>>11366140>You're not gonna have withdrawals and stop visiting your children because of coffee.Didn't read the article but whoever was quoted here is wrong on both counts. I actually had a period in my life where I was using caffeine as a recreational drug and became heavily addicted. I will admit I am a alcoholic and have been addicted to other substances, but coffee has been a catalyst and a gateway for other destructive behaviors. I was 1 year sober from alcohol last year, and I hadn't consumed caffeine during that time either due to anxiety. Once my anxiety subsided and I decided to get back into coffee again, the buzz I got from it triggered a relapse with alcohol. There was just something about the rush and the dopamine hit the coffee gave me that made me feel like drinking again.
I eventually got sober again after a month-long bender, but over the following 6 month period, I was using coffee as I did alcohol. I wasn't doing anything constructive, I was using coffee for the buzz alone and every moment of the day revolved around passing the time before my next hit. I barely talked to any of my family or friends, I was not interested in anything, just wanted to get by and drink coffee. The behavior exactly mirrored my behavior during alcohol benders, just swap alcohol for coffee. It was a really bleak 6 months and I was not remotely happy.
I understand that this is not a typical experience and that behavior like this is only likely to occur in people with underlying mental health issues. But that doesn't change the fact that caffeine was the catalyst. You could say the same for a lot of drug, plenty of mentally healthy people can take cocaine or alcohol recreationally without developing an abuse disorder. Caffeine is only different in that it is milder and less risky overall, but it still fits the bill as a drug.
