Am I addicted to caffeine?

Question

I am a 14 year old boy, and I have about 1-2 cans of soda a day. And it is usually diet coke, if that matters. Anyways, whenever I haven't had any diet coke, I get a headache and become irritable. The headache goes away whenever I have caffeine. I've tested this over and over, and its always the same result. Am I addicted?

Answer 1

yep your addicted to caffeine, altho i don't get headaches all the time, but when i do i drink a mtn dew

Answer 2

Yes, you are gonna need to check yourself into Rehab.

Answer 3

No- 1-2 cans or 16fl oz of soda is not enough to call an addiction the headache may be a mind thing and less of a physical. an addict would consume multiple cups of coffee or energy supplements a day or endure severe withdrawal symptoms, a headache is not severe.

Answer 4

It sounds like it could be a caffeine addiction but it also does not sound like you drink enough to have an addiction. 2 cans is 24 ounces which is 3 servings. Normally addiction to caffeine develops from drinking more.

Normally the next thing I would say is that maybe you are dehydrated. When dehydrated one of the symptoms can be headache. I rarely get headaches but when I do I often drink 2 glasses of water and am fine in 15 minutes. However this really cannot be your problem either. Caffeine dehydrates the body so if the headache was a result of the dehydration then it would actually make it worse.

Answer 5

Firstly, you're probably *not * addicted to caffeine, or at least not in the way you are thinking. The Mayo Clinic website says:

"If you rely on daily doses of caffeine to chase away fatigue and perk up your disposition, you aren't alone. Nine out of 10 Americans consume some type of caffeine regularly, making it the most popular behavior-altering drug.  For most people, moderate doses of caffeine — 200 to 300 milligrams (mg), or about two to three cups of brewed coffee a day — aren't harmful"  (Caffeine: How much is too much?:

http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/caffein...  

You should be fine drinking one or two sodas a day. Basically, you're body is used to have a little caffeine everyday.  When you don't have it, you're body goes through withdraw--that is where the headaches and irritability come from.   People who are addicted to a drug can't stop taking it even if they try.  You have a habit, not an addiction.

I suggest you read the article from the Mayo Clinic and make your own decision about whether or not you want to drink less caffeine.  (I used to drink more than 10 cups of coffee a day, now I only drink two.)

If you're still have questions, you can do some reading on these websites, too.

The National Library of Medicine and National Institutes of Health (agencies of the United States government) have a good list of resources on caffeine here: http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/caffe...

There is also a really good article here:

http://jscms.jrn.columbia.edu/cns/2006-0...

Answer 6

While caffeine isn't great for you, I think the aspartame in the diet sodas is giving you problems.  That stuff is literally poison.  It is addicting and has been known to cause cancer is rats.

Not only that, it messes with your serotonin levels (serotonin helps suppress your appetite) so your body craves food.

Drink water, natural fruit juice, or something sweetened with honey, cane sugar(not great), or stevia(if you must have a calorie free sweetener).