If you've clicked on this article, you're probably a coffee drinker.
You wake up, hit that snooze button once or twice (or more but who's counting right? Right?), stumble out of bed, and immediately make your way to a source of caffeine. For me it's a Keurig. Standing in my pajamas, waiting impatiently for the the "heating" light, and going into a near rage when the "add water" light comes on in the middle of brewing. For others, it's the first stop on your morning walk or drive. The whipped, iced, chocolated monstrosities created at Starbucks are delicious, but a real addict knows our time (and money) will be saved with a strong cup of black. Or maybe your choice of poison is an energy drink. The shiny colorful cans are pretty and bold and with the added sugar and bubbles you can almost feel that energy they're promising. No matter how you get it, one thing is clear; caffeine has become a big part of our lives and jokes about caffeine addiction aren't jokes anymore. Here is what you need to know.
What is it?
First and foremost, caffeine is a chemical. Its molecule is pictured above. It's an organic substance that interacts with our body through a chemical reaction. Caffeine is a psychoactive drug, a substance that alters brain function to affect mood, perception, or conscientiousness. It's the world's most widely consumed drug in this class (but, like, be glad about this; the list also includes cocaine, heroin, and lots of other things to make your grandma clutch her pearls). It works in our bodies in a pretty simple way. There is a molecule our body produces naturally called adenosine. There are receptors in our nervous system that adenosine attach to. This sends a signal out that makes us drowsy, or apparently, based on when I don't have coffee, a monster sent from hell. What caffeine does is attach to those receptors before adenosine can get a chance and therefore blocks access. You can't park in a spot that already has a car in it (trust me I've tried). Here you can compare the similarities between the two substances;
How do we become addicted?
As anyone who drinks caffeine on a regular basis knows, it doesn't take long for that morning bump to go from an aid to a requirement. Dependencies form with as little as 100mg a day. Our body has all those adenosine receptors for a reason. With caffeine constantly blocking them, our body just grows more. Jerk. That's why the more caffeine you drink, the harder it is to feel it's effects. There are a lot more parking spaces to fill. This imbalance of receptors is also what makes withdrawal symptoms occur. The body doesn't make much more adenosine, and without filling those spots, a variety of unpleasant effects are felt. The list includes; headaches, muscle pain and stiffness, lethargy, nausea, vomiting, depressed mood, and marked irritability. If I could make that "marked irritability" flash neon I would. It's real guys... it's real.
Thankfully, as far as addictions go, this is one of the easiest to kick. It generally only takes a week without caffeine for symptoms to completely go away. Our bodies are great at self regulating, and when the caffeine flux stops, it starts going Rambo on those receptors until you're back to where you started.
So what does it take to get addicted?
As mentioned previously, it only takes 100mg of caffeine a day to from a dependence. The caffeine levels in different drinks might surprise you. Here is a list;
Starbucks grande black coffee- 330mg
Keurig cup- 75-150mg
Home brewed black tea- 30-80mg
Home brewed green tea- 35-60mg
Red Diamond Sweet Tea (we are in the South anyway!)- 45mg
Coca-Cola- 35mg
Red Bull- 80mg
Monster- 160mg
5 Hour Energy- 230mg
So it's easy to see how so many people get addicted. Just one cup of coffee a day, or two of almost any other drink, is enough to cause you body to rely on it. And what the heaven, Starbucks? Starbucks coffee has almost three times as much caffeine as most other brands of coffee... That's weird, what could they possibly gain from addicting the masses? If you're looking to cut back, drinking tea is a great option. Tea has caffeine levels comparable to soda, but with all those antioxidants and less added sugar, it's much healthier. I have found this to be a gentle way to curb your addiction. You can cut back without going cold turkey. Plus you look damn classy drinking it.
So there you have it. Everything you need you know about caffeine addiction. Will this help you? Hopefully. Have I followed my own advice? Ask me again after I finish my third cup of coffee for the day. One thing is for certain though; as bad as caffeine is, we probably wouldn't have made it this far without it.
