Is caffeine addictive a drug?

Drinking coffee is an integral part of many people's daily lives-on the other hand, life can't do without a psychoactive substance called caffeine, isn't it addictive? Caffeine, as the second kind of psychotropic substances regulated by the state, is at risk of excessive poisoning, while caffeine addiction can lead to anxiety disorders, sleep disorders and so on. Caffeine intake by teenagers is also related to dangerous behaviors such as drug abuse. Of course, low-dose caffeine intake is not a big problem, domestic medical experts do not think that caffeine is a "drug." Nevertheless, when enjoying fragrant and slippery drinks, we should give ourselves a heads up.

Case: caffeine addiction → poisoning → death

In February 2010, Natasha Harris, a 30-year-old New Zealand woman, died of illness, after vomiting six times a week the year before. It turned out that she drank at least 7 liters of Coke a day, drank Coke first thing in the morning, and drank a bottle of Coke by the bed before going to bed. Without Coke, she would become irritable or depressed. An autopsy showed that she probably died of drinking too much cola, while doctors said she was most likely suffering from caffeine poisoning.

In December 2011, a 14-year-old girl in Maryland died after drinking two 700ml "monster energy drinks" in 24 hours. The autopsy report showed that she died of arrhythmia caused by insufficient blood supply to the heart caused by caffeine poisoning. The energy sports drink contains 240 milligrams of caffeine per can, which is equivalent to the caffeine content of 14 cans of regular cola. The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) said it was the fifth case of death caused by drinking the drink.

In August 2014, a 28-year-old woman in Nanjing died after fainting at home. Doctors estimated it was "poisoning" or "sudden cardiac death". Husband Mr. Li suspected that the disaster caused his wife's "slimming coffee", because she once said that after drinking coffee, there would be panic, nausea and other reactions. The reporter investigated this "slimming coffee" and found that the manufacturer had its license revoked as early as 9 years ago.

Caffeine: the second category of psychotropic substances under state control

Caffeine is an alkaloid contained in coffee, tea, cola and other drinks, and it is the most widely used psychoactive drug in the world. The survey found that more than 80 percent of the population consumed caffeine, with an estimated daily intake of about 280 milligrams, equivalent to two cups of coffee or seven standard cans of caffeine soft drinks, including sodas, "energy drinks" and so on. In addition, chocolate and some headache pills also contain caffeine.

Professor Guo Shenchang, chief expert in psychology at the affiliated brain Hospital of Jinan University Medical College, said that caffeine has an exciting effect, can refresh the mind, accelerate thinking and association, and make people feel happy, confident and energetic. Caffeine is addictive and belongs to the second category of psychotropic substances regulated by the state. Purified caffeine preparations can only be prescribed by doctors with prescription rights and cannot be purchased casually in drugstores, but there are no special management measures for caffeine drinks. Caffeine can be used to treat daytime drowsiness, ADHD, etc., and depressed patients will feel better after consuming caffeine (for a short time, so caffeine is not an antidepressant).

It is generally believed that low doses of caffeine are harmless to the body, but can pose a threat to people who are sick or have psychological problems. When caffeine intake exceeds 400 mg at a time, it can cause tremor, rapid heartbeat, nausea, anxiety, dizziness, insomnia, and even heart failure. Some people who are sensitive to caffeine can be even worse, and excessive intake by pregnant women can also lead to pregnancy complications-there are cases of caffeine poisoning around the world. Guo Shenchang said that too much caffeine consumption makes the brain too excited and causes damage, including memory loss, sleep disorders, mood disorders and so on.

Dr. Susan Whitburn, a professor of psychology at the University of Massachusetts in the United States, warned that caffeine can increase hydrocortisone, a hormone that increases blood pressure and heart rate, and can even kill people. Some people drink caffeinated drinks when they want to stay awake after drinking, resulting in more dangerous driving and unsafe sex, which is not uncommon among college students. Drinking coffee after drinking alcohol leads to the interaction between ethanol and caffeine, stimulating the central nervous system from extreme inhibition to extreme excitement, causing emotional tension, raising blood pressure and increasing cardiovascular stress, which is harmful to health, Guo said.

Addiction: long-term caffeine intake can lead to physiological dependence

Why do people eat so much caffeine? Whitburn says some people can't resist the temptation of coffee because they feel their minds become sharp after drinking it. Caffeine is similar to drugs, and long-term intake can lead to physical dependence and difficult to get rid of, according to Romeo Whitley, a doctor of psychology at the University of York in Canada. Caffeine can enhance the dopamine activity in the pleasure center of the brain, so drinking coffee and tea will produce mild euphoria, making the brain eager to drink more coffee. Research shows that some people can become dependent by consuming as little as 100 milligrams of caffeine a day. Guo Shenchang points out that different people have different weights and different doses of dependence.

Dr. Laura Giuliano, Associate Professor of Psychology at American University, surveyed 275 caffeine addicts and found that:

● most of them drink coffee and other drinks within an hour of waking up in the morning.

● believes that it is often difficult for people who drink coffee to keep their caffeine intake at a healthy level.

Sixty-seven percent of ● people have psychological problems due to caffeine, including anxiety, irritability, paranoia and so on.

People with more than 65% of ● are tolerated and ingested more and more.

Many people try to quit or reduce caffeine intake because of heart, pregnancy, anxiety, insomnia and other problems, and end in failure, and most people also show withdrawal symptoms. The withdrawal symptoms of caffeine include headache, fatigue, drowsiness, depression, inability to concentrate and muscle soreness, Whitburn said. Guo Shenchang said that withdrawal symptoms are caused by a sudden cessation of caffeine intake, and some people even feel nervous and anxious, and they feel a craving for caffeinated drinks that can be eliminated after drinking.

Giuliano says people who want to escape caffeine face two big problems:

1. Caffeine dependence is often ignored, and many doctors simply advise patients to quit, but do not give specific treatment advice. In fact, it's hard to quit caffeine.

two。 There are so many foods involving caffeine that it is difficult for people to avoid them completely. Even if it is some so-called decaffeinated coffee, there is still 20% of the caffeine left.

Guo Shenchang believes that it is okay to drink a small amount of coffee (such as one or two cups a day). It is generally not addictive, and even dependence is not as terrible as heroin, as long as you slowly reduce the amount, such as drinking one or two cans of coffee.

Controversy: are teenagers more likely to take drugs when consuming caffeine?

Will caffeine intake by teenagers have long-term adverse consequences? Dr. Gary Wink, a professor of psychology and neuroscience at Ohio State University in the United States, said that the brain of teenagers can significantly increase their motor activity under the action of caffeine, and long-term consumption of caffeine will develop tolerance faster than adults, suggesting that caffeine may have greater chemical changes in the developing brain.

Long-term caffeine consumption by teenagers can change the neurochemistry of the brain, increasing the euphoria caused by cocaine and some new drugs, according to neuroscience research at the University of Colorado. By contrast, this change in the brain of adults after caffeine intake was not significant. This shows that the brains of teenagers are vulnerable to caffeine. Wenck warns that it is sometimes hard to say whether caffeine is a food, a drug or a drug.

Guo Shenchang said that the above research conclusions have not been widely accepted and more studies are needed to confirm them. He does not think that caffeine is a "drug", saying that teenagers who have not been exposed to drugs can drink drinks containing caffeine and will not take drugs.