Moksha Pasricha
Remedial Blog
Substance abuse or Cool factor: Coffee and anxiety
Coffee is a widely
available and consumed drink that has high levels of caffeine. Drinking coffee
is not only widely practiced but it is also highly promoted in today’s modern
world. It is a supposedly ‘cool’ drink which increases social status. With an
increasing number of cafes like Starbucks and costa coffee along with the
practice of taking pictures of your drink for social media, coffee drinking has
become more than a recreational or energy inducing drink but a social activity
in itself. There is also a lot of peer pressure involved with coffee drinking
which adds to its large use in society. Coffee dates for studying, work and
other activities have become quite the hype. Another reason why the sudden increasing
coffee intake could have begun is because of an increasing cool factor
associated with being busy. The glorification of being busy and overworked –
which is supposedly a symbol for success is also associated with needing a
large amount of coffee or caffeine to stay awake and energized to finish up your
work.
However, what most
people do not realize is, that too much coffee can lead to negative outcomes
and intoxication. There is also a disorder in the diagnostic and statistical
manual of mental disorders - V called caffeinism which involves symptoms of restlessness,
nervousness, excitement, insomnia, muscle twitching, and gastrointestinal
complaints. Another issue to consider is the ease and readiness in which caffeine
is available which increases the perception that it is harmless. People are
also exposed to coffee very young and start drinking at an early age, which
later leads to the need of more coffee for the same effect. It is also very
difficult to quit drinking so much coffee not only because it is an addictive
substance but also because of how it is intertwined with our everyday life and
society. We must realise that even though small amounts of coffee do not have
harmful effects, if used in excess it can cause serious consequences.
Caffeine is also used
in lab tests to induce panic – in a study with giving participants 10mg of
coffee, patients diagnosed with panic disorders were affected more than healthy
controls. Administrations of coffee also led to full blown panic attacks in
some patients. Such and other studies have shown the relationship between anxiety
and caffeine. It is, therefore, extremely pertinent to establish to conduct
further relationships between anxiety and caffeine. It is also extremely
important to create awareness that overuse of caffeine can have serious
consequences.
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