English Composition - Essay Example

Effects of Caffeine and Nicotine to the Body Walking through the downtown has always been a habit. It allows me to get a dose of the cool breeze of San Francisco while getting a closer look at the happenings in its alleys. I always see a bunch of young people chatting while sipping espressos in a coffee shop everyday. In my night out with friends, the presence of young people is more dominant at the bars; they puff on cigarettes as adults do. Caffeine for the day and nicotine at night; these are indeed part of everyday life in America and elsewhere in the world.

To some, these substances have become a necessity. Caffeine and nicotine stimulate the body and eases drowsiness and tension, but these are addictive drugs that harm the body. Caffeine is a xanthine alkaloid compound that acts as a stimulant in humans and the coffee bean is the primary source of caffeine (Caffeine, 2007). Apart from coffee, it is also present in tea, soft drinks, energy drinks, and chocolates. The Coffee Research Institute states that there were 108,000,000 coffee consumers in the United States in 1999; and in 2000 the National Coffee Association’s research indicates that 54% of the adult population in the US drinks coffee daily with an average of 3 cups (Coffee Research Institute, 2006).

Apart from caffeine, nicotine is also an addictive drug that can be bought even in convenience stores. It also stimulates the body and causes a sort of relaxation (Nicotine, 2007). Tobacco is the primary source of nicotine. In the United States, studies have concluded that the number of smokers had decreased but the curiosity of the young people is still unquenched. In 2005, the National Survey on Drug Use and Health (NSDUH) discovered that an estimated 71.5 million Americans aged 12 or older are current users of tobacco product ((Office of Applied Studies, 2005).

NSDUH further notes that among youths aged 12 to 17, 3.3 million used tobacco products in the past month, and 2.7 million of whom used cigarettes. Most of the young people smoke out of curiosity, while some start drinking coffee and caffeine products to counter drowsiness especially when they are studying or rushing on a project. While caffeine and nicotine cause some sort of stimulation to the body, continued intake of these substance is addictive and can harm the well-being. The effect of caffeine to the human brain is likened to that of amphetamines, cocaine, and heroin; although caffeine is milder (Brain, 2007).

Caffeine dependence can lead to unpleasant physical and mental conditions including nervousness, irritability, anxiety, muscle twitching, insomnia, headaches, and heart palpitations (Caffeine, 2007). Similarly, smoking and chewing on tobacco can be deadly. It can cause lung cancer, lip cancer, respiratory problems, heart disease, and bad breath (Chudler, 2006). In the United States alone, 400,000 die from cigarette smoking while up to 67,500 deaths are attributed to secondhand smoke and pregnancy smoking (Lindblom & McMahon, 2007).

Cutting off the caffeine and nicotine addiction is never easy, yet very rewarding. Sometimes, it causes depression, headache, and fatigue. Family support is needed to help nicotine and caffeine dependent kick the habit easily. Life to the rehabilitated caffeine and nicotine dependents is breezier after giving up these addictive substances. The young people who are starting to develop this kind of addiction might look at the elderly who never got the chance to enjoy their prime after succumbing to terminal ailments caused by nicotine and caffeine.

The effects of caffeine and nicotine related illnesses are devastating, as evidenced by the people whose quality of life has been surrendered to these addictions, and who must live out their lives attached to medical devices that allow them to breathe. By providing people, especially the young users of caffeine and nicotine, with information on how to stop using these products and where to go for help to stop using these products, we can combat the problems associated with the use of these products.

In addressing the problems, it is important to understand that there are different levels of use and different groups of users of these products (Covey, L., Seidman, D., et al, 1999). Women’s health issues associated with addictions to nicotine and caffeine differ from those of men and adolescents and children, and the potential for successful outcome in the treatment of these addictions is best served by recognizing these differences (Covey, L., Seidman, D., et al, 1999). As far as nicotine is concerned, it is important to understand the addiction in terms of “a complex interaction among three factors: (a) the brain pathways that are altered by smoking tobacco, and the impact of smoking the drug nicotine on mood, perception, arousal and attention; (b) the psychological adjustment of the individual and the use of smoking as a “psychological tool,”; and (c) the role of the sociocultural context in the initiation, maintenance, and relapse back to smoking behavior (Covey, L.

, Seidman, D., et al, 1999, p. 2).” Thus, when we break the usage and addiction down in this way, we can understand how the addiction and use would vary from women, to men, to young people and the specialized attention that might be needed to treat each group separately and accordingly. Caffeine, often thought to be harmless, is no less harmless than nicotine or alcohol when it is the source of an addiction, consumed in quantities that become harmful to the individual physiology or psychology (Holmes, G.

, Karst, R., et al, 1992). Like nicotine, caffeine addiction can have an impact on the social and behavioral aspects of an individual’s physiology and psychological well being. “The consumption of caffeine among people with psychiatric disabilities is roughly double that of the general population (Furlong, 1975) (Holmes, G., Karst, R., et al, 1992, p. 1). There is a direct association between moderate and high caffeine intake and the presence of various psychiatric symptoms (Wells, 1984; Greden, 1974) (Holmes, G.

, Karst, R., et al, 1992, p. 1).” The other aspect of these addictions takes on a greater social meaning. The cost of healthcare associated with these addictions once they become debilitating has yet to be fully addressed, and information is not readily available as to the cost of nicotine and caffeine programs separate and aside from the costs of illicit drug and alcohol treatment. It would probably be safe to say that the cost to society through health insurance and state and federal agencies that provide healthcare coverage to indigent persons is significant.

It would also be safe to suggest that the public and government could realize significant savings if young people were turned away from these legal drugs; the question becomes one of how do we do that?Education programs like DARE, aimed at young persons seem to be making some amount of progress in turning young people away from illicit drugs and caffeine and nicotine in its program. Additionally, American’s increasing obsession with image and body image could be used to as a potential deterrent to use of nicotine and caffeine.

The effects of caffeine and tobacco products on the skin and body could be a powerful deterrent if presented to the public in a creative yet real way. .The health risks and the impact of caffeine and nicotine on an individual’s physical appearance could serve as a powerful deterrent to our image conscious and health conscious public. Life in this age is fast and upbeat, but don’t be too eager to reach the finish line.ReferencesBrain, Marshall. (2007). How Caffeine Works. howstuffworks.

Retrieved February 3, 2006, from http://www.howstuffworks.com/caffeine1.htmCaffeine. (2007). Retrieved January 23, 2007, from the World Wide Web: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/CaffeineCoffee Research Institute. (2006). Retrieved February 3, 2007, from http://www.coffeeresearch.org/market/usa.htm Chudler, Eric. (2006). Nicotine and the Brain. Neuroscience for Kids. Retrieved February 3, 2007, from http://faculty.washington.edu/chudler/nic.htmlLindblom, Eric & McMahon, Katie. (2007). Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids.

Retrieved February 3, 2007, from http://www.tobaccofreekids.org/research/factsheets/pdf/0072.pdfNicotine. (2007). Retrieved February 3, 2007, from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/NicotineOchs, L. A., Holmes, G. E., & Karst, R. H. (1992). Caffeine Consumption and Disability: Clinical Issues in Rehabilitation. The Journal of Rehabilitation, 58(3), 44+. Retrieved February 12, 2007, from Questia database: http://www.questia.com/PM.qst?a=o&d=5002183638Office of Applied Studies (2005). U.S. Department of Health & Human Services.

Retrieved February 3, 2007, from http://www.drugabusestatistics.samhsa.gov/NSDUH/2k5NSDUH/2k5results.htm#Ch4 Seidman, D. F. & Covey, L. S. (Eds.). (1999). Helping the Hard-Core Smoker: A Clinicians Guide. Mahwah, NJ: Lawrence Erlbaum Associates. Retrieved February 12, 2007, from Questia database: http://www.questia.com/PM.qst?a=o&d=13610117 Requirement: Deliverable Length: 2 additional pages to the current draft.Please add two more pages to the current draft that you had prepared and create a final draft of this paper, a total of four pages.

Just keep going in this way, in addition, add more research, more references, and more quotes. You may also insert more paragraphs or sentences within the text body to make it four pages in total, excluding the references.NOTE 1(Method):Please follow the direction of the requirements asked. Please use US references and DO NOT use "Wikipedia" as a reference site.NOTE 2Using the Library and Internet resources, research this topic; please complete all requirements with in-text citations (if any) and references in APA format.

Please refer to the following site for APA formatting style: http://nutsandbolts.washcoll.edu/apa.html