TEA AND COFFEE 301 



with benefit to tide over an emergency which involves 

 unusual nervous strain. They give a temporary in- 

 crease of strength, which is later followed by weariness 

 and depression, because they have spurred the tissues 

 to an activity which results in their more complete ex- 

 haustion. When taken habitually, each period of stimu- 

 lation is followed by a period of greater exhaustion, 1 

 so that the individual 's "plane of strength is constantly 

 being lowered. The more he depends upon them for 

 stimulation, the weaker he really becomes, until his 

 nervous system may become more or less shattered and 

 his digestion seriously upset. 



Formation of habit. As with narcotics, the use of 

 tea and coffee easily becomes a habit, since to leave them 

 off at any time means weakness, restlessness and de- 

 pression. A user of tea and coffee can readily estimate 

 how much he is depending upon them by leaving them 

 off for a few days. If he feels less energetic and com- 

 fortable, it means that his nervous system has suffered 

 from their use. It is then for him to determine whether 

 he wishes to continue the habit at the expense of his 

 nervous system, or to regain a more wholesome condi- 

 tion where the feeling of well-being is not dependent 

 upon artificial stimulation but upon proper amounts of 

 food, exercise, work and sleep. 



Alcohol. Alcohol differs from tea and coffee, in that 

 like food it is oxidized in the body, thereby producing 

 heat and energy. It cannot, however, be ordinarily con- 

 sidered as a food for the reason that even in small doses 

 it produces a serious effect upon the nervous system. 

 It cannot therefore be safely used in sufficient amounts 

 to get any food value from it. 



1 This is frequently exaggerated by the substitution of tea or 

 coffee for food. 



