Millions of Americans begin each day by consuming the most widely used drug in the United States: Caffeine. Over 90% of United States adults consume caffeinated food or beverages on a daily basis and over 50% take more than the recommended amount. Our innocent daily ritual can turn into an addiction for some because many do not realize that caffeine is even a drug let alone the effects it can have on their bodies. Its use it becoming more and more prominent in our society. It’s not uncommon to walk outside and see a Starbucks or coffee shop on each corner. Innovative foods are coming out infused with coffee, and energy drinks are being pushed at every angle. Caffeine to many is a necessity to wake up in the morning and for others to stay up all night. This is dangerous because people are not only becoming more and more dependent on coffee drinks and energy drinks but they are beginning to ingest more of it each day and are now mixing it with other drugs that can be life threatening. Proper knowledge is important when taking any drug including one that the FDA considers to be a safe multi-purpose food substance and education is the key.
Caffeine (also known as Guaranine) is a plant-based alkaloid that operates as an insecticide when found in plants and a stimulant when ingested by humans. It is most commonly found in coco, tea, and coffee plants. The caffeine works as a built-in pesticide in these plants by over-exciting insects to the point of extinction. Medically caffeine is known as trimethylxanthine . It is a white powder with an intense bitter taste that when consumed by humans, it is recognized as a psychoactive drug. These drugs work on the body’s central nervous system to affect brain functions such as consciousness...
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...roblem. Our society is becoming engrossed with caffeine and many people are falling ill to its unnoticed negative properties. It’s important to watch how much caffeine intake your body is receiving each day in the foods and drinks you consume. Caffeine is not a bad drug but be careful to watch for symptoms of withdrawal and caffeine intoxication. It can be dangerous for your body if to much stress is put on it. Remember, there is always decaffeinated options and sometimes these are the best to keep your body healthy.
Works Cited
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web1.caryacademy.org/Caffeine.
Caffeine, a central nervous system stimulant, is the main psychoactive ingredient in energy drinks, which enhances alertness and mood, and counteracts symptoms of sleep. There is no doubt ...
By this definition, and after knowing the effects of caffeine upon the human body, I have come to the conclusion that drinking caffeine is a sign of a lack of respect for oneself, and of an unappreciative attitude toward the life that each of us has been blessed with. Furthermore, it shows of either our inability, or unwillingness to learn to think clearly.
Caffeine is a mild stimulant that occurs naturally in at least 63 plant species. Caffeine can be found in the leaves, stems, seeds, and roots of these various plants. Caffeine is part of the methylxanthine family. It consists of a xanthine molecule with three methyl groups attached to it. Caffeine can be found in many products like sodas, tea, and coffee, but it also occurs in several other products such as prescription medications, diuretics, and pain relievers. Caffeine’s widespread use and popularity have caused many people to view the substance as an addictive drug. Thus making caffeine the most inexpensive and readily available drug known to man. Then on the other hand there are people who view caffeine as a helpful stimulant that increases the individual’s concentration and awareness as well as many other physical traits. The important thing to remember is that caffeine’s affects vary based on the person, the amount ingested, the frequency of consumption, and individual metabolism. (http://www.pp.okstate.edu/ehs/kopykit/caffeine.html)
Caffeinate drinks and energy drinks are very common on amongst adolescents, and the consumption of alcohol is also a regular occurrence among adolescents (Rohsenow et. Al, 2014). At that age, they may consume caffeine or energy drinks to wake themselves up or stay up late when working on homework assignments. Which at times can be helpful when working on multiple assignments. When a person consumes a certain amount of alcohol, he or she begins to feel drowsy/tired. There is nothing wrong with having a drink on occasions, especially if you drink responsibly. Recently people have begun to mix caffeine with alcohol, resulting in Alcoholic Energy Drinks. People buy and consume these drinks to combat the drowsiness that comes with drinking, so if he or she is out partying, it won’t interrupt his or her drinking and the can consume more alcohol because they will not feel as tired as quickly as the normally would. Alcoholic Energy Drinks have been a trend in recent years, and this is especially true among college and high school students (Kponee, Siegel, & Jernigan, 2014). Do Alcoholic Energy Drinks represent responsible drinking? Should companies mix caffeine and alcohol and sell it in stores? To go even further, should the drinks be legal in the United States? Alcoholic Energy Drinks are harmful because they affect the person’s ability to judge his or her level of intoxication, it also influences people to drink more than he or she should because he or she feels less intoxicated, and because of those reasons, people who consume Alcoholic Energy Drinks are more likely to drive while intoxicated, among other dangerous risk-taking behaviors (Kponee, Siegel, & Jernigan, 2014). Because of the adverse effects, Alcoholic Energy Drinks should...
A lot of people often wonder what caffeine is. When isolated in pure form, caffeine is a white crystalline powder that tastes very bitter. The chief source of pure caffeine is the process of decaffeinating coffee or tea. Caffeine is used to provide“boost energy” or a feeling of heightened alertness. It is often used to stay awake longer and late into the night. Many people feel as though they “cannot function” in the morning without a cup of coffee to provide caffeine and the boost it gives them. Caffeine is an addictive drug. It operates using the same mechanisms that amphetamines, cocaine, and heroin use to stimulate the brain. Caffeine effects are more mild than amphetamines, cocaine, and heroin, but it is manipulating the same channels, and that is one of the things that gives caffeine its addictive qualities. If you feel like you have to have caffeine everyday and cannot live without it, then you are considered addicted to caffeine.
Although individuals try to stop using caffeine, some cannot because it has a strong hold on them and some people can stop. The people that doesn’t stop may fit the clinical definition of caffeine addiction. “In this study, 94% of participants experienced withdrawal when they attempted to stop using caffeine, and 94% continued to use caffeine even though they knew that they might be harming their health with their use.” Women stop taking in caffeine during their pregnancies. Studies suggest, caffeine can be harmful to a growing baby. Most individuals with mental illnesses might be asked to stop taking caffeine. (Caffeine Addiction). All races of women consume 200 milligrams of caffeine daily. They drink coffee, black tea, green tea, and soda. About 89 percent of United States women ages 18 to 34 consume two cups of coffee a day. Even though caffeine affects men more strongly than women, caffeine changes women's estrogen levels; it has different effects in Asian, white, and black women. Studies showed that the effect differ between men and women based on the caffeine intake they consume. Men consume 7 milligrams of caffeine a day. Other men consume 85 to 170 milligrams of caffeine a day. Thirtynine percent does not drink caffeine at all.
Caffeine is the most common drug ingested by individuals. Caffeine acts as a central nervous system stimulate that gives most people a temporary boost of energy. Caffeine enters the bloodstream through the stomach and small intestine, which in return enables the body to get a boost of energy. Once in the bloodstream, caffeine can persist for several hours. Caffeine is known to increase alertness, increase motivation, increase energy, and exude feelings of euphoria. Habitual caffeine drinkers will experience a reduction in the positive feelings that correlate to caffeine consumption. Once caffeine tolerance is achieved and consumption is halted the body begins to react and people experience behavioral changes. These are known as withdrawal symptoms. A few withdrawal symptoms include headaches, anxiety, fatigue, irritability, sleep disturbance, rapid heartbeat, reduce dexterity coordination, cause insomnia, and dizziness. According to a 2001 Sleep in America poll conducted by the National Sleep Foundation, 43% of Americans are “very likely” to use
Caffeine is the single most widely consumed psychoactive substance in the United States (Einöther & Giesbrecht, 2013). According to Einöther and Giesbrecht (2013), 80% of the world’s population consumes caffeinated products every day, with coffee and tea being the primary sources. In the recent years, the demand for
Many people do not realize that if they partake in enough caffeine it could be harmful. After drinking a couple of cups of coffee, a soda, then drinking an energy drink all in one day, could put one at serious risk for heart problem or other serious conditions. Those conditions are as serious a loss of consciousness, nausea, vomiting, and
Caffeine is causing cancer. 9 out 10 neighborhoods are obese because of caffeine.Bones will become weak.Teeth will decay,soda is bad for an everyday drink.So lets sit down and learn about why.
(Nehlig, 2010) It is also found that moderate dosages of caffeine can enhance trained athletes’ sport performance by improving vigilance and benefits high-intensity exercise. (Goldstein et al., 2010) These notable effects make beverages containing caffeine including coffee, tea and energy drink popular and lead to the rapid growth in caffeine market targeting particularly to youth. However, the high accessibility also leads to the problem of overconsumption of caffeine and increasing reports of caffeine toxicity from energy drinks particularly among adolescents. (Gunja and Brown, 2011). Researches also showed that caffeine abuse causes insomnia and large doses of caffeine will show reverse symptoms as consumption of low dosages including agitation and recurrent headache and gastrointestinal disturbance. (Bolton, 1981) Therefore, more researches are required to study the functioning of caffeine in human bodies to
Do you know what the most commonly used drug around the world is? It’s not cocaine nor marijuana, but surprisingly caffeine.
Coffee is the first thing that people associate with instant energy on a groggy morning. “In the U.S., coffee is king of beverages” (Reinke) Research has been done that has named coffee as an addiction to the people who consume large quantities of it. Coffee was named the top source of antioxidants. This is partly because of the amount consumed each day. Some of the antioxidants that coffee has are quinines and chlorogenic acid. It also contains trigonelline, an antibacterial compound. This is where coffee acquires its delicious aroma. Now let’s step back for a minute and just think about how much caffeine people consume. In an 8oz cup of coffee it has about 85 milligrams of caffeine. This is about double the amount that tea contains. Studies have shown that caffeine stimulates the brain and nervous system. This is where you get that energized feeling. After about the third cup, knees start to bounce, pens are clicking and people start running laps around the office. Caffeine can become addicting if you drink too much. Coffee can become that addictive habit people are unable to shake.
What is caffeine? Essentially it is a combination of carbon, hydrogen, oxygen and nitrogen in many single and double covalent bonds since caffeine is only made up of nonmetal elements they have to be bonded with covalent bonds. These bonds react with adenosine in one’s brain, so that they aren’t able to bond with their receptors and this in turn gives caffeine the effect that it has. Caffeine is also a polar molecule, therefore it can be taken out of compounds using other polar molecules. From a chemical perspective caffeine might not look as dangerous because it can be easily taken out of substances and is made from elements we interact with safely, however it is a very dangerous chemical and it has many bad implications to one’s health; therefore, the DPS needs to place caffeine on the banned chemicals list. There are four main reasons that we need to put caffeine on the banned chemicals list, one is that caffeine negatively effects one’s heart, another is that caffeine
Preview: The potential effects are related to the main ingredient in coffee – caffeine. Caffeine is a drug that stimulates the central nervous system that increases alertness and energy, but it is also very addictive.