This is Your Life on Caffeine
Caffeine is a drug that an overwhelming majority of Americans are going about their daily lives under the effect of right now. It alters the brain’s natural state, and stimulates it in a manner similar to cocaine or heroin. Its effects are much milder, of course, but it’s the same mechanism.
-It is absorbed quickly into the lining of the stomach and small intestine.
-It blocks adenosine receptors in your brain. Adenosine causes drowsiness, so cells that would normaly be regulated to slow down by way of adenosine actually speed up now.
-Your Pituitary gland sees the cells not slowing down and assumes there is some sort of emergency happening, and it releases hormones into your bloodstream telling your adrenal glands to start pumping.
-Your pupils dilate.
-Your blood pressure rises.
-Your liver releases sugar into the blood stream for extra energy.
-Your hands may get cold.
-Your smooth muscles relax. (Bronchial muscle is smooth muscle. Which is why asthma sufferers are sometimes given caffeine.)
-It takes about 45-60 minutes for it to reach peak levels in your bloodstream.
-Your dopamine re-uptake is inhibited (this is how it’s like cocaine or heroin), and the pleasure centers of your brain are abnormally stimulated.
-Your reaction time to visual and auditory stimuli slows.
-The half-life of caffeine in your system varies depending on the state your body is in.
- Smoker: 3 Hours
- Average Human: 5-7 Hours
- Pregnant Woman:18-20 Hours
- Newborn Baby: 30 Hours
-Caffeine withdrawal symptoms include headaches that do not respond to pain killers, lethargy, confusion or inability to focus and irritability.
-75% of Americans Drink coffee regularly.
-90% of Americans daily consume caffeine in some significant (100+ mg) form.
-More than half of those consume more than 300mg daily.
-Mild caffeine overdose (750+ mg or about 7 cups of coffee) of caffeine can lead to dizziness, visual hallucinations (flashes), delirium, diarrhea and fainting.
-In order to fatally overdose on caffeine you would have to drink about 40 cups of coffee. Your body would physically reject this much fluid, but this amount of caffeine injected intravenously would certainly do the job.
[tags] caffeine, coffee, soda, pop, effects, body, mind [/tags]
I have no *twitch* idea what you’re *twitch* getting at.
Honestly though, I’ve been addicted since high school. The longest I’ve gone without it since then was just a few days, certainly less than a week.
My recent endeavor to review/sample all the coffee shops in Kansas City doesn’t do much to help stem this addiction….
In your first paragraph you make a couple of howlers.
1. Cocaine is not an amphetamine.
2. Heroin is not an amphetamine. It is not even a stimulant.
If you get such basic facts wrong, how can the reader trust that the rest of your advice is reliable? Its a shame, because it is an important topic that people should be more informed about.
Yikes! Thanks for the tip; corrected.
very odd, considering I have never had any of these symptoms and I drink caffeine on a regular basis. Soda mostly. I never get twitchy, drowsy for no reason, headaches, or any of those things.
It never makes me feel good or make me uncommonly happy, and my BP is just fine.
So, what you mean to say is that you will get these if you consume a large dose of caffeine, say about 8+ cups of coffee? If this was so blatant in people, I would think it would be common knowledge, rather than having to be broken down and stated.
I suppose everyone may react differently, depending on the levels of caffiene taken in. I know I have to plan at all times to make sure that I have Diet Coke available to me, for the caffiene. If I go 8+ hours without it, I will get a headache – just like clockwork, that will destroy my day. Instead of solving the problem by weaning myself off of the stuff…I just make sure I always have it. XD Sad. I know.
Your right, everyone does react differently physically to any kind of drugs and/or alcohol. Some get to withstand the harsh effects of the poison and others suffer incredibly. My wife’s Great grandmother lived to over 90 years old and died of natural causes. She drank coke and ate cookies everyday for 40 years. I now of people who have extremely poor health and have the same symptoms that addicts have and they only drink Coke.
90% of the population who use caffeine will probably will have difficulties health wise throughout their lives and it will effect them at different times in their life, and others will not be affected by it for some time, and again others will not seemingly feel the effects at all. However, everyone goes through the mind altering effects some how.
I’m not quoting a statistic, just using my experience as a drug and alcohol counselor. The problem for most people is what you said at the beginning of the article, how it effects the systems in our bodies.
I believe that most everyone is a=effected by it and some don’t even know its happening. One day they will, unfortunately.
Darrell
Yes..I worked one day at a rest stop where we served coffee. There were a number of people who asked for cafine free drinks. They said caffine would keep them awake until the next day or give them the jitters. Being the fact I am very right brain, have found drinking coffee or caffine drinks keeps me awake all night, and makes me nervous. I asked the people who had the same symptoms if they were artistic and creative. They all said yes. There were some customers who said caffine didn’t affect them. I asked them if they were good in the math and science…they said yes.
I wonder if right brain people are more sensitive to caffine because the right brain produces more dophine, highly active already?
I want to do more research on this, as thus far 99% of the people I asked who are right brain are sensitive to caffine drinks.
Evie at isaiahtru@hotmail.com
You are sensless funnyless idiot.
Have a drink on me!
A WHISKY COLA!
Then smoke a cigar
After that, we’ll snort some coke.
SMOG IS THE PROBLEM – NOT SMOKE!
Franky
BTW:
We all die
some earlier some later.
Die earlier – more time to be dead
I can’t say that the observations of the person working at the coffee stand are accurate for 99% of the population that they are talking about. I am both good at science/math and creative and artistic (musician). But caffeine affects me in both ways. Sometimes it causes me to be jittery and keeps me up all night (drinking coffee). Sometimes it doesn’t affect me at all seemingly (chocolate or sodas). Its really hard to tell. Supposedly caffeine is caffeine, but the different sources tend to affect me differently.
Either way, I have decided to cut it from my diet temporarily. This withdrawal is horrible.
As stated caffine has no connection whatsoever with heroin ecept for the fact that some people consider it a “drug”. All the effects are hyped up to sound like nails in your coffin and some of the effects happen only in 13% of caffine drinkers. I drink Monster Energy Supllement because I like the rush and do not want to get hooked on something like heroin. No side affects have occured to me in all my time of drinking it. When I have it it ussualy contains 2500mg of energy blend (to circumvent caffine laws). You obviously had nothing better to do and decided to make caffine sound like barbituates for fun. You have my pity but not my Monster.
yes very nice i like to get high
Quote: “I drink Monster Energy Supllement because I like the rush and do not want to get hooked on something like heroin.”
For some reason that sounded funny to me. I got the visual picture of someone saying “I’d rather be hooked on something cheap and accessible than something expensive and hard to come by.”
Which, of course, makes financial sense, but why be hooked on anything at all?
HEHEHEHEH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
TI GLWSSA EINAI AYTH?????
HAHAHAHAHAHAH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!ROFL ROFL ROFL!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
XAXAXAXAXAXAXA!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!1
TI METAFRASH HTAN AYTH?????
XANA ROLF!!!!!!! KAI
XAXAXAXAXA!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
APUSTEYTO PRAGMATIKA!
Ι λλ αγρεε ςηιτη τηε ονε τηατ σαιδ τηατ σμογ ισ τηε προβλεμ , νοτ σμοκε!
Ι ψαντ βελιεωε τηε λαθγησ ι ηαδ τοδαυ!
ΧΑΧΑΧΑΑΧΑΧ!!!!!!!!
Φιρστ υοθ σελλ το αλλ τηε ςορλδ ψιγγαρετεσ ανδ ψοφφε, υοθ κιλλ πεοπλε το τακε τηειρ προδθψτσ ψηεεπ, υοθ γετ αλ τηε ςορλδ αδδιψτεδ ανδ τηεν υοθ τρεατ τηεμ ασ ξθνκιεσ ανδ τρυ το σελλ τηε μεδιψθνε το μενδ τηεμ!!!! χαχαχα! τηισ ισ … θν.. ι ψαννοτ φινδ τηε ςορδ… ηηαηαηαηα!!!!
πατηετιψ!!!!!
δρινκ σηιτ!
Energy drinks are exspensive and taste bad.
I use to be addicted to caffeine but i quit found out that on an empty stomach 90mg, effected me the same as 200mg. I would start shaking, and felt and probably looked like a drug addict. “crackhead” It also made me feel happy, I was more social I was also probably annoying at times.
My friend took 8 caffeine pills and saw sideways, I think when you take enough caffeine to trip a little it’s a sign you might die.
For me The addiction wasn’t worth it, a day with a big headache was worth it, I still take caffeine sometimes but not in exccess.
I didn’t say i was hooked on it. I just have some every time i find myself down there (Vons). (its been a few months).
Ps: There is no such thing as a caffine addiction. people who say they were addicted are just trying to sound tough.
People who guzzle caffeinated beverages will RARELY say they have those symptoms, but if you ask the people around them they will know exactly what you’re talking about. A very addicted co-worker jumps around, fidgets, shakes, can’t concentrate and has memory problems. Sound familiar?
This does sound familiar indeed. To me!! I have gotta cut down on my caffeine after reading this. Cold Turkey or steady? Which would be easier?
hehehehe
hhheeee hheeeeee,
i find ths site very interesting and found the information very useful and overall an eye opener. my husband is addicted to caffeine yet works out a lot. is that a dangerous combination do u say? althoug he is fit!
I have a feeling that MANY things increase your dopamine level. The truth is that it depends on what level. I highly doubt that caffinee affects people with the same intensity as illegal drugs. Point is, I like this article, but without numbers, you’re making assumptions that ANYTHING that makes you happy is just like heroin. And comparing a sunny day to heroin just doesn’t sound right.
Haha. Nice how you make caffeine sound bad. You could do the same with water. Everybody drinks it. Drinking it releases dopamine in the brain to stimulate the pleasure center, JUST LIKE HEROINE omfg! And water has much stronger withdrawal symptoms.
Turning your argument around: if caffeine has the same effects has heroine or cocaine, that actually speaks for heroine and cocaine, and even more for caffeine. We all like our pleasure centers tickled.
If you really want to make an impact on your readers, get a positive attitude and describe what joy you can get from enjoying caffeine only sporadically, how working without it feels like, and so on. I don’t like scaremongering.
I have to question the scare-mongering of this article. Caffeine can be bad, yes (in extraordinary huge quantities), but it also have many positives – prolongs the ability to excercise, for example. Some recent research even suggests that caffeine combined with cardio can help fight against skin cancer.
Just quoting some negative statistics is really irresponsible.
I used to drink alot of caffeine and it deffently gave me a “high”. I meen my pupils would dilate and I would be very lively for a while and very happy.
After the high I would have bad come downs getting depressed and headaches. I have taken many drugs illegaly and legaly and (not that im proud or showing off) im abit of a junkie. Caffiene is a drug and supposibly one of the most addictive http://www.druglibrary.org/schaffer/Library/basicfax5.htm
Ofcorse it wont give as bigger high as other drugs because its so widely used. I rarely drink excessive amounts of caffiene now but when I do its usually when I cant get hold of any other drugs and want to get high, 20 cups of coffie in half an hour can mess you up (not advised).
ok so essentially all this is saying is that caffeine is a drug, but it hasnt really stated if thats a bad thing or not. I mean the general scientific consensus on caffeine is that its beneficial to your health, so every one on here thinking being a coffee junkee is a bad thing your actually doing your health a favour. Why everyone be hating on caffeine mayne?
Thank U. When I stopped smoking I had to give up coffee too. I had much bigger problems with going on without coffee, and I thought that cigarets are going to be the problem. Constant headakes, lack of concentration, falling a sleep in the middle of the day. Thank god it lasted only for 2weeks.
So i have a question. I cut my caffine intake in half last week. I lost 2.5 pounds (hooray) and fainted on friday at work. Then I had a seizure. Monday morning i went back to work and fainted at the time clock. Could this be related to my addiction to caffine. I am seeing a doctor but they dont know anything yet.
I can’t believe a health article would link to an online pharmacy that sells narcotics! Shame on you!
Hmmm…Ok, I’ve been doing some research. I don’t see that this is a “drug problem” but more of a sugar problem. If I work out more; then the sugar that is released from the caffeine in my cup of coffee will be absorbed into my muscle…no problem. But if I put more sugar in my coffee and thus more insulin is released to handle the sugar…than the sugar turns to fat…ok that could be a problem. I’m not so worried about how caffeine makes me feel…I’m worried about what it is doing to my insides. I care about the long run of my life. My sister at age 62 just found out about the effects of sugar. (sugar and milk in her coffee every morning) She just found out what has made her store fat all these years. Eating/drinking sugar = more insulin released = fat being stored in her body (if she didn’t exercise like crazy so her muscles would store it). I am 54 and am just now understanding the need to watch what I’m eating and drinking(yes I was always shown the food pyramid but it didn’t sink in) …I want to be around for a few more years and not have my parts fail on me prematurely.