Addictive Whispers
Addictive •Whispers:
I will set you free.
§ive me your pain,
And 1 nidigive you refief
Ambivalent,
Hut thirsty to hear more.
Come on, you can trust me;
;Jbu can't trust anyone else.
Mayhe, maybe you art right,
Maybe...
Thrown, whirling in my own.
Tired, struggling to be.
Tak$n hostage,
Mgw I see...
•you gave me the illusion of relief
•Deceit,
Jalse freedom,
you came to own me,
And taught me to mistrust others.
•But now Addictive •Whispers,
My pain has given me sight;
/ tear you away from me,
•Because now I need to be me.
♦> ♦> •>
n my mind, addiction triggers visions of
the stereotypical, penniless, homeless
JL street drunk owning nothing except the
clothes on his back and a brown paper bag.
"However, that stereotype is not very accu
rate," a professor told me. Alcohol, sex,
shopping, gambling, work, people the list
goes on and on to the kinds of addictions we
human beings can be slaves to.
Addictions can all be so diverse yet,
according to Craig Nakken, the underlying
theme of positive anti pleasurable mtx>d
changes seem to connect them all together in
spite of serious, negative consequences My
question is, "How do we identify an addic
In reading the literature on addiction the
consequences of the compulsive behavior are
good indicators to assess if there is in fact an
addiction. Consequences such as impairment
in social relationships and occupational
areas (e.g. complaints by the employer, fami
ly and friends, multiple job losses, marital
problems, emotional problems, financial
problems and legal problems) would consti
tute a serious suspicion of an addiction.
Especially in Uw case of chemical depen
dency one would look for tolerance (using
more of the drug to get the same effects) and
withdrawal symptoms (i.e. kiss of appetite,
insomnia, nausea, nervousness, hallucina
tions, delirium tremens and more). So bodily
tion?'
■ !
damage due hi the effects of an addiction
would be another area to consider in deter
mining an addiction.
Defensiveness about the extent and the
consequences of use, compulsion that creates
a desire to continue using in spite of serious
implications and memory lapses (particular
ly in chemical use) all act together to insure
the addicted person does not recognize the
damage done to one's self. What a dirty
trick! A person uses to feel good but the
addiction is biting them in the back. Denial,
then, is a part of the addiction process.
These are just a few guidelines to consider
if in fact an addiction is occurring. If you see
some of these warning signs in a friend or
yourself a professional assessment would be
a good idea to check into.
By Melanie Steed
SUBSTANCE ABUSE RESOURCES:
U of O Counseling Center.346-3227
Student Health Center
(Health Education).346-4456
Alcoholics Anonymous.342-4113
Adult Children of Alcoholics.683-6533
Families and Friends of Alcoholics
Al-Anon:.747-2841
Overeaters Anonymous.683-0110
Narcotics Anonymous.341-6070
Codependency (CODA).345-4278
Caffeine:
A PREREQUISITE TO STUDY
OR AN ADDmCTION?
I sit down at the window table with my
latte and books. The aroma of coffee per
colates the room. The steaming milk
screams from behind the espresso machine
competing with the voices of its keepers.
He sits across from me. I observe him. He
is a young student drinking coffee and
studying economics. Continuously changing
his position and tapping his pencil on his
book, his foot begins to jitter. His focus
seems to wander.
I am halfway through my foaming coffee
and already I feel a sense of anxiety. My
heart beats faster and l begin to sweat. My
hands feel cold and my stomach tightens. I
press on with my work and eventually
notice my writing is cramped and my vision
clouded. "Excuse me." A woman quickly
puts down her coffee, squeezes behind my
chair, and hurriedly enters the restroom.
Welcome to the coffee bar where caffeine
is served and behavior is changed.
Caffeine is recognized as the most widely
abused drug in the world. Here on the West
Coast it is commonly referred to as "the drug
of choice." In the United States the per capita
(tea), and theobromine (cacoa beans - choco
late). Caffeine is added to many soft drinks
(for no other reason than to make them
habit-forming) and both prescription and
non-prescription drugs.
Caffeine has physiological (body-influenc
ing) and psychoactive (mind-influencing)
effects. A number of studies have demon
strated caffeine elevates heart rate, blood
pressure, blood fats (cholesterol) and lowers
blood sugar levels (a set-up for mood swings
and cravings for sugar). It is known to dis
rupt sleep patterns, cause frequent urination,
Krevoke gastric acid secretion (exacerbating
eartbum, gastritis and ulcers) and may
aggravate the symptoms of PMS. The mind
altering effects of caffeine vary due to the
development of tolerance. Alertness may be
experienced by chronic caffeine consumers
while acute users or abstainers may experi
ence anxiety, panic, depression or agitation.
Women in particular are warned about
caffeine consumption. Evidence from animal
studies suggest that caffeine consumption
during pregnancy may cause birth defects.
Taking oral contraceptives slows down the
intake ot cartetne is zuu mg
per day. This amount is
approximately equal to either
a 12 oz Oregon mug of auto
mated drip coffee, four cups
of black tea, a Big Gulp of
Coca-Cola or three Excedrin.
With 80 percent of the U S.
population consuming coffee
regularly, coffee contributes to
90 percent of the caffeine
dosage per day.
Caffeine is an alkaloid
found in over 60 plant species.
It belongs to a chemical family
known as methylxanthines
that includes theophylline
■ ■
CAFFEINE DOSE
SSVKJtAOttS CAFFCIMS (mg)
Browed cottas (• os) CO-ISO
Espresso (3 os) CO-150
Cappuccino (C os) C0-1S0
Instant cottas (C os) 40-150
Too (Cos) 40
Cocoa (C os) •
Cota (12 oz) 43
Dr. Popper (12 os) 41
Motto-YoCo (12 os) S3
Mountain Dow (12 os) S4
FOODS
Milk Chocolate (1.65 os bar) 10
Chocolate Cake (1 slice) 20-30
Mm MUKVCMS (per tablet)
Excedrin 65
Anacin. Mkiol 60
V iidiniivc • niv vunv imv
prolongs the effects of the
drug. All three of the methylx
anthines may aggravate fibro
cystic disease, a condition that
causes painful enlargement of
breast tissue and benign
lumps.
The most conclusive con
cerns regarding caffeine con
sumption relate to its effects
on urinary secretion and gas
tric absorption of calcium. In
the October 1990 American
Journal of Epidemiology,
researchers from a long-stand
ing study indicated that volun
teers with a history of drinking 2.5 to three
cups of caffeinated coffee daily, or twice that.
much tea, were subject to a 69 percent
greater risk of osteoporosis than non-caffeine
users.
Drinking caffeinated beverages may keep
you alert but don't correlate arousal with
better mental performance. According to
research published in the May 1988 Ameri
can Family Physician by Gregory L.
Clementz, M.D. and his colleagues, little evi
dence exists that the drug improves mental
function. The drug may have a positive
effect on simple tasks but even small
amounts may slightly impair the perfor
mance of more complex tasks and those
requiring fine movements with the hands.
In general, research indicates that moder
ate consumption (not more than 200 mg) of
caffeine gives individuals little cause for
health concern, assuming other lifestyle
habits are also moderate. However, most
students live anything but moderate
lifestyles. Continuous late nights, stress over
exams and bad eating habits already put a
strain on bodily systems.
The stimulation that you are seeking may
come from the fact that you are just plain
tired. Trying to stimulate a tired system may
only exacerbate the condition and lead to the
increased need for another caffeine break (a
vicious circle). If caffeine is affecting the
amount and quality of your sleep, you are
surely limiting your body's ability to replen
ish its energy for the next day. It is hard to
motivate yourself to study when you are
tired. In addition, eating rich foods and
drinking alcohol depress bodily functions.
You may find a simple change in your eat
ing and sleeping habits helpful in alleviating
dependence on caffeinated beverages. It is
truly possible to be alert and study without
making trips to the coffee bar.