Stimulants are drugs that improve our physical and mental health temporarily, so we have increased energy, increased alertness and feelings of wellbeing.
However, as harmless as we think they are, stimulants can be highly addictive. Caffeine is a prime example of these seemingly harmless stimulants.
What are the problems with caffeine?
In the long-term caffeine becomes addictive, meaning the more we drink, the more we feel we need to drink. Caffeine may make us feel more alert and more energised as a short-fix, but in the long-term it means we can become addicted.
What does caffeine do?
Caffeine blocks the receptors for brain chemicals, leading to increases in adrenalin and alertness. The more caffeine we drink, the more the body becomes used to, the more it becomes insensitive to its own natural stimulants.
This spiral continues as we become more and more reliant on it just to make us feel normal, resulting in the body’s inability to produce its own natural stimulants and leading to an addiction. Feelings of depression, exhaustion and an inability to cope without a regular consumption of caffeine usually follows.
But coffee is not the only product that contains caffeine. Caffeine is also used to manufacture Coca Cola and energy drinks, including Red Bull. It is also used in tea. Green tea and chocolate drinks contain caffeine, but not in the same measure as Coca Cola and Red Bull.
It's funny, but in all the years I have drank coffee on and off, I have never been addicted to it. I know people that are addicted to it and see how cranky and mean they get when they don't have their morning coffee. I have made a practice, of just not drinking coffee for months at a time.
Brian, maybe your answer lies in the fact that you can go months without drinking coffee. Coffee becomes addictive the more times you drink it, so taking a break will help you drop the cycle of addiction! That's good.
People think that I'm addicted to soda pop and my boyfriend says I am too. Maybe I am. I didn't think I was, but maybe I am!
Colleen, it's not always easy to see something in ourselves, but soda pop has caffeine in it too, so there is a distinct possibility you could be. Nice to see you back on site.
I know I'm addicted to it. I have coffee in the morning and about 2 cola's a day. Then I also have 2 energy drinks. I get really bad headaches when I try to quit. I have cut back tremendously though. I used to drink at least 6 cola drinks a day.
Lisa at least you know you have an addiction to all these drinks and are at least trying to address the problem. You may also find that your problems here will in some way connect with your other problems too!