Caffeine - Is Caffeine Addictive?

The question of whether caffeine is addictive has been debated for decades. Some medical experts believe it is mildly addictive because it fits the criteria for addiction: dependence and tolerance. In "Clinical Pharmacology of Caffeine" (Annual Review of Medicine, 1990), Neal L. Benowitz observed, "Minor criteria for addiction liability include the development of tolerance, physical dependence, and recurrent intense desire for the drug, all of which are characteristic of regular caffeine consumers. Thus, there is a group of coffee drinkers who appear to be addicted to caffeine, although the extent of caffeine addiction in the population is unknown."

While caffeine is both psychoactive (mood altering) and addictive, it is not intoxicating. No one gets drunk or "high" on caffeine, although it can produce anxiety and sleeplessness.

However, results of a 1999 study, "Are We Dependent upon Coffee and Caffeine? A Review on Human and Animal Data" (Neuroscience and Biobehavioral Reviews), show that complete tolerance to many of the effects of caffeine on the central nervous system does not occur. Additionally, average daily doses of caffeine do not act on brain structures related to reward, motivation, and addiction as do "hard" drugs such as cocaine and amphetamines.