Anneli Rufus, “Why Caffeine Is the Perfect Addiction for a Worker Bee Society,” AlterNet, May 19, 2010

This article by book author Anneli Rufus discusses a recently issued scientific study that purports to show that caffeine can “significantly reduce [] the number of errors” made by shift workers and can, in fact, be more effective at preventing errors than a nap. Rufus further explores how widespread U.S. consumers’ alleged addiction to coffee, caffeine and energy drinks has become, noting that nearly one-third of American teenagers “regularly consume caffeinated energy drinks.” The article discusses the purported physical effects of ingesting too much caffeine, reporting that the National Institutes of Health this year classified caffeine as a “poisonous ingredient” and recommends calling the National Poison Control Center if caffeine overdose is suspected. The author provides anecdotal evidence about the difficulty some encounter when they consume ever higher amounts of caffeine to maintain the same effects and then attempt to quit cold turkey.