Personal Reflection On Lithium By Nirvana

Thesis Statement: Caffeine is something that almost everyone has consumed and some people are even addicted to, it has negative and positive effects on one’s health.

Caffeine is the most abused drug in the world. Many people wake up, and start there day with some sort of caffeine. Some it is for the energy boost, and to help them stay awake and focused. Others it is for the addictive crave. It is the most popular drug in the United States. Caffeine is in almost everything such as, sodas, over-counter medication, prescription drugs, cigarettes, foods, etc. The most consumed sources of caffeine are coffee and tea, and it [caffeine] can be harmful on your health, as well as addictive. America should be aware of the causes and effects caffeine has on the human body, which can lead to addiction and bad side effects.

In today’s society, coffee has become the most prevalent and usual source of energization that many individuals turn to when they need vitality. Even though coffee is the most prominent, caffeine can also be found inside sodas, teas, and even energy drinks. Caffeine is a psychoactive drug that stimulates the central nervous system. A typical cup of coffee encompasses about ninety-five milligrams of caffeine. Studies have been performed to observe the effects of caffeine and how it effects so many individuals. For an instance, some studies have discovered that the effects of caffeine may be different for some individuals depending on individual differences such as level of fatigue (Oei & Hartley 2005). These effects lead people to

From coffee to tea, caffeine has become a prominent substance that people use to keep them alert and productive. Considering the number of people that consume more and more amounts of caffeine each day through different means, it has been integrated into daily lives as a part of a routine. However, many people do not comprehend what caffeine is actually doing to their bodies, and they just consume it for the energy boost it provides. Primarily used as a stimulant, caffeine has proven itself in the course of history as a beneficial component of daily routines, despite the fact that repercussions have become more prevalent in the past years surrounding the use of caffeine.

The fact that caffeine is a drug cannot be denied. It effects the entire body in many ways, many involving chemical interactions in the central nervous system. One question is whether caffeine is even bad for you, if there is any reason to worry that one might be taking too much. The answer is that while providing many short-term benfits, caffeine has many short and long-term negative effects, which are and must be taken into consideration when deciding whether calling a craving for caffeine an addiction is justifiable.

Caffeine is one of the most popular drink and psychoactive drug in today’s world (Nehlig, 1999). A lot of studies have focused on caffeine with behavior and there was one article by (Smith, 2002) which was explaining how caffeine has been known to increase anxiety after a dose of 300mg or more has been ingested. In an earlier study by Lieberman (1988) it was also proven the caffeine was to reduce depression when in was ingested in moderate doses (Smith, 2002). Many studies have focused with a large consumption of caffeine or with a single dose of caffeine never truly addressing the tolerance of the participants or seeing the long lasting effects of caffeine on the participants (Soar, Chapman, Lavan, Jansari & Turner, 2016). Caffeine is normally seen as a ‘drug’ that can improve our physical and cognitive functions (Hogervost, Bandelow, Schmitt, Jentjens, Oliveira, Allgrove, Carter & Gleeson, 2008). It is known to hold many beneficial effects with fatigue, concentration levels and the skills being applied to physical and mental functions (Hogervorst et al., 2008). It is able to change our central nervous system along with our reaction time for the better, compared to with when there is fatigue our brain and bodies tend to slow down and lose focus on what was trying to be achieve (Smith, 2002). In the Nehlig, (1999) article they mentioned the ‘mechanism of action of caffeine’ where they went over the best concentration of caffeine is usually achieved around one to two cups of

If the one-time continuous drinking 2-3 cups of coffee, it would lead to central nervous system hyper-excitability. O 'Keefe, James H., et al. analyzes “Coffee, after water, is the most widely consumed beverage in the United States, and is the principal source of caffeine intake among adults……A daily intake of ∼2 to 3 cups of coffee appears to be safe and is associated with neutral to beneficial effects for most of the studied health outcomes. However, most of the data on coffee’s health effects are based on observational data, with very few randomized, controlled studies, and association does not prove causation. Additionally, the possible advantages of regular coffee consumption have to be weighed against potential risks (which are mostly related to its high caffeine content) including anxiety, insomnia, tremulousness, and palpitations, as well as bone loss and possibly increased risk of fractures. (p.1043-1051)”

Caffeine is the most popular mood-alternating drug in the world. People unknowingly consume caffeinated products such as coffee, tea, soda, energy drinks, medications, chocolate, gum, and ice cream daily. Caffeine is unfavorable for the body because it could damage many organs in the body including the body’s health standards to live. Caffeine is a huge part of American culture even though it can lead to a risk of miscarriages, risk of heart attacks in young adults, increase blood pressure, make modifications to the brain and nervous system, also lead to poor hygiene on the skin and mouth.

It is known for being found in coffee, tea, soft drinks, and chocolate – all drinks and foods that most people do not think twice about taking. Caffeine is considered to be a drug “because it stimulates the central nervous system, causing increased alertness” (“Caffeine”). Most people rely on caffeine, especially in their morning coffee and soft drinks, to maximize their energy levels. However, taking large amounts of caffeine can result in effects of anxiety, dizziness, headaches, and the jitters (“Caffeine”). Self-control is an important aspect in staying within the range that is considered to be safe. I do not consider caffeine to do be a harmful psychoactive substance that should become absent in our life because its effects are not as serious and life threatening. According to the Mayo Clinic, ingesting “more than 500-600 mg of caffeine a day may lead to insomnia, nervousness, restlessness, irritability, an upset stomach, a fast heartbeat and even muscle tremors” (Whiteman). In order for someone to consume that much caffeine, it would be equivalent to drinking approximately 17 Coco-Cola drinks (12 oz.), 30 dark chocolate bars (1 oz.), or 6 brewed coffees (5 oz.). This seems highly unlikely for someone to take in that much caffeine. Abusing caffeine is not as common like other psychoactive

Ever since I can remember I have been addicted to caffeine. It started out with drinking diet coke which was my mother’s drink of choice, and then slowly as time went on it turned into Coca-Cola. I have experienced the harsh withdrawals that come with caffeine like the headaches, irritability, and those lovely morning shakes telling me that I need caffeine. The headaches and the shakes finally got so bad to the point where I needed coke in the morning just to function. At that point I realized that caffeine was probably not very good for me. After learning in my Chemistry 130 class that caffeine was classified under heterocyclic amines and was an alkaloid, the same classification that heroin is under, I finally took it upon myself to really get serious and give up caffeine. What I really was interested in however was how does caffeine affect the human body? Do the positive uses of caffeine outweigh the negatives or is caffeine something we shouldn’t be allowing into our bodies? To determine the answers to these questions we need to first familiarize ourselves with what caffeine is and then compare the positives and negatives of caffeine in order to draw a conclusion. So, what exactly is caffeine, where does it come from, where can we find it and how much should we be consuming?

Caffeine is one of the most commonly-used and popular psychoactive substance in the world today. In that fast-paced modern world of the service-economy, coffee has become a means for the working world to get on its feet early in the morning and stay awake through the drudgery of jobs. However, how benign is coffee? There are no warning labels associated with a cup o' joe other than that the contents of the cup could be extremely hot. Does caffeine pose any long-term risks to health? Like countless other psychoactive substances, caffeine is best used in moderation. Moderation means one or two cups of coffee a day. According to a Harvard Medical School press release, "coffee may reduce the risk of developing gallstones, discourage the development of colon cancer, improve cognitive function, reduce the risk of liver damage in people at high risk for liver disease, and reduce the risk of Parkinson's disease." Although a mildly addictive stimulant, caffeine can nonetheless produce some positive results when used in moderation. It's with excessive consumption of caffeinated

Caffeine is addictive. This is an undisputable fact. The American Psychiatric Association lists caffeine withdrawal as a formal disorder in its Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders 5th ed. under the Section III, conditions for further study. The World Health Organization names caffeine withdrawal as a withdrawal or dependence inducing psychostimulant in its International and Statistical Classification of Diseases and Related Health Problems 10th ed., which was instantiated in October of 2015. This addictive quality comes from caffeine’s immediate positive effect on the user’s mood combined with a delayed negative effect. This makes one associate caffeine with the positive effect, and the negative effect encourages the

Caffeine is a stimulant and can be chemically addictive. Although it doesn’t necessarily jeopardize health the same way other drugs do, it is possible to develop a dependence. Quitting caffeine abruptly, especially if you’ve been consuming two or more cups of coffee a day, can cause physical, psychological, and emotional symptoms. In fact, caffeine intoxication and caffeine withdrawal are classified as mental disorders in the American Psychiatric Association’s Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM) when either one interferes with daily life.

Many people have consumed caffeine in some sort of way, whether its through coffee, soda or chocolate. However, many of us do not know that it is a highly addictive stimulant. Caffeine is good for increasing alertness, happiness, energy and increased task performance. It does this by stimulating the central nervous system and directly affecting the body’s metabolism. However, having too much caffeine can cause problems such as, but not limited to, insomnia, irregular heart rhythms, dehydration, and headaches.

Caffeine has many negative effects on humans, such as increased heart rate (Lane, J.D., 2002), depression (Goldstein, 2008), and addiction to this “drug.” You may be asking yourself, “What is caffeine?” Well, caffeine is actually a stimulant (Barone, Roberts, 2008) that is found in beverages such as tea, coffee, and soft drinks. In fact, caffeine is the highest grossing and most used stimulant in the United States (Barone, Roberts, 2008). It is estimated that 85% of adults living in the United States consume caffeine on a daily basis (Barone, Roberts, 2008). That means for every 100 adults, 85 of them have had a drink that contained caffeine on any given day. One reason caffeine is so widely available compared to other stimulants is