Do you drink tea almost every day? Feel a bit off if you go a day without it? Has your taste in tea become so refined (and expensive) that you’re starting to fear for your wallet? If so, congratulations—you’re hooked!
What we casually call “tea addiction” is known professionally as “craving.” In the field of substance abuse, a craving is an intense internal desire for a particular substance or experience. When applied to food, this is often called “food addiction.”
According to Food Craving and Addiction by Hetherington, most food addictions are linked to a combination of psychological, pharmacological, physiological, and sociocultural factors. Research also suggests that food addiction, including the craving for tea, shares similarities with drug addiction.
One study, using an alcohol consumption survey model to investigate heavy coffee and tea consumption, identified four main types of motivation among 18 possibilities. These included two social motives—“social connection” and “as a beverage”—and two personal feelings: “stimulation” and a “sense of relief.” A comparative analysis revealed that these findings are consistent with the motivations and problems associated with alcohol consumption.
So, Are Tea and Alcohol Two of a Kind?
When Your Reward System Gets Hijacked
Studies show that excessive consumption can activate the brain’s reward system. In some individuals, this system becomes so active that it overrides the brain’s natural “stop” signals. When a regular tea drinker consumes a certain amount, their brain might signal that it’s time to stop. However, much like individuals with alcohol or drug dependence, they often feel a compelling urge to drink even more.
Hormones that regulate appetite not only affect the feeding circuits in the hypothalamus but also influence the brain systems that control pleasure and reward. If you’re a daily tea drinker and suddenly skip a day, you might find yourself spending significant time, energy, and money just to get a cup. And when you finally do, it tastes exceptionally delicious!
During these moments of craving, hormones amplify the activity of food-related reward circuits in the brain, particularly in the striatum. The striatum is rich in endorphins, chemicals that boost feelings of pleasure and reward. In other words, when you’re craving tea, the urge to drink it becomes especially powerful.
While many studies point to specific fats or sugars as primary drivers of addiction, and others show that highly processed, rapidly digested carbohydrates can stimulate appetite, the consensus is that no single food component can induce addictive behavior on its own. In the case of tea, it’s the combined “enjoyment” from its various compounds that gradually leads to this dependence.
But Let’s Be Honest: It’s Mostly About the Caffeine
The Role of Caffeine
Research indicates that long-term consumption of caffeinated products increases the number of adenosine receptors in the brain. This happens because caffeine blocks these receptors, and the nervous system compensates by creating more of them.
Adenosine is a neurotransmitter that promotes feelings of rest and fatigue. When someone who regularly consumes caffeine suddenly stops, the effects of adenosine are amplified (thanks to the extra receptors). This can lead to increased fatigue, dizziness, irritability, and weakness, often accompanied by headaches and muscle stiffness. This cycle creates a craving and dependence on caffeine, which is how the addiction forms.
Generally, drinking two to three cups of Starbucks brewed coffee daily (about 600mg of caffeine, equivalent to 6-10 cups of instant coffee) can lead to physiological dependence in just one to two weeks. While there is currently no specific research on how much tea it takes to become addicted, our daily experiences suggest that tea addiction is a widespread phenomenon.
However, there’s no need to be overly concerned. Many researchers argue that most behaviors associated with food craving and “food addiction” should not be classified as true addictions. For substances like tea and coffee, the withdrawal symptoms that occur after sudden cessation are typically mild and temporary. This has led some to call tea the only healthy beverage that can be addictive. So, go ahead and enjoy your tea with peace of mind!
This article offers a basic analysis of tea addiction. Given the limited literature on this specific topic, there may be omissions. We welcome experts in the field to share their insights and add to the conversation!
References:
- Chen Shubao (Review), Cao Jin (Revision). (2010). A Neglected Food Safety Issue: Food Craving and Addiction. Foreign Medical Sciences (Section of Medical Geography), (2).
- Cheng Yinan. Caffeine - Popular Science on a Miraculous Drug 4. First published in A Secluded Utopia.
- Paul J. Kenny. (2014). Food Addiction. Global Science.