Caffeine is probably the most common drug in America. We drink caffeine in coffee, tea, cocoa, chocolate, some soft drinks, and some drugs. Caffeine is a central nervous system stimulant. That means that, in moderate doses, caffeine can:
1. make you alert
2. reduce your motor function
3. make you awake
4. cause headaches and dizziness
In massive doses, caffeine can be deadly. A fatal dose of caffeine has been estimated to be around 10 grams, or the same as drinking 80 to 100 cups of coffee in a row. Caffeine can have its effects as soon as 15 minutes after somebody drinks it. After that, caffeine will stay around for hours. It takes around six hours for one half of the caffeine to go away. Caffeine also increases your heart rate, constricts your blood vessels, helps to improve breathing and allows you to use your muscles more easily.
Some studies show that once you use caffeine for a while, your body craves it and becomes somewhat dependant on it. One way to tell if someone really needs a cup of coffee is to take it away from them and then see if they have withdrawal symptoms. Usual withdrawal symptoms of caffeine are a headache, fatigue and muscle pain. You only need four cups of coffee a day to get hooked. And our nation, with all of the Starbucks and Dunkin' Doughnuts, is in great danger of being hooked onto this drug.
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