AEI’s incomparable Sally Satel prescribes a soothing decaf for some of the public-health agitators who are beginning to rattle their cups about Starbucks and Big Cola enslaving our children and the like. (American Journal of Drug and Alcohol Abuse, Dec. 6). See Aug. 18-20, 2000, Jun. 1, 2004, Dec. 5, 2005, May 29, 2006.
“Is caffeine addictive? A review of the literature”
AEI’s incomparable Sally Satel prescribes a soothing decaf for some of the public-health agitators who are beginning to rattle their cups about Starbucks and Big Cola enslaving our children and the like. (American Journal of Drug and Alcohol Abuse, Dec. 6). See Aug. 18-20, 2000, Jun. 1, 2004, Dec. 5, 2005, May 29, 2006.
2 Comments
Does this sentence from the abstract strike anyone other than me as a bit odd, considering that the article argues AGAINST caffeine as being “addictive in layman’s terms”?
“Though cessation of regular use may result in symptoms such as headache and lethargy, these are easily and reliably reversed by ingestion of caffeine.”
Yeah. And opiate withdrawal is easily and reliably reversed by shooting more smack. At least I think so. Only thing I’m addicted to is, well, caffeine.
I don’t believe in civil lawsuits for regulation of chemistry.
That said, caffeine causes me untold problems, with symptoms similar to methamphetamine intake. There is a small subset of the population with similar reactions, and those reactions are generally described as over-expression of what occurs in normal adults. The question should not be whether caffeine qualifies as an addiction capable stimulant…not based on withdrawal symptoms alone but on desire, both generally recognized as capable of producing addiction. If the addictive properties are strong enough, some regulation is indicated, but that’s it. Nicotine and alcohol are both much more addictive to most of the population, and much as I’d love to see caffeine disappear, it actually has a positive impact on most people.