Despite the fact that I spent the first half of my day in a terrible mood, as always, and I was about an hour and a half late going home today, I came home in a great mood.

I am still in a great mood.

Why?

Because I am in drugs. No not the clinically prescribed drugs one would take that would improve their mood, no.

No, I’m blaming the caffeine.

See, despite the fact that I am 100% not supposed to have caffeine, not even in chocolate (which, by the way, rude), I have it. I have too much of it. I don’t drink coffee regularly no. My vice is pop. Or soda if you will. But I won’t.

Pepsi mostly, but I do enjoy other fine caffeinated beverages, except energy drinks. But today, instead of Pepsi, I hit the hard stuff.

Ah yes. 91mg of caffeine in a 20oz bottle.

In comparison, a can of Pepsi, my drug of choice when I have cash, has about 24-27mg of caffeine. A 20oz bottle has 63. (1)

Did you know that caffeine is a stimulant? it is also the world’s most widely used psychoactive drug. Wild.

Also, they tell you to limit your caffeine while pregnant but if you have a premature infant (like my now 13 year old nephew) they give them caffeine to improve lung function and prevent breathing problems. (2)

I once had a doctor tell me (I’m still mad at that ENTIRE experience) that caffeine was one of the hardest to kick habits.

But let me tell you, I always notice a significant difference in myself if I have gone most of the day without it. I drank just half that bottle of Code Red Mountain Dew on lunch, and an hour and a half later I finished it. Within an hour of my list “hit” I was feeling better.

It’s likely that because of my inconsistent use of caffeine that it has this effect. It would most likely lose its effectiveness if I stuck with the same amount every day.

But by George my heart does seem to go absolutely bonkers sometimes, when I drink it. But then sometimes it doesn’t.

I think I’ll do more research on caffeine. I’m not good at all the chemical or biological names, like “methylxanthine class” and “adenosine” and “acetylcholine”. But I wouldn’t be mad at the Wiki-Rabbit Hole.

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Thanks for reading.

-c