Is Drinking Caffeine a Drug Habit?
Garrett here, the review guy. I wanted to post this article for a couple of reasons, chief among them being the fact that Mr. Fiend over there is too humble to point out that he spent a fair amount of his time contributing to the research for it. Also, I thought it was interesting that they took what was ostensibly an article about caffeine and somehow spent a good chunk of it talking about kids abusing prescription meds.
Now I’m no doctor, but I’d say any connection there is really tenuous at best. There is a big difference between coffee and Adderall. There’s also a pretty sizable difference between a Red Bull and a Red Line. It’s up to each of us to know these differences and take them into account if we are going to mess with this stuff.
So I’ve been around for a while now, reading the comments and some emails, and you should know by now that I’ve got no problem throwing around half-assed opinions. That being said, I’m going to go out on a limb here and say that the bulk of our readership probably isn’t made up of what one might call drug people. I think relatively few people who drink caffeine regularly would characterize themselves as drug users because of the way the meaning of the word has been changed.
It is a drug habit though and there’s not necessarily anything wrong with that as long as everyone recognizes that there are both risks and benefits associated with any relationship with a drug.
Most people who use drugs in the traditional sense of the word (i.e., illegal drugs) will tell you that there is a difference between a user and an abuser. Users are generally annoyed by abusers because a) it’s members of the latter that generally perpetuate a lot of the stereotypes that have been manufactured to make the members of the former look bad, and b) because most of the time a member of the latter group thinks he or she is actually a member of the former group, hence reducing the chance that he or she will realize that they are acting like a fool and stop. Also–and perhaps most importantly– because it’s generally the abusers of certain lesser drugs that will move on to more severe and dangerous drugs, hence keeping the door open for people to make the kinds of tenuous connections that we’re seeing in the article.
The chance that someone reading this will switch from coffee to Dexadrine is just about the same as the chance that your average pot smoker will switch to Heroin–slim, but not impossible. If people like the writers of this article can convince a significant number of other people that there is a link though, well, it’s just an opportunity for them to give us crap.
I guess my point is this: Don’t screw this up. We’ve got a good thing here. Caffeine has been around for 1000’s of years and it’s just getting kind of trendy right now. Cocaine, Morphine, and the Stinky Green Ganja have all been around equally as long, but they each their vogue periods and are now against the law.
So,
1. All of these substances have survived because they serve a purpose in some capacity. Some forms of cocaine are still classified as a schedule II controlled substance in the U.S. because they are used as a topical anesthetic. Morphine, medical marijuana, you get the point.
2. All of them became popular because it’s in our nature to figure out how to make use of the world around us.
3. All of them have been criminalized because, unfortunately, it’s also in our nature to periodically freak out about what others are doing.
I realize that it sounds silly or alarmist or whatever. It is a bit of a stretch, but please at least acknowledge that it’s not out of the realm of possibility. There is an army of stupid people out there who are eagerly looking for something that they can channel their energy into. They want to worry about certain aspects of your behavior so that they can avoid thinking about other aspects of their own.
I’m not saying that anyone is going to try to criminalize caffeine, but I am saying I could see some unholy union of concerned moms and opportunistic politicians at least monopolizing a valuable chunk of the news cycle. I can see someone who might be inspired by this article to write a book about the quiet scourge that’s killing our children. That, of course means a buttload of press and more time that we are not talking about something more important. Do not let that happen.
Don’t be the person that eats a box of No-Doze. Don’t be the guy who acts a fool in line at Starbucks and, for god’s sake, don’t just grab shit off the shelf and start guzzling blindly. I cringe every time I read a comment from someone who unknowingly drinks a Redline or something else that they weren’t ready for. That crap is dangerous. It’s fun too, but it’s still dangerous. Especially in the wrong hands. I don’t go around recommending that all of my friends drink this stuff because it most certainly is not for everyone.
Know your dosage. It makes life a lot easier.
Just as importantly, know the difference between an extra shot in your latte and popping black market freaking Ritalin.
Actually, that’s another thing. Do not underestimate the value of convenience. Don’t take for granted the luxury of stopping virtually anywhere and being able to buy what you’re looking for. Most drug people will also tell you that the legal nature of some of their purchasing habits necessitates dealing with some seriously flaky people. Most can only dream of going to the pharmacy or the drug store and getting what they need. So, yeah, there’s that.
If one of you gets hopped up and does something stupid or dangerous or otherwise embarrassing, you make us all look bad. Just like everyone that drinks isn’t George W. Bush and every pot smoker isn’t this guy and everyone who smokes crack….wait, no, everyone who smokes crack is a jackass….don’t associate with crack smokers. Be very, very careful with the cocaine people too. They’re dangerous and often stupid. Watch Boogie Nights.
This thing of ours though, it’s silly. It’s a relatively harmless diversion from the monotony that will eventually kill each of us. Besides that, it allows us to have a productive morning or a solid workout or a lively night out (or all three). Don’t let it go beyond that. Don’t end up on CNN or YouTube and don’t let people like the ones who wrote this story convince anyone else that there’s any reason to pay attention to us. There’s nothing to see here and it’s best if they just move along.
I would have been much happier if the story would have just been about prescription drugs. It’s an interesting subject in its own right and one that should be discussed. Bringing caffeine in was just a ploy to ensure that they lure in more parents and grandparents. It sells magazines and, oddly enough, it sells energy drinks. See how this all works? Someone is going to get what they want. It might as well be you and those who aren’t harming you. It’s up to us, not as citizens or humans because no one really cares about that. It’s up to us as consumers. That’s what matters so embrace it. They’re your fat ass, dirty dollars. Spend them wisely–on beverages and media.
Okay, I’m afraid that may have been a rant. I didn’t plan that. I, uh, I’m done now.
33 Comments
BWAHHA! I knew it! You have the same name as me…I think all Garrett’s like caffeine 
the “this guy” pot smoker link is unfortunately not working.
Good rant.
No comment on this one.
Wow HOBOBOB, I had always assumed that you’re name was, well, Bob. There’s not that many of us around. We gotta stick together, us Garrett’s. Make sure you tell everyone about Garrett Morgan, who invented the traffic light, and Garrett Morris, who did lots of Coke.
You know, about three lines in I was fully prepared to hate this article. BAAAW! Another stoner bitching about the Man!
And I stand entirely corrected. One of the best rants about drugs, caf, or pretty much anything I’ve come across in far too long.
Jitter on, Garrett!
the cmpletely free + legal distribution of caffine is coming to an end, this article is dead on. Not complete illegalization, but the age limit thing on redline is bound to trickle down to energydrinks and inevitably, coffee. i stake my name on it -ad
Thanks a lot. But just for the record, I’m not a stoner. Caffeine is my drug of choice for the most part. I mentioned the other drugs as an example of what people are capable of.
Basically, I just don’t want to see anyone get hurt. Again though, every time something like the No-Doze incident does happen, it increases the chance that someone is going to take it upon themselves to try to “protect” us.
We don’t need that.
:p, i knew about Garrett Morgan, but not the other one, When is your birthday, just to make sure your not me from the future… cuz i drink a whole lot of energy drinks..u don’t keep the cans do you?… (I have about 100 in my room since i started collecting them)
What an amazing article that was. I’m 13 years old, weigh around 120 lbs, and have in the past taken over 515mg of caffeine in one four hour period (I know it was more than that because the caffeine database only has bottled Bawls, not canned) and it was lots of fun.
Commenting on the age of videoCWK… Thirteen is way too young for you to be engaging in drugs of any kind (other than prescripted drugs from your physician). You are still in a huge body change mode and to get hooked on anything right now would harm you. Wait until you are done your changes and have normal rythyms before you go doing drugs (any drugs).
As for the protection aspects, hell yea. I’d get it age regulated (ie. smoking, drinking). As for the amounts you want to ingest (after 18), I’m all for the Caff.
To Karlie…I agree (from experience)that 13 is too young for more than 75-100 mg of caffeine per day. I started on coffee when I was 14, and that’s also when I stopped growing. However, it’s videoCWK’s choice to take the risk, and I strongly disagree with regulating caffeine. If someone is dumb with this stuff, it’s their right to make a mistake and suffer the consequences. Just so long as everyone knows that it can cause de-calcification of bones and teeth, and can partially stunt growth, they should be able to have it. We don’t need regulation for caffeine, I mean come on, are you going to restrict kids’ ability to buy Hershy’s Kisses because there’s a small amount of caffeine in those? How about Barq’s [sp?] root beer? Caffeine can be physically addictive when consumed regularly, but it doesn’t need regulation.
Okay not many times in this day in age we talk about natural and synthetic (actually we talk about it all the time, cars, makeup, pet food etc) I believe that natural caffeine found in chocolate, coffee, tea and hot cocao are good. It’s the synthetic that’s found in mostly everything else. I am warning all the young ones out there of the highly addictive and problematic uses of the synthetics. I’m not saying banning Jill or Jim from eating Hershey’s bars. I’m saying a control of the synthetic forms of caffeine wouldn’t hurt.
skillvan@hotmail.com if anyone wants to MSN chat with me about caffeine and derivatives.
I started drinking coffee at 5 years old because I wanted to be like my dad. I am taller than he is, standing at 6 foot 2 inches now. True, just because I haven’t experienced negative effects doesn’t mean that it can’t happen.
But, at 120 pounds and 13 years old, you are smack in the middle of puberty with a metabolism that’s easily four times that of an adult. The half life of caffeine is four hours in an adult, so for this teen it is probably nearer to one hour and I am not concerned. 500 mg is about a cup of coffee an hour. Your body has already broken down half the first cup by the time you get to the next cup. So at the 4th hour, right after drinking a cup of coffee, you probably only had about 235 mg of caffeine left in your system. With your physiology, that’s not a lot of caffeine at one time.
However, your brain is still undergoing development and the presence of a psychoactive drug like caffeine during that process is not a good thing. Keep it to a moderate amount and don’t be stupid. If you are stupid, you get hurt. Natural consequences are enough, though, and government regulation of the substance is unnecessary.
So you’re saying it’s better to slug 5 espressos than it is to drink one can of Redbull? I=confused. Caffeine is caffeine…the chemical structure is all that matters. Whether it comes from chocolate or is isolated out of guarna makes no diference near as I can tell.
Yeah, synthetic caffeine comes from natural sources, there’s really no distinction between 200 mg from coffee and 200 mg from No-Doz. The “natural” sources like coffee, tea, and cocoa have antioxidants and other plant nutrients that are good for you, but the caffeine in one is the same as the caffeine in another.
Sorry, I assumed metabolism was higher during puberty because of the higher caloric needs at that time. In reality, metabolism slows during puberty as more of the body’s resources are devoted to growing and building new tissues. This means that the half life of caffeine would be longer, let’s say 6 hours, meaning that probably more than 300 mg of caffeine would still be in play after videoCWK had 515 mg in four hours.
Still that’s not too much caffeine – in research literature they typically use 5 mg caffeine per kg body weight to see measurable effects from the caffeine. If videoCWK had 400 mg of caffeine in his system at once, that’s still only 7.3 mg per kg of body weight.
Spoken like a true addict.
(Hey it takes one to know one
Sort of reminds me of how my mum jokes about how if they somehow outlaw cigarettes they’ll have to take away caffeine too since it’s a stimulant. Then the whole place will be filled with cranky, angry people.
these days, everything is a drug. unless of course its chemical laiden over-processed twinkies or pharmaceutical medications.
(sarcasm)