Caffeine Is A Psycoactive Drug

Have you ever been so tired that you've dozed off at work? Or tried to stop yourself from falling asleep while you're driving or even worse - got caught sleeping in class? These instances could have been prevented by doing what 90% of Americans do every day - by consuming CAFFEINE. If anyone here feels you can't make it though your day without a cup of coffee, you are probably addicted to it (I'll discuss more on that later). Here's an interesting fact: both words caffeine and coffee are derived from the Arabic word "QAHWEH." The origins of the words reflect the spread of the beverage into Europe through Arabia and Turkey from North-East Africa. Coffee began to be very popular in Europe in the 17th century and today it's the most popular psychoactive drug in the world.

Almost everyone in our society today uses caffeine regularly, in one form or another. According to Jennifer Warner of WebMD Medical News, nearly 90% of adults and 76% of children drink some kind of caffeinated beverage every day. More than half of all American adults consume more than 3 cups of coffee. Also, a 1994 survey by the Agriculture Department found that on average, 64 gallons of soda are consumed by children and teenagers every year. Researchers have found that soft drinks have surpassed tea as the second leading source of caffeine for adults while being the top source of caffeine for children. People are not only getting their caffeine from coffee, soda and tea, but from other sources such as energy beverages, caffeinated water, herbal supplements and chocolate. You may not realize how much caffeine you are consuming on a daily basis because caffeine is not listed as an ingredient on the food or drink label, and the Nutrition Facts label does not show how much caffeine is in the product. In addition, beverages marketed as high-energy drinks may contain more than one type of caffeine extract, and in herbal sources, caffeine may not be listed as an active ingredient.

So you can see why half of American adults consume more than 300mg of caffeine per day. All you need to consume to get that amount are just 2 mugs of coffee and a couple of cookies. If you sit down and calculate your caffeine consumption during a typical day, you may be surprised. Many people consume a gram or more of caffeine every day and don't even realize it.

Now that the widespread use of caffeine has been explained, it is important to know how it affects the body.

Caffeine serves as a stimulant that promotes wakefulness, operating in the same way as amphetamines, cocaine and heroin do, but on a more mild level (this is according to howstuffworks.com). When ingested, it stimulates all areas of the brain. It energizes your body by triggering the release of adrenaline into your bloodstream, while blocking an enzyme in your brain that causes you to feel tired called adenosine. It also raises the blood sugar levels in the brain, resulting in increased neural activity. Howstuffworks.com goes on to say that caffeine can sharpen thinking when you're tired, boost alertness and improve physical speed and endurance. In the book "Contemporary Nutrition" it says that higher doses in the 200-800mg range can cause negative effects such as nervousness, anxiety, increased blood pressure and dehydration. Although caffeine's effects are milder than amphetamines, cocaine and heroin, it does manipulate the same channels of the brain and that is one of the things that give caffeine its addictive quality.

Since caffeine can be considered a stimulant drug, the way it can become addicting needs to be explained.

There are many reasons why caffeine can be an addictive stimulant, making it even more popular. The Alcoholism & Drug Addiction Research Foundation of Toronto, Canada claims the regular use of more than 350mg of caffeine (that's 4-5 cups of coffee) a day can cause a physical dependence on caffeine. In other words, addiction occurs with daily excessive intake of caffeine. The fact that caffeine allows people to control their circadian rhythm, or natural sleeping pattern which causes them to consume more of it to stay awake is another reason why caffeine can become addicting. When it is used to make up for a lack of sleep, the user develops a dependency on the drug. According to an article in National Geographic, caffeine is basically used to make up for a sleep deficiency that is largely the result