Caffeine. It helps millions of people wake up and feel better in the morning. It helps them stay awake on the road. It gives them something nonalcoholic to drink socially. And it gives people that extra burst of energy we all seem to need sometimes. But do people realize when they take that sip of coffee, or bite into that bar of chocolate they are contaminating their body with what could be a very dangerous drug? Because that’s just what caffeine is, a drug. According to Richard J. Gilbert, Ph.D., writer of The Encyclopedia Of Psychoactive Drugs: Caffeine: The Most Popular Stimulant, most people only recognize two types of drugs. The first type consists of drugs you receive from doctors or pharmacists. The second includes substances such as marijuana, heroin, nicotine, and alcohol. People don’t acknowledge caffeine as a drug only because the use of it is so wide spread. But not only is caffeine a drug, it is the world’s most popular drug (19). Individuals encounter it on a daily basis, but many people do not realize why abuse of caffeine is a problem; nevertheless, all people should be aware of the problems caused by the drug caffeine to better prevent themselves from addiction.
Source: Focus on Nicotine and Caffeine (Perry 57).