Addicted to Coffee?

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Addicted to Coffee?

As a sophomore in college, I know how important it is to get that first cup of coffee in the morning. That first cup of coffee, second cup, and third cup seem vital to the well-being of Bryn Mawr students all over campus. They help us to stay awake through our classes, hours of study, and even time spent socializing. But is caffeine really addictive? Ask any Bryn Mawr student, and chances are that she will answer with an emphatic "Yes!" Ask any scientist or doctor the same question and the answer is likely to be just as emphatic, but what that answer will be is much less predictable.

It is universally recognized that caffeine is a stimulant, a substance that causes the body to act differently from the ways that it would naturally act by inducing "fight or flight" reactions which cause the body to act in emergencies (1). However, it is still debated as to whether or not this stimulate is addictive. When deciding whether a substance is addictive, most professionals who make diagnoses in the United States and in many other countries will turn to the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, Fourth Edition, better know as the DMS-IV. This manual is published by the American Psychiatric Association and lists, among other things, the symptoms of all mental health disorders. According to the DMS-IV, the symptoms of substance dependence (in other words, substance addiction) are substance abuse, continuation of use despite related problems, increase in tolerance, and withdrawal symptoms (2).

The debate lies largely in the interpretation of these symptoms. What exactly constitutes a withdrawal symptom? Can having a headache for a few days even compare to the horrors experienced by heroine addict...

... middle of paper ...

...ww.umd.edu/news/?Diamondback/archives/2002/12/03/news3.html

6)ScienceDaily News Release: Debate Brews over Caffeine Addiction – Study Also Confirms Caffeine Improves Alertness And Energy, on ScienceDaily, an online magazine.

http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/1999/03/990322061015.htm

7)nucleus accumbens, a short description of the nucleus accumbens on the Department of Integrated Science and Technology section of the James Madison University website.

http://www.isat.jmu.edu/users/klevicca/neuroconn/The_Brain/Brain_Function/Limbic_System/nucleusaccumbens.html

8)Caffeine Myths and Facts, on koffeekorner.com, a coffee appreciation website

http://www.koffeekorner.com/health7.htm

9)Sleepy at work? How you can stay awake, tips for staying awake at work on MayoClinic.com.

http://www.mayoclinic.com/invoke.cfm?objectid=91CC6E35-BD09-4A6B-BA577A3BED23885C

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