If the same criteria are used to determine whether a coffee/caffeine addiction is the same or worse as a cannabis addiction, the caffeine in coffee can be worse. In his recent Substack blog, Dr. Peter Grinspoon, one of the world’s leading experts on the impact of cannabis on the human body, noted that as silly as it sounds, the people in charge of these studies who drink a lot of coffee didn’t want to be labeled as an “addict” so they overlooked many of the addictive properties of caffeine,
The study found that people with “Caffeine Use Disorder” are prone to ulcers, heart palpitations, anxiety, and insomnia. Dr. Grinspoon notes that psychiatrists with a conservative definition of cannabis addiction say the condition usually includes 11 criteria: tolerance, withdrawal, cravings, inability to control use, and using in hazardous circumstances. These criteria are how most substance use disorders are officially diagnosed – from alcoholism (or “alcohol use disorder”) to opioid or cocaine addiction.
“My contention is that caffeine is about as addictive as cannabis,” he said. “Caffeine is not on the list because it’s such a widely accepted and consumed drug. And there’s a certain hypocrisy in the way we divide the world into “good drugs” and “bad drugs” often with very minor chemical differences.”
But as all the folks who know Peter Grinspoon, they knew he was going to tell his own story about being addicted to caffeine, in his humorous, down-to-earth style. Here’s some of his comments.
“I can’t do anything in the morning until I’ve had caffeine, so acquiring caffeine is always my first task, no matter if it involves driving to another state or walking through a blizzard. I then spend the rest of the day dealing with heartburn, palpitations, nervousness, and insomnia (and frostbite, if there truly was a blizzard). Typically, I stand by my coffeemaker and watch it brew in the morning, unable to do anything until I have at least half a cup of sludge in hand. I get cravings tat include intrusive thoughts and images, dreams and olfactory perceptions of the smell of caffeine, due to preoccupation with caffeine. If I haven’t had that first cup in the morning, that will supersede all else. For example, if I’m late to see patients in my clinic but the line at Starbucks is moving at a glacial pace, I would always wait, and deal with the complaints, rather than try to go through clinic muzzy headed without caffeine.
“On what grounds is caffeine less addictive than cannabis? Surely not on percentages of people addicted—not even close, as many more people are addicted to caffeine. Not on deadliness: people die from caffeine, such as athletes trying to get a competitive edge, or teens screwing around with energy drinks. We’re still waiting for a direct death from cannabis, as it is impossible to die from overconsumption. If anyone thinks it’s on grounds of cravings or withdrawal, just try getting between me and my coffeemaker first thing in the morning.”
Click HERE to go to Dr. Grinspoon’s website. https://www.petergrinspoon.com/
Peter Grinspoon, M.D. is a primary care doctor at Massachusetts General Hospital, an Instructor in Medicine at Harvard Medical School and has been a cannabis specialist for twenty-five years. Dr. Grinspoon is a popular speaker and is frequently featured in the national media, on issues such as cannabis, addiction, and physician health. His private practice offers comprehensive cannabis coaching and education, as well as certification (only in MA). Dr. Grinspoon is also certified as a health and life coach in order to further help people find their goals and follow their dreams. He offers comprehensive health and wellness coaching on a wide variety of issues for which he is uniquely qualified to help. His latest book, “Seeing Through the Smoke: Cannabis: An Expert Doctor Untangles the Truth About Cannabis” is available wherever books are sold. (Prometheus).