Ha, ha, we coffee drinkers are laughing. No! It doesn't make any difference at all! What's why millions of people are standing in line any given morning at 8 a.m., weaving softly as they wait for their chance to order that elixir of the gods in whichever form they prefer. Doing some online research I figured I would find that Americans consume more coffee than any other nation, but not so. Norway downs more caffeine than any other nation! Yikes! And they don't even have Starbucks!

Here in the U.S., kids are becoming addicted to coffee at younger and younger ages. Researchers agree that regular caffeine use triggers a physical dependence, a mild form of addiction. I'm here to tell you my morning has only one variable: How many minutes between waking and that shot of espresso. I'm lucky, though, it only takes one and I'm done for the day. But don't get between me and that one. Beware.

There is scientific research going on right now at Johns Hopkins in Maryland which may result in caffeine withdrawal being included in the next edition of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, the DSM, which is the bible used to diagnose mental patients by psychiatrists. Ho boy.

I won't be planning any caffeine withdrawal episodes in the near future. How about you?

What caffeine does to the brain is nothing short of magic. It also varies wildly among individuals. But here is some of its potential to affect your brain: Caffeine has been shown to improve athletic performance, sometimes as much as 70%. The Olympic Committee lists caffeine as a "doping agent." Recently, caffeine has been shown in studies to improve the speed and accuracy of certain intellectual tasks.

Other studies have shown caffeine to help neurons form longer lasting connections, which translated means improving memory. Moderate use of caffeine can help the brain respond more energetically to stimulation. So while it may seem like your friend on his fourth latte is just talking fast, he might also be experiencing an enjoyable rush of neural activity.

Chocolate contains caffeine, and this is just one of the reasons why it is also roaring in popularity these days.

All that is wonderful, sure, but if you notice new levels of fatigue in your day, and you are a chronic coffee user, that's the first place to look at making some adjustments. As I've found on numerous occasions, it isn't always a case of cold turkey. If I notice I am starting to crave coffee in the afternoon, I cut back my coffee intake in the morning - not eliminating it (are you kidding?) - but successfully moderating my intake so I have good energy all day long.

Caffeine is the kind of thing that can require some personal experimentation. If you think you'd be better off without it, you could be right.