Does java jive with you?

No doubt you've seen headlines like these. Caffeine seems to be the scapegoat for most major illnesses and diseases. And as coffee rises in popularity, spawning coffeehouses from Seattle to New York, the issue is debated with more heat than ever. Reports are generated, studies are conducted and then negated. Is caffeine really to blame?

Caffeine, one of about 500 chemicals in coffee, is behind the controversy surrounding coffee and other caffeinated beverages and products. In its pure form caffeine appears as glistening white crystals that are soluble in water. It is a psychoactive drug--in the same group as heroin, cocaine, marijuana, nicotine, and alcohol--that influences mood and behavior and quickly becomes addicting. In high doses--high being a relative term determined by your sensitivity to chemicals--caffeine has many undesirable effects. It can cause accelerated and irregular heartbeat, depression, insomnia, tremors of the hands, anxiety and gastrointestinal upset, to name a few.

Addiction to caffeine, sometimes called caffeinism, refers to the tolerance the body develops to caffeine. Withdrawal includes symptoms that range from splitting headaches to nausea, drowsiness, depression, reduced attention span, and flulike symptoms that can last several days to a week.

Although I try to abstain from caffeinated beverages on the whole, my latest tumble off the caffeine-free wagon happened, of course, in Seattle, which, as many people know, is famous for its superb coffee. I was attending a writers" conference, when an iced mochaccino practically leaped off the counter at Seattle's Best Coffee and into my unsuspecting hand. By the time I left, I am sorry to say, I could have flown home by flapping my own frayed nerves.

Not long after, at another writers' conference in rather primitive conditions, I decided to quit "cold turkey." Since the water heater was broken, during my stay I was forced to take a cold shower each morning, which negated the need for an early-morning wake-up device anyway. And then the headache set in.

The headache even has a name--the "weekend headache." It's a terrible throbbing behind your eyes as if someone is pounding out the "Anvil Chorus" with a sledgehammer inside your head. In most people it occurs only on Saturdays and Sundays. It had doctors stumped for years. They blamed it on problems at home.

"As it turns out," says John Hughes, M.D., professor of psychiatry, psychology, and family practice at the University of Vermont in Burlington, "the headaches were actually due to caffeine withdrawal, because people weren't drinking as much coffee away from work."

Today caffeine is the most popular recreational drug in the world. A whopping 85 percent of adult Americans use it daily. But it is still a drug. Caffeine's benign image is enhanced by the fact that we don't have to give ourselves a "fix" with a needle. Instead we use our favorite mug. Our "works"--percolator or drip method--are not purchased in a sleazy den of iniquity, but in the kitchen section of our respectable local department store.

There is no getting around the fact that caffeine is controversial. There are some who say that in moderation it is perfectly safe and others who feel that it is unhealthy in any dose, despite the fact that there is currently no hard evidence against it. After considering the medical research on caffeine, you could easily conclude that caffeine isn't so bad after all, since its biological or medical problems affect relatively few people. But caffeine's influence on psychospiritual health can affect many people.

A common remark that illustrates a psychospiritual concern is "l could never do all of the things that I have to do without coffee." Why do we feel as though we aren't doing enough? According to the American work ethic, the more we do, have, and achieve, the better we are. And only by doing for others will we be loved. These attitudes cause a lot of stress for people who are externally directed, feeling they must live up to other people's standards in order to feel good about themselves.

In addition, although the use of artificial stimulants may temporarily cover up our fears of not measuring up, they keep us from facing our own feelings and experiencing true growth. Only by working through our feelings and facing our fears can we be satisfied with our accomplishments and not feel a compulsion to use a substance to help us do more and be loved more.

When you decide to quit caffeine, however, slow and easy is the advice. The body easily builds a tolerance for the drug, and withdrawal is neither pleasant nor easy. To avoid most symptoms, cut back on your intake slowly. If you find yourself getting tired in the afternoon, go for a short walk. Drink plenty of fluids--water is best.

Above all, be persistent. It may not be easy, but you're worth it.

RELATED ARTICLE: How Much Caffeine Is In...

                         milligrams of caffeine
Coffee (5-ounce cup)

Brewed (drip)                               115
Brewed (percolated)                          80
Instant                                      65
Decaffeinated (brewed)                        3
Decaffeinated (instant)                       2

Tea (5-ounce cup)

Brewed, U.S. brands                           40
Brewed, imported brands                       60

Soda (12-ounce)

Colas                                      30-60
Mountain Dew                                  54

Chocolate

Milk or dark, 1-ounce                        1-35
Hot chocolate, 5-ounce cup                    2-8

Coffee Ice Cream and Yogurt (1/2 cup)

ice cream                                    18-26
Frozen yogurt                                 0-25
Yogurt                                        0-22

Stimulants (per tablet)

Vivarin                                        200
NoDoz                                          100

PMS Remedies (per tablet)

Aqua-Ban                                       100
Maximum-strength Midol,
Multi-symptom Menstrual Formula                 60

Pain Relievers (per tablet)

Anacin Caplets                                  32
Bayer Select Maximun-strength Aspirin-free      65
Excedrin Extra-strength                         65