Fiction: Caffeine Is Addictive

Even though we may feel like we can't live without caffeine, it's not an actual addiction. Some people may experience mild symptoms, like headache, for a few days after giving up caffeine, but that doesn't happen to everyone. “From my perspective, just because you have symptoms that occur when you take a substance away does not mean you are addicted,” says Herbert Muncie, Jr., M.D., professor of family medicine at LSU School of Medicine in New Orleans. “Stopping caffeine doesn’t lead to aberrant social behaviors that negatively impact your job and family life, like those that occur with other substance abuse issues such as alcohol or cocaine.”