Scientists find coffee really is addictive

[FaustianBargain]

A friend forwarded me this article, Scientists find coffee really is addictive , my first response was, "no way! get outta here!!". My immediate and urgent second reaction was to look up WHERE these good folks are getting their research funding from...I need some grants for a new study I'd like to conduct on my own. "Food. Is it edible?"

the good news is that..

Results of the study could result in caffeine withdrawal's inclusion in the next edition of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, or DSM — considered the bible of the psychiatric profession.

"We need to recognize that caffeine really is a drug and accord it respect as a drug. People need to know what it does when they take it, and what it does when they cease to take it, and make an adult decision about that," said Roland Griffiths, professor of psychiatry and neuroscience at Johns Hopkins, who published the findings with his colleague, Laura Juliano, who teaches at American University.

[Carrot Top]

People need to know what it does when they take it, and what it does when they cease to take it, and make an adult decision about that,"

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I don't see why an adult decision would be any better than a childish decision, in this case.

Right now, I am going to throw my cup of coffee upon the floor in a fit of childish rage...and then demand help...help...

.............................

I guess academics need to earn a living somehow, too, huh?

Great idea for your study program, Lalitha. Please include me in your list of participants...I am sure you will find a grant!

[Carrot Top]

A wonderful book of fiction with a thread running throughout it of coffee as 'The Devil's Brew' is "Memoir from Antproof Case" by Mark Helprin.

The protagonist, who leads an...extravagant...life to say the least, wages life-long war against 'the world's most insidious enslaver: coffee'.

[Bux]

I have a really urgent need to reply in this thread. I'll be back as soon as I've had my coffee.

In my freshman year in college, I recall a debate in the dorm on whether aspirin was addictive. The guy across the hall from me thought his answer that it was not addictive was definitve. He felt he was the authority because he's taken an aspirin every day for the last several years.

Neither coffee nor eGullet is addictive. I'm an authority.

[FaustianBargain]

A wonderful book of fiction with a thread running throughout it of coffee as 'The Devil's Brew' is "Memoir from Antproof Case" by Mark Helprin.

The protagonist, who leads an...extravagant...life to say the least, wages life-long war against 'the world's most insidious enslaver: coffee'.

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the reviews at amazon.com are intriguing...thanks!

[Carrot Top]

Neither coffee nor eGullet is addictive. I'm an authority.

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Thank you for telling me that. I feel much better.

But you must realize that now you have said this on paper, you cease to be 'an authority' and have become The Authority.

[Bux]

Thank you for telling me that. I feel much better.

But you must realize that now you have said this on paper, you cease to be 'an authority' and have become The Authority.

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You seem to speak with some authority on the subject. Wait, this is the Internet, everyone is an authority.

[Carrot Top]

You seem to speak with some authority on the subject. Wait, this is the Internet, everyone is an authority.

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Yes, isn't it pleasant!

Wait a minute...what did you write?...I can not seem to see beyond the end of my nose....

A cup of coffee will fix that, I hope.

Must go to the Coffee Forum to learn how to make one....with....

well, you know. The A word.

[chromedome]

As a former consumer of 6-8 litres/day, I could have been their test population all by myself! My habit for some years had been to lay off for a day or two whenever my kidneys bitched at me, and drink lots of water.

Back in 1994, though, when I attempted to do this, I ran into a serious withdrawal "thing." For three whole days I was erratic, incoherent, and nauseous. I couldn't phrase a complete sentence to save my life (a bad thing in a commission salesman), I suffered hot and cold flashes, blinding headaches, the whole nine yards. If it has that tight a grip on me, I reasoned, it has to go! So I went cold turkey. I stayed off coffee for two whole years, and re-introduced it very gradually (so hard to socialize in North America without coffee).

Today, I generally drink about three or four coffees a day, which I feel to be entirely moderate for a person who works the hours I do.

Edited to add: those three or four cups of coffee are balanced by 3-5 litres of cold water/day.

Edited October 3, 2004 by chromedome (log)

[beetee]

I wish coffee was addictive and kept me awake. It's not uncommon that I nail back a couple of strong shots of espresso at night to help me stay awake to get work done, but within an hour I'm sleeping soundly.

Anybody know where I can score the strong shit?

[Pan]

Despite the fact that tea contains caffeine, it isn't addictive, at least not for me. I drink tea often but have no trouble going x-number of days without it. I've never, ever had any withdrawal symptoms from tea, like my father used to have withdrawal symptoms from coffee (especially splitting headaches) on weekends when he was still drinking non-decaf coffee.

Edited October 4, 2004 by Pan (log)

[FaustianBargain]

I wish coffee was addictive and kept me awake.  It's not uncommon that I nail back a couple of strong shots of espresso at night to help me stay awake to get work done, but within an hour I'm sleeping soundly.

Anybody know where I can score the strong shit?

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you could get married. better still, have a kid. you will NEVER sleep.

edited to add: wait..wait..i know! mountain dew! i think its probably somewhere between a wailing infant and espressos. of course, i am no authority on caffine, espressos marriage, kids or mountain dew.

Edited October 4, 2004 by Lalitha (log)

[FaustianBargain]

Despite the fact that tea contains caffeine, it isn't addictive, at least not for me. I drink tea often but have no trouble going x-number of days without it. I've never, ever had any withdrawal symptoms from tea, like my father used to have withdrawal symptoms from coffee (especially splitting headaches) on weekends when he was still drinking non-decaf coffee.

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isnt there more caffine in coffee than in tea?

[Pan]

A Google search producted the following from http://www.holymtn.com/tea/caffeine.htm:

"As regards tea, it should be noted that all types of tea contain less caffeine than coffee."

(Incidentally, this is from the website of a company called Holy Mountain Trading Company, http://www.holymtn.com/, which looks interesting.)

Edited October 5, 2004 by Pan (log)

[jsolomon]

Despite the fact that tea contains caffeine, it isn't addictive, at least not for me. I drink tea often but have no trouble going x-number of days without it. I've never, ever had any withdrawal symptoms from tea, like my father used to have withdrawal symptoms from coffee (especially splitting headaches) on weekends when he was still drinking non-decaf coffee.

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The way chemicals, especially drugs work in your body is that they do shape-fit interactions with other chemicals in your body. There are chemical differences between caffeine--in coffee, theophylline--in some teas, and theobromine--in chocolate.

Each because they have different--but very similar--chemical compositions, fit slightly differently in their "keyholes". But, it's not that simple because there are many chemicals that these caffeine-alikes fit in. Theophylline affects some more strongly than caffeine, and vice versa.

It's just that caffeine seems to affect the nervous system more strongly and in a longer lasting nature than theophylline.

But, if I want a caffeine buzz, all I need is a cup of homemade hot cocoa. Gets me everytime.

[FaustianBargain]

A Google search producted the following from http://www.holymtn.com/tea/caffeine.htm:

"As regards tea, it should be noted that all types of tea contain less caffeine than coffee."

(Incidentally, this is from the website of a company called Holy Mountain Trading Company's, http://www.holymtn.com/, which looks interesting.)

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btw, pan, have you tried georgian(georgia, the country) tea? my georgian friend once sent me a couple of different bags of tea and i found it very interesting.(actually, it was the georgian script on the bags that captivated me more than tea itself..i have NEVER seen anything so beautiful as those inscriptions) it was almost floral and like no other tea i have tasted before. she said that it had less tannin and not as much caffine as other teas. but then again, i am not a regular tea drinker..i cannot declare its uniqueness without doubt...

[Carrot Top]

There is an article on msnbc.com today about two scientists who just won a shared $1 million-plus Nobel prize for work on aromas/scents and memory.

And what did one of them say when asked what the first thing he was going to do now?

"Go have a cup of coffee".

[bleudauvergne]

My husband told me that recently the physics department at Ecole Normale Superieur Sciences welcomed a 12 year old student into the lab to assist in experiments to gain some insight into the life of a scientist, a project where children named what they wanted to be when they grew up, and then got to get some exposure on what their lives would be like in that profession. At the end of his work in the lab for a day, he wrote up his report:

"All of the scientists were really nice and welcomed me by including me in their daily activities. 7 scientists asked me if I wanted to have cup of coffee."

[Pan]

"All of the scientists were really nice and welcomed me by including me in their daily activities.  7 scientists asked me if I wanted to have cup of coffee." 

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And, to go on to something completely different:

Lalitha, I haven't tried that Georgian tea, but it sounds interesting!

[FaustianBargain]

oh! somebody stop me! Really.

Starbucks vs. Its Addicts

[...]There's the guy with the cart who sells the little Greek diner cups for 50 cents; the deli with the scalding 75-cent generic joe and the thin paper cup; the convenience store with $1.00 faux gourmet stuff; and Cosi, where a latte costs $3.59. Only after running this gantlet could I enter Starbucks, where a java chip Frappuccino runs $4.75.

[...]The Wall Street Journal earlier this year sent samples of coffee from Starbucks, 7-Eleven, and Dunkin' Donuts to Central Analytical Laboratories. The lab reported that a 16-ounce Starbucks house blend coffee contained 223 milligrams of caffeine, compared with 174 and 141 milligrams in comparable amounts of Dunkin' Donuts and 7-Eleven coffee, respectively. According to the Journal, the average Starbucks coffee drink contains 320 milligrams of caffeine.

(This chart from the Center for Science in the Public Interest shows different measurement levels, including the scary finding that a 16-ounce Starbucks grande has nearly three times as much caffeine as a No-Doz.)

edited ..just because..

Edited October 5, 2004 by Lalitha (log)

[Carrot Top]

Odd (or not really) how the word "hubris" is popping up all over the place all of a sudden.

Haven't heard it for years till a commentator on NPR used it about six months ago in a discussion about Martha Stewart and her uh...woes.

Keep on hearing it and seeing it everywhere now, including the WSJ discussing the 'troubles' our corporations seem to be having in figuring out how to maintain clear and ethical bookkeeping procedures.

It was suitable then, and it is suitable now...in this article about Starbucks.

Of course, the rule is always "Charge what the market will bear", and that is fair.

And there's also the sayings "There's a sucker born every minute" and "Gotta keep up with the Joneses".

Ah, well, Lalitha. If the coffee thing becomes too absolutely ridiculous, we could take to strong drink, no?

Edited October 5, 2004 by Carrot Top (log)

[FaustianBargain]

Ah, well, Lalitha. If the coffee thing becomes too absolutely ridiculous, we could take to strong drink, no?

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lets see....cirrhosis of the liver or life as a caffine junkie. if only my life were littered with such uncomplicated, easy decisions...

shaken, not stirred, pulhease.

[FaustianBargain]

ok..here comes something better

alcohol AND caffine!

As the industry leader, Anheuser-Busch is the first major brewer to infuse beer with caffeine, guarana and ginseng. Well balanced with select hops and aromas of blackberry, raspberry and cherry, BE will offer a lightly sweet and tart taste - a great mixture of beer and new flavors for adults to enjoy when out with friends at a club or at a bar after work with colleagues.

blackberry, raspberry and cherry flavoured beer?? now *that* is truly vile.

[Lexica]

blackberry, raspberry and cherry flavoured beer?? now *that* is truly vile.

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Not necessarily - if it's lambic, it can be quite nice.

Which is not to say that I think the AB product will be (at all) nice...

[Carrot Top]

I was informed last night that Starbucks has its own satellite radion station...now even driving in your car you can feel like you are there....