Is caffeine addictive?
Caffeine use does not fit this profile. Its intake does no harm to the individual or to society and its users are not compelled to consume it. Though cessation of regular use may result in symptoms such as headache and lethargy, these are easily and reliably reversed by ingestion of caffeine. Some have argued that continued caffeine use is an attempt to suppress low grade withdrawal symptoms such as sleepiness and lethargy. In some moderate users, this is possible; however, in experimental contexts, the phenomenon is too inconsistent to constitute a reliably valid syndrome. In other words – there is no such thing as caffeine addiction (see the full PDF). The article reviews over 32 different journal articles and concludes that: Caffeine use meets neither the common sense nor the scientific definitions of an addictive substance. Fair call. There has been a lot of alarmist media recently – comparing caffeine with drug use. There is no comparison. The social consequences that arise from a
Am I a caffeine addict? I and many others count on our caffeine fix to get going in the morning, or give us a boost in the afternoon. We suffer actual withdrawal symptoms when we are deprived of our caffeine fix, but is caffeine really an addiction or just a habit? Personally I have considered myself a Dr. Pepper addict and now a Tea addict. While I love the taste of both I know that it is really the caffeine that keeps me coming back for more, and more and more.
