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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]
501 days ago
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.
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512 days ago
I can’t believe a health article would link to an online pharmacy that sells narcotics! Shame on you!
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519 days ago
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.
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527 days ago
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.
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533 days ago
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?
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534 days ago
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).
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534 days ago
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.
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536 days ago
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.
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610 days ago
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.
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672 days ago
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!
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758 days ago
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?
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766 days ago
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?
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