I Have An Addiction. Do You?

My drug of choice is caffeine. Did you know that caffeine is a drug? In fact it is a ‘psychoactive’ drug. This means that when used it can highly influence your emotions, your perceptions and your behaviors. Take for example some of the side effects of caffeine:

• mood swings or periods of depression during the day
• anxiety
• irritability including inappropriate ‘fits’ of anger
• difficulty concentrating or memory loss

Why then do I continue to ‘use’ caffeine when I know that it will increase my already swinging moods and add to my naturally anxious state???? I suspect it is because I am addicted. Addicted????? Yep. This test told me so.

The following is a test based on a combination of the eight criteria that The American Psychiatric Association uses to diagnose substance dependence (drug abuse). Go ahead. Think about that ‘thing’ you just can’t live without. Now grab a pencil and a piece of paper and answer yes or no to the following questions.

• The ‘thing’ is often taken in larger amounts over over a longer period than intended
• There is a persistent desire or one or more unsuccessful efforts to cut down or control the use of the ‘thing’
• A great deal of your time is spent in activities necessary to get the ‘thing’ or recovering from it’s effects
• You experience frequent intoxication or withdrawal symptoms when you are expected to fulfill obligations at work, school, or home
• you give up or reduce in frequency important social, occupational, or recreational activities because of the ‘thing’
• You need increased amounts of the ‘thing’ to achieve the desired effect
• You often that the ‘thing’ to relieve or avoid withdrawal symptoms
• You continue to use the ‘thing’ despite recognizing its harmfulness to your life

According to The American Psychiatric Association, if you answered yes to three or more of the questions, you may have a problem with ’substance abuse’. In other words, you may be addicted to that ‘thing’ you just can’t live without.

I answered yes to four of the above questions. The likelihood that I am addicted to caffeine is 99.9% affirmative. I feed my addiction by having one two of these daily. Even though I understand that the side effects of this particular psychoactive drug are harmful, I continue to ‘pop the top’ on a bottle every morning.

Be sure to stop by next week when I talk about my plan for rehab how to get rid of a bad habit.

Don’t forget, if there is a question that you would like to have answered be sure to email me at dbeverlyhills@gmail.com. All questions will remain anonymous. All answers will be sprinkled with my perspective.