of the Good Guys
 
I drank a lot of pop and coffee when I was heavy into competition. I also went through a half a can of chewing tobacco a day. I managed to achieve Master Class in PPC, PMA/NMSS, Action Pistol, etc. as well as win a whole room full of trophies.

I quit chewing tobacco years ago and I drink decaffeinated pop and coffee. I feel much better now and I am not as fatigued. From personal experience, I would say giving up nicotine and caffeine would improve your performance. In my case, I went from a good shooter to a consistently good shooter.

Most “World Class” shooters (in all disciplines) do not use tobacco nor do they drink beverages high in caffeine whether they are in “training” or not. Having said that, I must admit that many matches have been won by hung over shooters who use one eye and had nothing but a Camel and cup of coffee for breakfast. But those times are forever gone.
 
Only anecdotal evidence -- but it's mine.

If I have a cup of coffee before leaving for the range -- no problems.

But -- if I have a coffee or a "full-strength" Coke between details -- I can feel (and see) the tremors.

I smoke 8 - 10 cigarettes a day (used to be 70 Winston a day -- but I cut back a wee tad ;)) and it doesn't seem to affect me at this stage.

B
 
Your REAL problem with nicotine is the stuff they sell it mixed with; That tobacco will KILL you. Too bad the FDA won't let the nicotine companies sell their product unless it's mixed with a very poisonous plant... I shudder when I think how many lives that government policy has cost!

My understanding of the medical effects of both these stimulants is thus: (Keep in mind I took my last physiology course about 15 years ago!) The body will adapt to a moderate input of just about any stimulant. If you drink caffine regularly, or smoke, the only way they're likely to effect your performance is if you either take an unusually large dose, or stop taking them, immediately before the effort. This puts your body into a condition it's not adapted to. For some athletic events requiring fast reflexes and maximum exertion, but NOT a lot of fine motor control, caffeine has been shown to improve performance marginally, but only if you're not habituated to it. Marksmanship is obviously NOT one of these events!

Now, I said "moderate". Don't know about nicotine, but caffeine causes neurotransmitters to be released in your brain, but does NOTHING to promote their replacement. Over-use of this stimulant eventually exausts your neurotransmitter stores, at which point caffiene ceases to be an effective stimulant, and it becomes VERY difficult to think, or do anything else requiring a nervous system, until you've had an opportunity to rebuild them. Which can take from hours to days, depending on a number of factors.

There ARE "smart drinks" available mail order and at health food stores, which combine caffiene with nutrients which are precursors to the effected neurotransmitters, so that you don't suffer this effect. Sadly, these nutrients, like choline, taste REALLY bad, so nobody is going to chug these beverages down for the taste. You might think of them as over the counter uppers with minimal side effects.

Now, interestingly, there is a drug, used for treating narcolepsy, which will keep a normal person awake and alert for DAYS at a time, with no apparent side effects. Naturally, it's strictly controlled.

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Sic semper tyranus!
 
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