There is chemical addiction and there is psychological addiction. Weed might not be chemically addictive but it can sure be psychologically addictive which is true with most stoners.
Which category do tea and coffee fall into?
I had ChatGPT answer this like a stoner:
Dude, coffee and tea are loaded with this incredible compound called caffeine. It’s like a chemical wizard that messes with your brain in two ways: chemically and mentally. Chemically, caffeine hooks onto these receptors in your brain, blocking this chill neurotransmitter called adenosine. So instead of feeling relaxed and sleepy, you’re all pumped up and alert.
But that’s not all, man. When you consume caffeine regularly, your body becomes physically dependent on it. So, if you suddenly stop guzzling that liquid goodness, you’re gonna feel some withdrawal symptoms like headaches, fatigue, and even crankiness. It’s like your body is saying, “Hey, where’s my daily dose of that buzz?”
And let’s not forget about the mental game. Coffee and tea can be habit-forming, creating this psychological attachment. You know, that warm mug, that familiar taste, it becomes a part of your routine, man. Plus, the stimulating effects of caffeine can make you crave that buzz, that laser-focused state of mind.
So, there you have it, bro. Coffee and tea aren’t just about flavor and ritual; they mess with your brain chemistry and play tricks on your mind. It’s like a wild ride, all packed into a cup.
My God this had me rolling. This kinda shit is my favorite use of AI.
What a time to be alive where computers can do this.
I drink coffee everyday. I will rise my cup of Joe to the stoner. I get you bro.
Cheers! I’d like to pass on this info though, for anyone who enjoys both like myself:
Caffeine drinking potentiates cannabinoid transmission: interaction with stress effects - Neuropharmacology 2009
Our data suggest that the cannabinoid system is implicated in the psychoactive properties of caffeine and in the ability of caffeine to reduce the pathological consequences of stress. Chronic caffeine assumption sensitized GABAergic synapses to the presynaptic effect of cannabinoid CB1 receptor stimulation by exo- and endocannabinoids. The synaptic effects of caffeine were slowly reversible after its removal from the drinking solution. Furthermore, although exposure to caffeine for only 24h did not produce measurable changes of the sensitivity of cannabinoid CB1 receptors, it was able to contrast the down-regulation of CB1 receptor-mediated responses after social defeat stress.
I copied the rest from bloommedicinals.com, just the relevant bits. Also added the links to the studies and the pages with additional descriptions.
TL;DR:
- Low levels of caffeine can help to maximize the effects of THC, but too much caffeine can lessen the impact of your cannabis
- Caffeine and THC can both increase dopamine levels, but too much at once can trigger anxiety, agitation, and paranoia
What Happens When You Smoke Weed and Drink Coffee?
Since coffee and cannabis may offer so many health benefits on their own, you might think it’s safe to assume that enjoying a little bit of weed with your coffee would be okay. The reality is … it might be safe for most, but not for all. Here’s why.
THC and coffee can boost the amount of dopamine in our systems. Although dopamine can promote feelings of happiness and euphoria, too much of it at once can trigger anxiety, agitation, and paranoia. In addition, both caffeine and THC can both increase your blood pressure and heart rate.
This is why many doctors advise that those with heart conditions and those at risk of heart arrhythmia or stroke, should not mix caffeine and THC. So, if you’re new to mixing coffee and cannabis, it’s important to consult your doctor to make sure it makes sense for you. If it does, begin with lower amounts of coffee and cannabis than you would normally consume on their own. Then if needed, you can increase your dosage slowly.
Back in 2014, a study was conducted to measure the effects of mixing caffeine and cannabis on squirrel monkeys. The results of this study were published in the Journal of Neuroscience. (also described here)
The monkeys were given the ability to self administer cannabis whenever they wanted. All they had to do was to pull on a lever. When the monkeys were given low doses of a substance similar to caffeine, they seemed less likely to reach for the THC. But, when they received high doses of caffeine, they seemed to reach for that lever more often.
Then in 2018, a study led by Marilyn Cornelis at Northwestern University’s Feinberg School of Medicine seemed to back up these findings. This time, the study examined the effects of mixing cannabis and coffee on humans. It found that the more caffeine people consumed, the less cannabis their body was able to metabolize. (also described here)
So, although small amounts of caffeine can help your THC go a long way – too much caffeine can lessen its effects.
Thing is, caffeine is physically addictive. Weed is not.
But you can make a habit out of anything.
Marijuana is absolutely physically addictive as much as people want to say it isnt. Mind you im someone who smokes the minute they leave work until they go to bed. So im not here to push any kind of anti-marijuana view point, but i do think we as stoners should be honest. Everyone i know who stops smoking weed has two very common side effects.
- They have a lot of trouble getting to sleep
- Wild/fucked up dreams.
I understand that this is a side effect of lack of REM but you cant say these aren’t physical withdrawal symptoms. Research is needed, but just because we all want it to be legal, doesn’t mean we should ignore the facts.
Marijuana is absolutely physically addictive as much as people want to say it isnt.
I mean it scientifically isn’t though. Physical addictions don’t just give you psychological withdrawals, they are physical. Your body becomes dependent on them to maintain homeostasis.
Cold turkeying drugs like opioids and benzos can kill you.
There’s withdrawal but of the four drugs i have been physically addicted to (caffeine, weed, nicotine, and SSRIs) it’s the only one I can cold turkey in under a week and feel fine.
Yeah, caffeine cold turkey is unexpectedly tough.
It’s not so bad if you pop a Tylenol the first couple of days, just to get you through the caffeine migraine phase.
Depends on how bad your caffeine addiction is. I tried cold turkey when I had a tooth pulled when I was drinking a pot of coffee a day.
A week in bed on Vicodin and Percocet, didn’t touch that headache and it didn’t improve or go away until I drank coffee.
Oddly, I ate a large bag of mushrooms and got tazed by the cops one night. Ended up in the psych ward. Was able to cold turkey the coffee after that. Not sure if it was the mushrooms or the juice from the tazer.
Yeah, I’m not sure if Vicodin or perc would help a migraine, different pain killers help in different ways. I think opiods are the least helpful when it comes to migraines, if I remember correctly.
I confirm. Taking opioids against migraine gives you still a migraine, but on opioids. Not recommended.
but we’re not talking about migraines.
we’re talking about caffeine withdrawal headaches.
neither of which are 💯 understood but that doesn’t make them the same.
plus, Vicodin has Tylenol in it. so i was taking Tylenol.
Caffeine withdrawal can absolutely trigger migraines, easily.
Not sure about the Tylenol in Vic, but just that opioids in general don’t work well. You can easily Google it.
Because habitual doesn’t mean addictive, I also have a problem with peanut butter cups.
Personally I thought weed was very addictive, but not in the traditional sense.
Take coffee for instance. When I stopped drinking coffee I had headaches, was a dick for a few days, but that’s it. Which is pretty easy compared to, say, heroin (so I hear).
With weed, I didn’t have any of that, but I craved the relaxation it brought. The feeling of not giving a fuck about anything for a few hours was great, and I longed for it. I still long for it sometimes. And I think that’s the dangerous thing about weed being labeled as “non-addictive.”
Just because you don’t have a physical reaction to abstaining, doesn’t mean the emotional reliance is nothing.
Cuz weed fuckin rocks bruv.
🚫not to me🚫
Life is so fucking grim and full of misery and there’s barely anything to help people cope but weed is the hill you die on.
I don’t like it, I’m fine with people who do though. Drugs aren’t for me :)
What about caffeine? People act like “drugs are bad” is a reasonable stance, but they mean illegal drugs which just happen to be illegal, usually without good reason. Most adults are drug addicts, it’s just that the drug of choice is caffeine and they don’t see it as an issue because it’s legal and been normalized.
Animals have been doing drugs for longer than humans have existed. There are many benificial drugs that can help us with manually regulating bodily activity. Used responsibly, drugs can be great.
Caffeine is just a mild stimulant though. Doesn’t have the same affects
Same with medicinal drugs too. They’re fine
Yeah, the point is that drugs are fine morally. It’s when they’re abused they cause issues. There is some line that you’ve made up where drugs become “bad” but it is made up. Recognizing that it’s a made up line is important. I’m not saying you need to use drugs or anything like that, just realize that “drugs are bad” is a blatantly dishonest and untrue statement.
There are also plenty of psychoactive drugs that can be pretty helpful to human mental health. Marijuana also can have many health benefits, and it doesn’t cause people to do dangerous things usually. Most of the time it just causes people to sit around inside and not bother other people, unlike alcohol.
Drugs aren’t bad. Drug abuse is bad. Doing bad activities while on drugs is also bad, but the drugs are not.