Adjunct Associate Professor of Psychology Crystal Dehle said she often hears the word “addiction” used loosely in conversations, but coffee is a different story.
“Caffeine does have an addictive component, and people can build a tolerance for it,” she said.
She explained that because of this tolerance that coffee drinkers build, and the withdrawal symptoms they face when they try to quit, coffee can be considered addictive.
According to a study conducted by Johns Hopkins University researchers, caffeine withdrawal could actually result in mental disorders. The more caffeine a person consumes, the more severe his or her withdrawal symptoms will be, the study reports. Some people even report depression, nausea, vomiting or muscle pain during withdrawal. These researchers concluded that it only takes one small cup of coffee a day to produce caffeine addiction.
– Talia Schmidt
Addicted to coffee? You might be.
February 27, 2007
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