methamphetamine, nicotine, opioids,and other major drugs. This makes caffeine the widest used psychoactive drug in the world.
Another compounding problem with caffeine addiction is that it affects many people differently. Some caffeine addicts are satisfied with a low level of caffeine in take, like a few cups of coffee. Others can't seem to function without a liter of cola and a few Red Bulls everyday. Since an addiction to caffeine is highly personalized, it remains any standardized treatment remains a riddle.Caffeine addiction also has a social aspect. Where as all other drugs have a social stigma attached to them, caffeine products from chocolate to coffee are widely accepted by the general public. Despite its acceptance and central nervous stimulant affecting a person's sense of well being, caffeine's use is also associated with a number of physical and psychological syndromes that are similar to other drugs, i.e. caffeine addiction.
In the brain, caffeine binds to the adenosine receptors. Over a relatively short period of time, as a person chronically consumes caffeine, it is thought that the brain may adapt to this increase by modifying the receptors. Consequently, more and more caffeine is needed to achieve the same effects, even as these effects diminish. Thus, caffeine tolerance occurs as the modified receptors in the brain may not be as susceptible to effects of the stimulant.
Caffeine withdrawal:results once the user ceases consuming caffeine, which unmasks receptors in the brain that produce these symptoms. Caffeine withdrawal tends to be fairly consistent with those of other drugs, but without the life-threatening severity seen in such drugs as benzodiazepines or alcohol. Caffeine withdrawal from heavy use of caffeine typically begin within 24 hours of caffeine cessation and they include:
* headaches
* fatigue
* irritability
* anxiety
Caffeine withdrawal can persist for up to a week or more and can, for some people, be sufficiently intolerable. Many prefer a return to using caffeine to subdue the effects felt during caffeine withdrawal.
