The coffee shop industry in America alone has an average of a $12 billion annual revenue and it’s expected to drastically increase by the year 2020. With nearly two-thirds of Americans drinking an average of 3.13 cups each day it may come to a surprise that the sweetness in the cups can actually become an addiction.

It isn’t the various brews that Americans become addicted to, that is only personal preference. What is truly addicting is one of the most accepted drugs around the world – caffeine. Although the average person consumes nearly three grams of caffeine daily in coffee alone, caffeine is also found in several products such as soda, tea, energy drinks, and various candies.

As described by ADF.org, caffeine is a stimulant drug. This means that it directly affects the central nervous system, sending it into overdrive to send messages back and forth in your body. Hence, why it makes people more active. Although caffeine may make you more alert, it increases restlessness, dizziness, anxiety, dehydration.

Along with this, it is known to create a faster heart rate, a higher body temperature, stomach pain and a lack of concentration. These are only some of the short term effects. In addition, those who drink caffeine daily are more likely to experience seizures, muscle tremor, difficulty sleeping, irregular heart rate along with other long term effects.

Drinking coffee has been proven to to help reduce risk of Alzheimer’s, dementia, oral cancers and even strokes in adults over 40. However, it may not be in a teens’ best interest to begin consuming heavy amounts of caffeine in their daily diet.