Coffee buffs prone to drug addiction

Need a cup of hot coffee to make a perfect beginning to your day? Beware, you are more likely to get hooked on drugs, claims a new study.

Need a cup of hot coffee to make a perfect beginning to your day? Beware, you are more likely to get hooked on drugs, claims a new study. Although not everyone who enjoys caffeine is likely to abuse drugs, researchers found that people who respond favourably to caffeine are vulnerable to the effects of drugs such as amphetamines and cocaine.

The finding, published in Drug and Alcohol Dependence, is based on a study of a group people who were asked if they preferred caffeine to a placebo tablet.

They were then given a type of amphetamine and asked to rate it. Most who liked the caffeine liked the drugs. Study researcher Prof Stacey Sigmon of Vermont University, US, said: "People differ dramatically in how they respond to drugs."

“For example, a single dose of a drug can produce completely opposite effects in two people with one absolutely loving and the other hating the drug’s effects,” he was quoted as saying.

“It is important to improve our understanding of these differences, as they may reflect key individual differences in vulnerability or resilience for drug abuse.”

A person’s response to the d-amphetamine also reveals how they would react to other common drugs like cocaine as they have similar effects, the scientists said.