Inhaling Caffeine

""I never had any idea whether anyone reads or ponders anything I write on Aish, because I don't go back. It would be grand to have some idea if we are heard, without going back."" ~~~~~~~ Ruth, I read all of your comments. I always learn from your thoughts and your insights. Thank you for them.

Interesting concept- does not at all appeal to me, as I savor the aesthetics of a hot cup of coffee especially first thing in the morning. Warms me up, tastes good, and gets my whole system going (gasterointestinally too, like clockwork!). How would we dunk our biscotti? donuts? And most importantly, sharing a cup of coffee with a friend, coworker, date, ...."come join me for a sniff"? Getting together for a short cup of coffee is a very social mechanism. Not going to phase out anytime soon. I remain, loyal to my cup.

If it's allowed on Yom Kipper.....I'll take mine to go!!

This new product would rather be labelled INSANE: I= IRRATIONAL N=NEEDS S=STIMULATE A=AMERICAN N=NATIVE E=ENTREPRENEURSHIP

Since caffeine is available in numerous forms like coke, jolt and chocolate with/without numerous other fattening additives and chemicals I think a quick spray may be better than a pill or the other previous unhealthy alternatives.

There are other considerations beside the "instant" ones you fear. On the positive side, the ease of being able to carry around the product in one's pocket or purse; not having to prepare it; and perhaps its biggest advantage is that, unlike coffee, using it won't require an instant trip to the bathroom! I think it's a great idea!

Caffeine is a diuretic; a substance that induces your body to urinate. If anything, this product may make you thirsty and/or dehydrated

So, something new everyday, right? I really don't know what to think of this new one. But then again, what did people say when we had instant electricity? Yet we use it everyday. How about phones, emails, texting? I love these things. But Iove the coffee, the hot liquid, the taste, etc. Too bad for these people who would actually use these products. I guess it still needs to be seen what the side effects will be...

The problem with products like these is the addiction to stimulants that people have developed, and how this is just another way to get high. Most people just don't realize it due to long term use of caffeine, and how minimal of high it is. Much like cigarettes this is one of those legal and addictive substances that is out there for consumers. The idea that you should spend time to brew a pot of coffee rather then use an inhaler is somehow better is absolutely idiotic. Some people have really busy lives, and the time to grind and brew what is consider a good cup of coffee is not always available on a weekday. The utility of the product should be the first issue questioned, gratification is an issue that can be applied to anything else. Would you rather take a boat to Israel because of how much more gratifying the arrival would be rather then the flight? If anything this may be a smarter way to go about depending on the over all energy consumed to create the product. This could be a great way to save time, and also calories for an over weight obese society. You should be concerned with how the end user will put this new option in to use. This comes down to educating consumers/people how to approach what is available in the market place to them with a smart and health conscience point of view. The product itself is irrelevant. I personally don't drink coffee anymore, because I don't like my body dealing with too many stimulants at one time. NYC air gives us enough to try to digest. I still make a cup for my rabbi in the morning.

Plenty of earnest, responsible people have a regular coffee habit which they use to get lots of important, legitimate work done in their busy lives. Caffeine is not only about "instant satisfaction". It fuels modern society in which people work long, demanding hours which require levels of concentration and effort many people can't manage without help. Let's not turn that into a moral failing.

No Rabbi Solomon, you are not being too sensitive. We are living in the mesichta d'meshichta, and as a baalas teshuva of 7 years who was fed up with the growing immorality and self-gratification of the secular world I lived in for 25 years, I chose to embrace Judaism because it is the complete OPPOSITE of everything our society is throwing at us. I think this new drug parallels a lot of crazy things that are now open to the public, that NEVER should be OPEN to the public and should remain in the private domain. For example, you can now buy a testing kit to check your sperm count or the sex of your baby once you're already pregnanct, at ANY drug store.This is an abomination! What's the point of this? So everyone should know you have fertility problems when you're buying the sperm count kit at the drug store, or you can decide if you're unhappy with the gender Hashem sent you because it's "wrong" and chaz veshalom decide to abort? Rabbi, all the wrong messages are being sent more and more every day by the way our elected leaders do their leading, by the technology that becomes available to all that shouldn't be, and just the plain lack of tzniut, respect where it should be properly shown, and sense of propriety/morality. Moshiach needs to come yesterday--we need Hashem to send Him and save us more than ever! The darkness is sweltering and choking all of us. Please Hashem, we need you and we want you and we long for you--bring us Home Now! Rabbi, follow your instincts--Hashem gave them to you for a reason. I'll tell you why. Last year I wanted to win a wig from Chinese auction for a mother of 8 who lives near me and has no money for one, and hers is falling apart. I davened to Hashem if He sent me one, I'd give it to her. Well, what of all things did I win last month! You got it, a wig! Yep, I kept my promise and gave it to her! If your inclincations are from the heart and of a moral Torah-inspired cause, you can't be wrong!!

Just about everyday, I've been taking a shot or 2 of 5-hour Energy since it is convenient, kosher, and tastes better than coffee, tea, and Mountain Dew to me. However, I have to manage not overdoing such instant caffeine, because it can raise blood pressure...As for these caffeine inhalers, that's news to me. I've also heard of a "Sheet" which is a small strip of caffeine, similar to Listerine pocket packs.

I love coffee

Good Morning Rabbi,..........Aeroshot is new to me, but just another in a long line of instant gratifications to make money for the manufacturer. Instead of brewing a pot of coffee, and savoring the flavor and aroma, and feeling the warmth of the liquid in their cup, they would have us shoot some up our noses or in our mouths. (makes ya' feel good fast they say?) Instead of picking a flower and enjoying the fragrance and tactile beauty of it, airwick would have us instantly pump chemicals in our homes, (they say that will relax us) Those who like beer have to drink a lot and drink fast to get that high they need. (if you have a beer bong) So, a shot and a beer delivers that gratifing high almost instantly. Foodaholics won't even take time to enjoy dinner. They ask for a big bowl with chicken, lettuce, french fries, vegetables, and cheese all sloped together with 1/2 cup of dressing so they can shovel it in faster. So....... No not surprised by the coffee shot, nor the snorting cocaine or heroin by a needle, or a pill to put you up and another pill to bring you down. A pill to lose weight fast and another to correct the side effects of the last one. People are nuts........... They will eat, drink, inject, or snort anything. - - - - - - - - - I don't think the coffee thing is a good idea but neither are any of the above.

Thank you Rabbi for letting me know that such a product was around. Apparently it is not a puffer. The method of delivery is a sucking action. The instructions say that one should take 4-6 puffs. That represents one cup of coffee. Since the system is not metered, one can really suck out all the caffeine in couple of slurps. The warning label states that one should not have more than 3 of these a day. Now, to your excellent comments Rabbi. Do imagine a drug dealer in an alley taking his drugs. Imagine him looking around to make sure that nobody sees him. Now, imagine that one is at a busy airport and one has this AeroShot. Now, juxtapose the drug user and the person taking AeroShot. Imagine the AeroShot user looking around as he slurps the caffeine out. 'Anyone looking?' 'I hope I didn't get this on my tie!' Or, sucking out some caffeine, being generous, you decide to share: "Hey, Shlomo, would you like some?" I have no idea if the FDA has looked at this and I do not know if this is something that is within their jurisdiction. A Harvard university professor has given his blessings so I cannot pretend that I know something. I do know that one of the ingredients is Vitamin B. If it is Vitamin B6 then one has to be careful because B6 does interact with some important medications including blood pressure, arthritis, asthma and more. Thank you Rabbi, again, for giving me an opportunity to think. I find this product insulting. Whatever the food or beverage may be, it is not to be 'just used'. It is a communal blessing. We are not animals consuming it in back alleys or for the sake of a fix wherever we are.

How will it be sold? Is it over the counter? Is it considered a food? Have you heard of Sen Dick Durbin of Illinois trying to do away with anything that was not around in 1994 with his supplement bill? If he gets what he wants, it will disappear before you even get to try it. He also wants double blind testing. The problem is that giving caffeine to a dog in huge doses to figure out if it is good for a human would not cover the social aspect of humans using it. The people who probably need it the most, the elderly to stay sharp, probably won't be able to take it because it would keep them up. I am a little worried about losing my Agave Syrup a sugar substitute and Braggs Liquid Amino Acids a salt substitute, under Durbin’s bill. Also the one thing I want decent scientific testing of, genetically modified foods and foods genetically modified by adding living organisms to them, are exempt from his bill. They plan to either have the government choose which companies get the contracts to produce all the supplements for the country, like Vitamin C, or turn it over to doctors to be prescribed. Either way the price will go up and many things will disappear. Also I think things will end up causing allergies, and also being unkosher, how else to describe the unnatural mating of a salmon with eels to produce the genetically modified GM farm salmon not labeled either that the biotech companies are working towards getting onto the market? Humanity may be headed in that direction, but I think future generations will miss out. Personally I enjoy sipping my hot coffee.