As many of you may have heard, caffeine can be considered a drug to some. What are your opinions on this subject?

Obviously, like any drug, caffeine can affect some, while others can be unaffected. For example, I drink soda, usually two cans a day. Now, I have gone sometimes a week or two without soda though, clearly stating it has no control over me, but I have heard it can affect others in strange ways. For some caffeine consumers, if they go too long with it, they will get headaches, nausea, etc. But I rarely see this is people. This is most people's defense when it comes to saying caffeine is a drug, but I feel not enough people are actually affected this way for it to be considered a drug.

On the other hand, what is a drug? I found this on Wikipedia.org:


I also found this under caffeine:
but you already knew that, right? For anyone who doesn't know what a stimulant is, it's a drug that temporarily increase alertness and wakefulness.

So, caffeine is a drug, no matter how you see it, when you get down to the bare facts, right? Or did I read something wrong. Before I was bored enough to research and post about this, I thought it wasn't a drug Feel free to comment, but please, no flaming.

i rarely drink coffee. i only drink it if i have chocolate mix at home. i prepare probably just a tablespoon of coffee along with that chocolate mix. but overall, you rarely will see me drinking coffee. i only drink lemon iced tea, fruit juices and water. i sometimes drink soda if we're dining with really great food. but that's just about it. i have other ways of keeping myself awake, and drinking coffee isn't one of them. i'd probably consider that if i'm on a deadline and i need to stay awake for it.

Id say it is a drug because i think im slightly addicted to it. A year back i was coming up to exams and i though what better of a start then a can of caffinated energy drink, namely red bull. So i drunk a can every morning for a week or two and that carried on after the exams for a month or two and ever since then ive needed at the least a cup of coffee to actually function in the mornings. even if i lie in untill midday getting about 12 hours sleep i still need it otherwise im grouchy and groggy all day long.

This is especially true for college when its an early start, before i drunk energy drinks i didnt need any caffeine for the entire day but now i have a cup of strong tea and an energy drink or i just cant work, i yawn all day to the extent i find it hard to get anywhere when writing etc because i have to wipe my eyes and such. But there ya go!

If i go without caffeine i can be very grouchy and quiet all day and i find it hard to work such as coding etc.. or writing/typing not had a headache yet though. Maybe an addiction, maybe psychological but either way I love my caffeine.

Well this is a really crazy topic.

Since i was little my mom spoiled me and gave me coffee at a really really early age. At first it was a weird taste and i did not really like it at all but for some reason i kept drinking it every morning. Some can say i did this because i was "addicted" but maybe i just liked the fact that i was drinking a drink i should not be drinking at all. So somehow i was a bit of a grown up. I drink soda's all the time. I went through a weird phase though when i started to drink just water but that was basically because i had no soda in reach. Now i have a new addiction which is starbucks. mmm frap anyone? i still drink soda all the time do not get me wrong i love stripes 64 oz fountain drink for 99cents i get it as often as i can in drink it in the course of a couple hours. I also notice that when i dont drink caffeine a can be really rude and i get headaches. The thing i hate most is that i snap at people i do not mean to. and then i end of feeling guilty of having someone mad at me and it makes me sad and i drink more caffeine i do not know if you can say i am addicted to it but i guess that can be a reason for my moodiness.

Woo! Coffee...nectar of the gods lol.
Apparently it makes your sperm more active, which would explain a few things lol.

Don't know if that is the case.... It could be considered a drug to people with disorders like ADHD and stuff like that cause it can make the situation worse.

yes... caffeine is really very addictive. am in India and i know people who cannot live without it... i have heard that it is bad for liver...

people should check the level of caffeine included in the coffee powder they buy. it shouldn't be very high...

Yes caffeine is a drug, and yes it is VERY addicting. Frequent caffeine users can go through withdrawals, which lead to splitting headaches after about a day and a half without it, irritability, etc. Caffeine is the most commonly used legal drug worldwide, and contrary to popular belief, does not make you less tired, but it does hide the tiredness, basically meaning it masks how tired you are so you can function, but once you crash, you crash HARD. It is possible to build up a tolerance to caffeine, and it is possible to come to the point I would know, as I am a caffeine addict. It's a terrible addiction, I know, but I don't care either. I love caffeine, as it helps me to function, and it makes me less edgy, so....

Physical Effects:
· Stimulants nerve cells
· At a very high consumption in a short time, convulsions may occur
· Restlessness
· Can lead to certain types of cancer
· Can increase chances of developing type 2 diabetes


Psychological Effects
· Wakefulness
· Excitability
· Increased Mental Awareness
· There is no evidence that caffeine is linked to the socially damaging behaviors that characterize drugs of abuse.
· Restlessness

Withdrawal Symptoms

· Rebound Headaches
· Irritability
· Lethargy (Laziness)
· Nervousness
· Mild Depression

Current Usage for the Drug in Society

· Consumed Daily by 90% of the world’s population
· 95% of caffeine is consumed in tea and coffee
· About 1.5 billion cups of coffee are consumed daily


I learned this and more during a school project a while back. Caffeine is a major drug, as it's so commonly used, and abused, my millions of people. So remember, if you're not hooked on it, try not to become hooked. It doesn't set in immediately, but it can within a very short time. Once and a while it's okay, like master_bacarra consumes it, but after a while on a daily basis, addiction builds up. And Yuripro84, yes caffeine does affect people in strange ways. I would know. I am a caffeine addict.

You should know what you're becoming addicted to. The picture below is pure caffeine, a white powder, a tablespoon of which would kill you due to cardiac arrest.

 Pure_Caffeine.JPG ( 6.05k ) Number of downloads: 5


Sad. So sad. Any thoughts?

Caffeine is a drug. A drug is a substance that when taken will alter some normal functions of an organism.
Tigercat provided us with the effects of caffeine so that does it.

I have an acquintance that was addicted to coffee (caffeine addiction). If she doesn't drink coffee she'd become restless and irratated. That went on for about 1 1/2 years. She finally forced herself from drinking when she suffered a hyper ventilation attack. (age 2