Caffeine or cafFIEND?
Brianna Bjurstrom
When you reach for that delicious steamy cup of coffee every morning, have you thought about the addictive implications this drink can have on your wellbeing? Most people often say, “I can’t live without my coffee” or “I can’t function normally without a few cups of coffee during the day.” This phenomena often occurs without people even realizing that their brain might be addicted to the caffeine in their beloved drink.
The science
Many assume that caffeine is just another energy boosting compound in their food. However, this chemical is in reality a “psychostimulant” that can have similar effects to drugs such as amphetamine and cocaine (Ferré, 2013). How is this possible? Caffeine often has chemical properties that affect motor and cognitive functions, similar to drugs with stimulant type properties. Most people consume caffeine for a boost in energy to kickstart their motor functions for the day. That boost from that drink of coffee often becomes a necessity for people as their brain cannot function without it. When the habit of drinking caffeinated beverages first starts, changes in neuronal activity patterns within the basal ganglia of the brain become the brain’s new regular pattern (Boyle, 2024). This neuronal shift in the striatum of the basal ganglia is due to the increased release of dopamine, a neurotransmitter that is associated with emotions of pleasure and reward.
With the repeated firing of this excitatory neurotransmitter when drinking caffeine, the brain starts to rely on the increased levels of dopamine. The brain experiences a diminished sense of sensitivity to natural dopamine levels and starts to require increaingly more as explained by the National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA, 2020). With the repeated feeling of pleasure and satisfaction from this habit of drinking large amounts of caffeine, people are more likely to become reliant on caffeinated beverages as their brain now needs the new amount of dopamine to function like normal.
Behavioral consequences
While many drink coffee and other caffeinated drinks on a regular basis without harm, the indication of an addiction can be when it becomes too difficult to function without a certain substance. People often experience a phenomenon called “withdrawal” that can cause long term effects like irritability, headaches, weakness, fatigue, anxiety, psychological distress, and more (Alcohol and Drug Foundation, 2024). These symptoms are often the opposite of what people want to feel when they reach for those cups of coffee. People tend to become depressed and numb as they do not have the new heightened levels of dopamine release on a regular basis (NIDA, 2020). People will then start to drink more caffeine to help rid the negative effects of fatigue and depression. This response creates a harsh, but brutal cycle that signifies the existence of addiction.
So what?
The next time you reach for that third or fourth cup of coffee before an exam, ask yourself this question. Do I really need this? More times than often not, you probably don’t. While drinking one caffeinated beverage a day or so may not be an addiction, the excessive use and dependency on it everyday is. To increase energy levels naturally, one may consider getting an adequate amount of sleep and eating nutritious meals. Caffeine can be the “drug” that will have you hooked without realization. Of course, as with all things, moderation is key.
Works cited
Ferré, Sergi. “Caffeine and Substance Use Disorders — PMC.” NCBI, National Library of Medicine, 3 June 2013, https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3680974/. Accessed 17 February 2024.
Boyle, Mary. “Hijacked Decisions.” Cognitive NeuroEconomics, Jan. 2024, UC San Diego. Lecture.
NIDA. “Drugs, Brains, and Behavior: The Science of Addiction: Drugs and the Brain | NIDA.” National Institute on Drug Abuse, National Institutes of Health, 10 July 2020, https://nida.nih.gov/publications/drugs-brains-behavior-science-addiction/drugs-brain. Accessed 16 February 2024.
Alcohol and Drug Foundation. “Caffeine.” Alcohol and Drug Foundation, 17 January 2024, https://adf.org.au/drug-facts/caffeine/. Accessed 17 February 2024.
