Book Description: This book is an anthology written by a diverse group of 40 individuals from around the world. They come from all walks of life, yet they are all united by the choices they have made. Confessions of a Caffeine Addict covers all major products including coffee, tea, yerba mate, energy and sport drinks, soda, caffeine pills, diuretics, medicine, chocolate and other foods containing the drug.
All have acted from their hearts and here, in the pages of the book, they have written from their hearts, telling the stories of what brought them along to their own conclusion about their use of caffeine.
This book was written to inspire more people to make informed choices, to know that their actions do make a difference and to know that, in their efforts to tell their tales anonymously, that they are not alone.
My Review: Marina Kushner has complied and edited this book, Confessions of a Caffeine Addict. The stories are serious and makes one think about the caffeine one is consuming.
There are 40 individual stories from anonymous abusers of caffeine. After much research Kushner also found there were more than 73,000 caffeine overdoses in children and adolescents between 1989 and 2005. Of those, 227 cases were severe and 29 children died, according to her research into statistics from the American Association of Poison Control Centers. This is scary and awakening information! However, one must realize that some of these caffeine abuses were after a child, tween or teen actually drank those caffeine drinks like Red Bull, Monster and all those power-high caffeine laded drinks that is really like drinking three to four cups of coffee at one time.
I realize that Kushner doesn't care for caffeine and deems it as a drug . . ."Caffeine-induced stress can produce mood swings and irritability, increase muscle tension, impair digestion, restrict blood circulation to the brain, raise blood pressure, and accelerate the heart rate," her nonprofit says.
How many of us enjoy a cup of morning java or a latte? I enjoy that morning get.me.awake jolt. But after reading this book I realize that caffeine is a drug! So am I addicted? Is caffeine really like taking crack or crystal?
After asking these questions and reading this book I came to the conclusion that caffeine is an addiction! And Confessions of a Caffeine Addict demonstrates the ease in which one can become a caffeine addict and the dangers that addiction presents.
If you just can't do without that java then maybe you need to read this 4 star book!
*I reviewed this book for Readers Favorite.com*
About the Author: Marina Kushner was born and raised in the Soviet Union. Growing up under a communist regime, Kushner worked for a major Moscow newspaper called Izvestia. Working under the constant pressure of deadlines, Kushner, like her colleagues, made it through the day on a diet of black coffee and Russian cigarettes (unfiltered!). In 1991, after the collapse of the Soviet Union and her future at the newspaper uncertain, Kushner decided to take a long-awaited trip to New York City. Kushner quickly undertook the task of studying English and creating a life for herself in America. Kushner chose to make her health the #1 priority and became very interested in nutrition. The first thing she did was to give up her beloved coffee habit. She sought out relief through alternatives like decaffeinated coffee and teas. Unfortunately, decaf still had caffeine and both tea & decaf contained tannic acid, which upset her stomach.
She also realized the growing popularity of soy products and came up with the idea for a coffee substitute made from soybeans. Marina founded Soy Coffee Roasters LLC in 1999 and launched Soyfee caffeine-free soy coffees to the natural and specialty food markets.
Her product grew wildly successful and she realized that she was onto something really big. Many of her customers were former coffee drinkers who had given up their beloved cup due to medical reasons. This inspired her to write a book to inform the public about the risk of caffeine and she titled it “The Truth About Caffeine.”
She established the Caffeine Awareness Alliance, a non-profit organization, to serve as a resource for consumers, media and medical community about the dangers of caffeine dependency and intoxication. Her organization sponsors National Caffeine Awareness Month which is an event held annually in March. It’s recognized in 5 states including Nebraska, Wisconsin, Kentucky, Minnesota, and New Jersey as well as 21 major cities across America.
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