Why is caffeine considered addictive?
Caffeine is an addictive drug that produces several of the same withdrawal symptoms as many other drugs typically considered as dangerous and addictive (i.e. tobacco, cocaine, heroin). These include headaches, depression, cognitive problems (like memory, and concentration issues), and more. Additionally, since coffee drinkers often experience tolerance, and some have difficulty stopping their use of the drug, caffeine can be thought of as meeting the addiction standard. Obviously, unlike at least some of those drugs, caffeine’s psychoactive effects are more subtle, which means that even for those with relatively long-term escalating use, the effects on their daily life are usually pretty subtle. What you expect affects what you get from coffee A recent report in the Psychology Monitor mentioned two recent, interesting, findings about coffee drinking: In one study participants were told they would be given caffeinated or decaffeinated coffee. Then, some were actually given the decaf or
