Socially Acceptable Drugs

I have used this question as introduction for many of my seminars: What are the three socially acceptable and legal drugs? If you answered alcohol and nicotine, you are in good company. Most people are able to give me these two drugs. What about the third drug? This has just about everyone scratching their heads. Let me give you a couple of hints to see if you can deduce it on your own. The plant from which this drug is extracted is native to Ethiopia. Around 1000 AD, this plant is cultivated in Arabia. It was introduced to the Ottoman Turks in the 1400's. In 1688, this drink replaces beer as New Yorkers favorite breakfast drink. 97% of the worlds crop is grown in this South American country. Any guesses? The answer is the coffee plant. The drug in question is caffeine.

Caffeine is from the class of drugs called xanthines. There are over 150 xanthines in coffee. Caffeine is the most physiologically active of this class of drugs. Caffeine is a very seductive drug. It is first a central nervous system stimulant. There is nothing wrong with that as I have used caffeine just for this purpose. Caffeine gives you a little boost when you need it. The problems with caffeine come about with continued and excessive use.

The effectives of caffeine as a stimulant wears off fairly quickly. This is why you may find yourself drinking three cups of coffee when only one cup did the trick before. Caffeine in large doses can act like a diuretic. Over time this diuretic effect can lead to vitamin and mineral depletion, especially magnesium and potassium. When this happens you may start to develop high blood pressure. Many people have come into my store and asked about controlling high blood pressure. If I find that they are abusing caffeine, I suggest that they take one of my magnesium and potassium supplements while weaning themselves off of caffeinated beverages. More often than not, this helps to normalize the blood pressure. I will write more on the other effects of caffeine including osteoporosis and diabetes later.

Thank you for spending a part of your day here with me,

James