Caffeine addiction: I'm cool with it

Here I am at an airport, trying to write this article, thinking to myself, there is no way I can do this without a cup of coffee.

And then I start to think, am I addicted to caffeine?

Being a caffeine addict is something I joke about all of time. Plenty of college students rely heavily on caffeine to get them through their classes, especially their morning classes. I can think of plenty of friends who can’t function without their morning cup of coffee, especially after a night out.

But actually, according to doctors from John Hopkins University, feeling unable to wake up in the morning without coffee is actually a reaction to caffeine withdrawal after not having consumed caffeine overnight. According to these same doctors, the most common symptom of withdrawal is getting a headache.

I experience both of these things, so apparently I am addicted to caffeine.

Realistically, if I am addicted to caffeine, then in turn most of my friends must be addicted to caffeine. And the statistics about caffeine consumption in the U.S. also prove this point.

According to MyAddiction.com, 90 percent of Americans use caffeine every day, and 75 percent of caffeine consumed is in the form of coffee. The Coffee Statistics Report from 2010 reports that 400 million cups of coffee are consumed in America per day.

However, the Food and Drug Administration still considers caffeine to be a regulated substance and has created laws that force food labels to list the amount of caffeine in their product. Caffeine is often considered a drug, but clearly it is not dangerous enough to keep out of consumer’s hands.

While many people preach against caffeine addiction, it is important to note the difference between dependence and addiction.

Caffeine is not classified as an addictive substance, but one can become dependent upon caffeine. And it is true that one’s tolerance to caffeine can build up to the point where it is rendered less effective, causing the consumer to need more caffeine to experience the same high. In the same way a tolerance is slowly built up, it must be slowly reduced overtime to fix it.

So how concerned should Americans be about our so-called caffeine addictions? Personally, I don’t really have a problem being dependent on caffeine. If I kicked the habit, I could save oodles of cash and probably be a lot healthier, but then I would have to stop going to Dunkin Donuts and setting up coffee dates with friends. I’m at peace with my caffeine addiction.