Timothy Donovan

Nicotine is a highly addictive stimulant that is found in tobacco products such as cigarettes, cigars and chewing tobacco. E-cigarettes and vapes do not usually contain tobacco, but they do contain nicotine, which may have been derived from tobacco. Nicotine, considered a psychoactive chemical compound, entices addiction because of the way it triggers the central nervous system into releasing dopamine and epinephrine simultaneously.

May has been recognized as Mental Health Awareness Month since it was first established by Mental Health America in 1949 with an aim to reduce stigma and encourage recovery. A national movement promoting mental health awareness began with the work of Clifford Beers, who had his own struggles with the disease. This year, national and local organizations and agencies have events and educational outreaches scheduled for the month.

If we were asked to write a list of addictive substances, we would probably include crack, alcohol and nicotine, but we might not include one that is in many of the beverages we drink, as well as many other foods and snacks: caffeine. Caffeine is the most commonly consumed psychostimulant (meaning it activates the nervous system) in the world. The FDA recommends consuming no more than 400 mg of caffeine a day. To put that in perspective, that would be about four cups of coffee.