9781422270592

THE YOUNG ADULT DRUG LIBRARY: AN EDUCATION FOR TODAY

BY ERIC BENAC

MASON CREST M I A M I

PO Box 221876, Hollywood, FL 33022 (866) MCP-BOOK (toll-free) • www.masoncrest.com

Copyright © 2024 by Mason Crest, an imprint of National Highlights, Inc. All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, taping, or any information storage and retrieval system, without permission in writing from the publisher. Printed in the United States of America First printing 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1 Series ISBN: 978-1-4222-4762-4 Hardcover ISBN: 978-1-4222-4772-3 ebook ISBN: 978-1-4222-7059-2 Cataloging-in-Publication Data on file with the Library of Congress Developed and Produced by National Highlights, Inc. Project Manager: Andrew Morkes Cover and Interior Design: Tara Raymo • CreativelyTara Layout: Priceless Digital Media, LLC Publisher’s Note: Websites listed in this book were active at the time of publication. The publisher is not responsible for websites that have changed their address or discontinued operation since the date of publication. The publisher reviews and updates the websites each time the book is reprinted.

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Introduction............................................................... 6 Gloria Becomes Addicted to Coffee While Studying .......10 Chapter 1: What Is Caffeine? .....................................15 Tyler Experiences Caffeine-Related Heart Problems .....32 Chapter 2: The Negative and Positive Physical Effects of Caffeine...........................37 Jennifer Had an Emotional Breakdown due to Caffeine ......50 Chapter 3: The Negative and Positive Mental Effects of Caffeine.............................55 Amari Needed Help Recovering from Caffeine Addiction .....68 Chapter 4: Treating Addiction to Caffeine...................73 Series Glossary of Key Terms.....................................89 Further Reading.......................................................92 Internet Resources...................................................93 Index....................................................................... 94 Author’s Biography and Credits.................................96 Words to Understand: These words with their easy-to understand definitions will increase the reader’s understanding of the text while building vocabulary skills. Sidebars: This boxed material within the main text allows readers to build knowledge, gain insights, explore possibilities, and broaden their perspectives by weaving together additional information to provide realistic and holistic perspectives. Educational Videos: Readers can view videos by scanning our QR codes, providing them with additional educational content to supplement the text. Examples include news coverage, moments in history, speeches, iconic sports moments, and much more! Series Glossary of Key Terms: This back-of-the-book glossary contains terminology used throughout this series. Words found here increase the reader’s ability to read and comprehend higher-level books and articles in this field.

Drug abuse remains a major problem in the United States and in other countries. In 2019, 13 percent of people aged 12 years and over reported that they had used an illegal drug in the past month, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Abuse of prescription drugs, such as painkillers, is also a serious issue. Abusing drugs can have serious effects on one’s physical and mental health. It can also be deadly. One example is the rising number of drug overdoses, which have been fueled by the growing use and spread of the deadly opioid fentanyl. Nearly 100,000 Americans died from fentanyl overdoses from June 2020 to June 2021, according to the CDC. As a young person, you may have a lot of questions about drugs, addiction, and therapy as a result of the constant flow of information from your friends, parents, teachers, coaches, social media, and the news media. It can be confusing, because some of this information is accurate, and some is incorrect. Your questions might include: How are drugs grown or manufactured? What are the negative physical and mental effects of drug use and abuse? What are the legal penalties for possessing illegal drugs? How do you know whether someone is addicted to drugs? What are some treatment options for people who are addicted to drugs? The Young Adult Drug Library series provides answers to these and other questions about illegal and misused prescription drugs, addiction, and therapy, as well as legal drugs such as alcohol and caffeine that can be abused. Each title spotlights a major drug or type of drug (such as painkillers); discusses the negative physical and mental effects of the addiction on the addict, as well as its effects on family and other loved ones; and

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Coffee is one of the most popular drinks that contains caffeine.

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Medical studies have shown that soft drinks (many of which contain caffeine) also have ingredients such as high fructose corn syrup, phosphoric acid, artificial coloring, and preservatives. This photo spotlights some of the health problems caused by these and other ingredients.

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provides an overview of treatment strategies for the addiction. Stories of those who are battling drug addiction are also featured in order to humanize these issues and to help readers better understand that anyone can become addicted to drugs, but also that recovery is possible.

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GLORIA BECOMES ADDICTED TO COFFEE WHILE STUDYING

It isn’t easy being a 4.0 student: just ask Gloria. Ever since preschool, she was identified as a “gifted” child by her teachers and felt pressure to constantly live up to those expectations. Hours of studying every night helped her stay at the top of her class academically, as did plenty of extra-credit assignments. Top that with a busy sports and personal life, and Gloria definitely had a full schedule. Many of her best friends were similarly busy and, around their sophomore year, started either vaping tobacco or smoking cigarettes for a little extra energy. Gloria knew that was a bad idea and was a strong enough person to say no to tobacco. However, she transitioned from an occasional energy drink before her studying sessions to a cup of coffee and, eventually, two or three cups of coffee. At first, she didn’t like the taste of coffee and could only finish one cup with lots of milk and sugar. As she continued to drink coffee before her study sessions, she grew to like the taste and could drink it black. Coffee gave her the energy that she needed to study and was much cheaper than an energy drink. She even got a small one-cup coffee maker to brew cups in her room while she studied. With her few cups of coffee every night, Gloria could easily stay up late to study, which helped improve her grades. It also improved her social life considerably,

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The Young Adult Drug Library: Caffeine

Like many people, Gloria found that a cup of coffee helped improve her focus as she studied.

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Gloria Becomes Addicted to Coffee While Studying

Gloria increasingly found that she couldn’t get through her day without drinking many cups of coffee.

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The Young Adult Drug Library: Caffeine

because she could stay up later on the weekends with her friends. They were good kids and mostly liked staying up late watching movies, playing board and video games, and talking about their crushes. Staying up late made it harder for Gloria to wake up in the morning, though. That was okay, because she could just brew a cup of coffee or two in the morning and would be ready to go without much difficulty. The only problem was that she’d start to lose her focus about halfway through the school day and get headaches and feel grumpy without her cup of coffee. Gloria started brewing a whole pot of coffee every day and put it in a thermos. She took it with her to school, along with her water bottle, and sipped coffee from the thermos every hour or so. It kept her energetic and focused and capable of handling school more easily. But she continued to have trouble sleeping and felt nervous and jittery during the school day. Gloria developed an addiction to caffeine. She experienced withdrawal symptoms when she didn’t drink it and had a hard time getting through her day without it. Like many regular coffee drinkers, she had become reliant on this drink for a happy life. This story highlights the interesting dual nature of caffeine use. It’s one of the most frequently used drugs in the world (and it is considered a drug because it changes your body’s functioning), but it can also be harmful.

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Gloria Becomes Addicted to Coffee While Studying

WORDS TO UNDERSTAND

global supply chain: the network of manufacturers and shippers that supply customers with products like coffee, electronics, and clothing socioeconomic: refers to the complex factors that affect social and economic life factors, including things like gender, race, and economic class synthesized: in this context, this term means pulling a substance from a larger source and creating a concentrated form that can be used in various products therapeutic: any process related to healing or recovery, which may refer to medicine-based therapy or any other treatment that manages a person’s health problems withdrawal: a common adverse experience that occurs when someone with a physical and/or mental addiction tries to quit using a substance; withdrawal symptoms often create nausea, discomfort, or even pain

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HEROIN

WHAT IS CAFFEINE? Taking a Deep Look at Caffeine

Caffeine is one of the most heavily produced, distributed, and used drugs in the world. It is common not only in many food products but also in many medicines. It is one of the few drugs of its type that does have positive benefits, including proven medical advantages. The use of caffeine for therapeutic purposes in many medicines is common, particularly as an ingredient in pain-management drugs. Caffeine is like any other drug, because it can have adverse effects on a person’s body and cause health complications. While these dangers are fewer than those that are associated with substances like nicotine, cocaine, and heroin, they do exist and shouldn’t be ignored. They are particularly important in a world that uses caffeine so heavily and in which caffeinated products are becoming more potent. In this chapter, we’ll examine the nature of caffeine, including how it is produced, the ways in which it is consumed, and the positive benefits it can have on a person’s health. Later,

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we’ll discuss the adverse effects of caffeine on a person’s physical and mental health to provide a fair and balanced examination of this drug and its use. How Caffeine Is Made, Distributed, and Used In this section, we’ll discuss where natural caffeine originates, how it is distributed around the world, and the different ways it is commonly consumed. This information can provide some context for its widespread nature and help you better understand why it is so common around the world.

Coffee plants.

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The Young Adult Drug Library: Caffeine