All Things Expounded

That title just sounds bad, this babbler couldn’t be talking about caffeine, could he? OK, I’m totally not against caffeine.  I prefer it in the form of Tea or a Soft Drink as opposed to coffee, but I assure you that I definitely consume it. I am just bringing up an interesting kink in our understanding of psychoactive drugs and showing how culture very much influences the way we evaluate psychoactive substances.

I find it interesting how caffeine is the de facto accepted and overlooked addiction.  Almost every other addiction is heavily tabooed by one element or another of Western society’s population (ie. alcohol, tobacco, cocaine, etc.)  Somehow caffeine has escaped such a taboo (except perhaps among some more fringe/unorthodox religious groups). And yet, the behaviors sometimes associated with caffeine, if they were to be manifested in almost any other substance, would be considered quite sketchy at the very least.

Think about it, suppose your friend came to you and said he’s been using a new drug for a few years, and he just has a couple hits a day. And then suppose he waits in a huge line-up to get it. And suppose there are some 20 people lined up potentially getting late for work just to get their fix. And suppose he even budgets a certain amount of money for it. And suppose his eyes light up when someone delivers him a free hit. And he gets a bit cranky and shaky if he can’t get it. And then suppose he just needs a little hit to start his day and another one to continue it, and is sort of unable to function with out it.  Can we say “junkie”?

This clearly describes the dependence so many of us have on caffeine. And yet we don’t really pay much attention to it.  It’s abuse just does not register in our cultural-ethical lexicon. Its not that we merely see caffeine as a whole lot weaker than other psychoactive and stimulant drugs. Instead, its that we just see the two in totally different, exclusive categories. We are incapable of even comparing caffeine to other drugs, it seems.

And yet, scientifically, the difference between caffeine and other drugs may be a matter of degree or nuance, but it principally works in the same sort of ways and by the same sort of principles as other drugs. It can’t be that we place caffeine in a totally different category because it isn’t very potent. Proportionally, it is extremely potent.  I’m told that an oral dose of around 3 or 4 grams of pure caffeine is potentially deadly, though the average dosage is just 300 mg. You can’t consume high quantities of coffee without stomach effects, so people are unlikely to be able to drink enough coffees to really get a high dosage of caffeine. The side effects are generally mild, though that is because the average consumption of caffeine is rather low, not because the drug is not potent.

Here is a description of the drugs effect : “When orally administered, caffeine is readily absorbed by the stomach and small intestine. It has a highly-variable elimination half-life, approximately 8-9 hours in adults. It is partially metabolized by the liver into the active dimethylxanthine stimulants theobromine and theophyline, along with other metabolites. Caffeine blockades receptors of the inhibitory neurotransmitter adenosine, and this effect is believed to be the primary mechanism of its stimulant action. Caffeine also disinhibits GABA, the brain’s primary inhibitory neurotransmitter.”

The interesting thing is that addictions of almost every form are tabooed by large segments of the population. Especially the more “conservative/traditional” segments. And yet, when it comes to caffeine, an addiction is a laughing matter and an object of unconcerned conversation.  To be unable to function without coffee is not a cause for concern for the most part, it seems to be fairly normal. Now here’s a question I pose to those of us who hold ourselves under Christian ethical standards. If our dependence on caffeine exhibits the standard traits of addiction and essential has us “under its thumb” (though like most addictions it is not easily admitted), what moral authority do we have to go and advocate that others who ingest other psychoactive or stimulative substance be thrown in jail for their particular addiction (which could be worse, but ultimately is of a similar nature,  if much more mild).  And beyond that, if we use Paul’s injunction in I Corinthians 6:12 to teach that others should not be enslaved by various addictions, are we ethically justified and turning around and passing over our own addiction of choice? (which, granted, may be milder, but in principle shows most of the same aspects)

I will continue to use caffeine, but this gives me pause to think about the perils of how what is culturally accepted often determines large portions of our ethical system. It seems that we most often use legal and cultural constructs to determine our behavioral and ethical standards. And it will also give me pause to think about how I should not think I’ve “been good” for avoiding tabooed addictions A, B and C, and all while giving way to culturally accepted addictions X, Y, and Z.

As for both caffeine and alcohol, I feel free to consume. And many other things God has given to us on this earth for one purpose or another. I desire to obey the law.  But my ethical “baseline” should not be merely the law of the land.  I am also to go out and engage in lawful activities in a good, and profitable way. The Bible gives me permission to partake in caffeine and many other things. But it also gives me the mandate, both directly and implied, to not let any of them dominate me.  Even that great cup of coffee. Moderate consumption and being free from enslaving addictions is the only valid option a Christian has. This applies to alcohol as it does to caffeine, and, quite frankly, strawberry cheese cake and that juicy steak. Or even the use of a computer or what not.  Addictive behaviors are potentially in many places, both in substances and behaviors. That they exist does not mean we shouldn’t ever participate in something or never drink/eat something that could be potentially addictive. But rather that we should do so mindfully, knowing our limits and not letting our cultural biases justify irresponsible or addictive consumption.