this post was submitted on 09 Jul 2023
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Caffeine isn't addictive. Your body acclimates to long term usage, and you will experience some withdrawal symptoms but this is classified as a dependency and not an addiction as it does not trigger the reward mechanisms like weed and or methamphetamine does. It's an important distinction and is why coffee and tea are often served at [Addiction] Anonymous meetings.
It's both. Nicotine is also both. Note how people at AA still often smoke. And how much coffee they'll pound even after dinner.
The only drug I misclassified is SSRIs. Which don't trigger the dopamine reward system.
And my comment was in light of OP and common language usage. People say heroin addiction and they mean heroin dependency. It doesn't help anyone to be pedantic about these two words. And I say that as someone who has taken college level classes on pharmacology and alcohol and drug dependence and is very aware of the technical differences used professionally.