Caffeine Addiction Is Caffeine Really A Drug?

[Yuripro84 0]

As many of you may have heard, caffeine can be considered a drug to some. What are your opinions on this subject?

 

Obviously, like any drug, caffeine can affect some, while others can be unaffected. For example, I drink soda, usually two cans a day. Now, I have gone sometimes a week or two without soda though, clearly stating it has no control over me, but I have heard it can affect others in strange ways. For some caffeine consumers, if they go too long with it, they will get headaches, nausea, etc. But I rarely see this is people. This is most people's defense when it comes to saying caffeine is a drug, but I feel not enough people are actually affected this way for it to be considered a drug.

 

On the other hand, what is a drug? I found this on Wikipedia.org:

However more strict applications of the word prevail in everyday life. In these cases the word "drug" is usually used to refer specifically to medicine, vitamins, entheogenic sacraments, consciousness expanding or recreational drugs.

I also found this under caffeine:

Caffeine is a central nervous system (CNS) stimulant, having the effect of temporarily warding off drowsiness and restoring alertness.,

but you already knew that, right? For anyone who doesn't know what a stimulant is, it's a drug that temporarily increase alertness and wakefulness.

 

So, caffeine is a drug, no matter how you see it, when you get down to the bare facts, right? Or did I read something wrong. Before I was bored enough to research and post about this, I thought it wasn't a drug Feel free to comment, but please, no flaming.

 

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quote tags added to information which is not original, as required by the Xisto readme.

[master_bacarra 0]

i rarely drink coffee. i only drink it if i have chocolate mix at home. i prepare probably just a tablespoon of coffee along with that chocolate mix. but overall, you rarely will see me drinking coffee. i only drink lemon iced tea, fruit juices and water. i sometimes drink soda if we're dining with really great food. but that's just about it. i have other ways of keeping myself awake, and drinking coffee isn't one of them. i'd probably consider that if i'm on a deadline and i need to stay awake for it.

[shadowx 0]

Id say it is a drug because i think im slightly addicted to it. A year back i was coming up to exams and i though what better of a start then a can of caffinated energy drink, namely red bull. So i drunk a can every morning for a week or two and that carried on after the exams for a month or two and ever since then ive needed at the least a cup of coffee to actually function in the mornings. even if i lie in untill midday getting about 12 hours sleep i still need it otherwise im grouchy and groggy all day long. This is especially true for college when its an early start, before i drunk energy drinks i didnt need any caffeine for the entire day but now i have a cup of strong tea and an energy drink or i just cant work, i yawn all day to the extent i find it hard to get anywhere when writing etc because i have to wipe my eyes and such. But there ya go! If i go without caffeine i can be very grouchy and quiet all day and i find it hard to work such as coding etc.. or writing/typing not had a headache yet though. Maybe an addiction, maybe psychological but either way I love my caffeine.

[BluePwNaGe 0]

Well this is a really crazy topic.Since i was little my mom spoiled me and gave me coffee at a really really early age. At first it was a weird taste and i did not really like it at all but for some reason i kept drinking it every morning. Some can say i did this because i was "addicted" but maybe i just liked the fact that i was drinking a drink i should not be drinking at all. So somehow i was a bit of a grown up. I drink soda's all the time. I went through a weird phase though when i started to drink just water but that was basically because i had no soda in reach. Now i have a new addiction which is starbucks. mmm frap anyone? i still drink soda all the time do not get me wrong i love stripes 64 oz fountain drink for 99cents i get it as often as i can in drink it in the course of a couple hours. I also notice that when i dont drink caffeine a can be really rude and i get headaches. The thing i hate most is that i snap at people i do not mean to. and then i end of feeling guilty of having someone mad at me and it makes me sad and i drink more caffeine i do not know if you can say i am addicted to it but i guess that can be a reason for my moodiness.

[Azriel_Stormbringer 0]

Woo! Coffee...nectar of the gods lol.Apparently it makes your sperm more active, which would explain a few things lol.

[Shenzetrix 0]

Don't know if that is the case.... It could be considered a drug to people with disorders like ADHD and stuff like that cause it can make the situation worse.

[techclave 0]

yes... caffeine is really very addictive. am in India and i know people who cannot live without it... i have heard that it is bad for liver... people should check the level of caffeine included in the coffee powder they buy. it shouldn't be very high...

[tigercat 0]

Yes caffeine is a drug, and yes it is VERY addicting. Frequent caffeine users can go through withdrawals, which lead to splitting headaches after about a day and a half without it, irritability, etc. Caffeine is the most commonly used legal drug worldwide, and contrary to popular belief, does not make you less tired, but it does hide the tiredness, basically meaning it masks how tired you are so you can function, but once you crash, you crash HARD. It is possible to build up a tolerance to caffeine, and it is possible to come to the point I would know, as I am a caffeine addict. It's a terrible addiction, I know, but I don't care either. I love caffeine, as it helps me to function, and it makes me less edgy, so....Physical Effects:? Stimulants nerve cells ? At a very high consumption in a short time, convulsions may occur? Restlessness ? Can lead to certain types of cancer ? Can increase chances of developing type 2 diabetes Psychological Effects? Wakefulness ? Excitability ? Increased Mental Awareness ? There is no evidence that caffeine is linked to the socially damaging behaviors that characterize drugs of abuse. ? RestlessnessWithdrawal Symptoms? Rebound Headaches? Irritability? Lethargy (Laziness)? Nervousness? Mild DepressionCurrent Usage for the Drug in Society? Consumed Daily by 90% of the world?s population? 95% of caffeine is consumed in tea and coffee? About 1.5 billion cups of coffee are consumed dailyI learned this and more during a school project a while back. Caffeine is a major drug, as it's so commonly used, and abused, my millions of people. So remember, if you're not hooked on it, try not to become hooked. It doesn't set in immediately, but it can within a very short time. Once and a while it's okay, like master_bacarra consumes it, but after a while on a daily basis, addiction builds up. And Yuripro84, yes caffeine does affect people in strange ways. I would know. I am a caffeine addict.You should know what you're becoming addicted to. The picture below is pure caffeine, a white powder, a tablespoon of which would kill you due to cardiac arrest.Sad. So sad. Any thoughts?

[linekill 1]

Caffeine is a drug. A drug is a substance that when taken will alter some normal functions of an organism. Tigercat provided us with the effects of caffeine so that does it. :PI have an acquintance that was addicted to coffee (caffeine addiction). If she doesn't drink coffee she'd become restless and irratated. That went on for about 1 1/2 years. She finally forced herself from drinking when she suffered a hyper ventilation attack. (age 21). It has become an addiction but she was able to free herself from it. She's doing fine.

[Carson 0]

I never knew Caffeine could cause all those affects. I didn't think it was addictive either... I drink coffee a lot, but im not addicted. I cant see how people get addicted to it. Perhaps there are coffees with different amounts of Caffeine or something. Does it affect people in different ways? I take a biology class where we learn about mutations, and cows were domesticated, only babies could drink milk, and the adults couldn't. Thats because everyone was lactose intolerant, but some people had mutations where they could, and this mutation spread, and eventually most of us could drink milk our whole lives. And this is why some africans and Asians cant drink milk, they are still lactose intolerant(According to my biology teacher). Perhaps some people have the mutation where they are unaffected by the drug.

[sylenzednuke 0]

Caffeine is a drug for obvious reasons. Tigercat explained this in the best way.

My parents, my friends. Most can't stay a day without coffee/tea, and well my Dad needs 6 cups of tea atleast in a day so that he doesn't end up getting headaches and becomes lazy. I never liked coffee. NEVER. I was introduced to it when I was 10, I am 15 now and I just have never liked coffee. I hated drinking milk in the start anyway. Now I don't mind drinking milk as I know it was just my immaturity that I wanted to disobey my parents, I actually love milk. So I knew there were some problems relating to it but this topic really like made it just all the more stronger.

All I've ever known is that it IS really addictive. Now I know that those "weird behaviors" were just withdrawal symptoms. I'm an insomniac, and I love it this way, I don't mind the dark circles either. Caffeine is of no use to me actually. But some of my friends really need to see this topic.

I take a biology class where we learn about mutations, and cows were domesticated, only babies could drink milk, and the adults couldn't. Thats because everyone was lactose intolerant, but some people had mutations where they could, and this mutation spread, and eventually most of us could drink milk our whole lives. And this is why some africans and Asians cant drink milk, they are still lactose intolerant(According to my biology teacher).

Lactose intolerance isn't something which is really concentrated in just one area. Some people are intolerant to lactose and it's the same all around the world. It doesn't limit to Africans or Asians, I know couple of people from countries like Germany, USA and Norway who are lactose intolerant too. I am not and I am an Asian (Well, Indian. I don't look Chinese/Japanese or whatever.).

[scutari 0]

Up to 90% of adult Americans consume caffeine every day. Most commonly, the caffeine is in coffee, tea, soft drinks, and chocolate. This adds up to about 280 mg of caffeine per day, or the equivalent of about two cups of coffee. People who consume caffeine on a regular basis report that they experience a variety of unpleasant symptoms when this popular stimulant is withdrawn, similar to the symptoms felt with the withdrawal of other addictive substances.
Doctors at Johns Hopkins University have confirmed that true caffeine addiction can occur even when small amounts (corresponding to about one cup of coffee per day) of caffeine are consumed. In a review of 170 years of caffeine research, the Hopkins team examined 57 separate studies and found that the features of caffeine withdrawal can vary from mild mood changes to systemic, flu-like symptoms. The major types of caffeine withdrawal reactions were identified as:

headache, fatigue or drowsiness
depressed, irritable mood
difficulty concentrating
flu-like symptoms of nausea and/or vomiting
muscle pain or stiffness
The withdrawal symptoms typically began 12 to 24 hours after the last dose of caffeine, became most severe after one to two days, and lasted for two to nine days.

If you want to cut down on caffeine, experts advise doing so slowly. Decrease your consumption gradually over a period of days (or weeks, if you're a heavy consumer) to avoid being plagued by withdrawal symptoms.

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[Unregistered 018 0]

i've been drinking coffee since i was a kid when my dad would let me have a bit at dinner or whatever. now as an adult, i CANNOT live without it. i tried for 2 days to quit cold turkey and i swear i thought i was going to die. i went to class and my vision was all blurry and my head was pounding worse than a migrane. i typically drink 1\2 pot in the morning=3 cups, then a drink or red bull at school, then some after dinner and if i have to stay up i'll have a few more cups. thank goodness my roommate works at starbucks and i get a free pound every week. i've tried lately alternative methods to stop like drinking ice-tea or hot tea or just light enery drinks and it has worked with great success but i always end up right back to my daily habits. i'm not sure if it is REALLY harming my body as much as they say but i should pull back at least a little.

[gisellebebegirl 0]

As many of you may have heard, caffeine can be considered a drug to some. What are your opinions on this subject?
Obviously, like any drug, caffeine can affect some, while others can be unaffected. For example, I drink soda, usually two cans a day. Now, I have gone sometimes a week or two without soda though, clearly stating it has no control over me, but I have heard it can affect others in strange ways. For some caffeine consumers, if they go too long with it, they will get headaches, nausea, etc. But I rarely see this is people. This is most people's defense when it comes to saying caffeine is a drug, but I feel not enough people are actually affected this way for it to be considered a drug.

On the other hand, what is a drug? I found this on Wikipedia.org:
I also found this under caffeine:
but you already knew that, right? For anyone who doesn't know what a stimulant is, it's a drug that temporarily increase alertness and wakefulness.

So, caffeine is a drug, no matter how you see it, when you get down to the bare facts, right? Or did I read something wrong. Before I was bored enough to research and post about this, I thought it wasn't a drug Feel free to comment, but please, no flaming.

Notice from jlhaslip:

quote tags added to information which is not original, as required by the Xisto readme.

I wouldn't really consider caffeine as a drug, but it is pretty addictive, but unlike drugs, caffeine does not really have so much of a negative effect on your body.

[safe.as.haz 0]

I love my coffee. i couldn't live without it. Just got a nice bag back from the philippines off a mate.My favourite instant is Alta Rica. I drink it all the time. Right now in fact