I also wonder if there is any causality between the decline in the number of smokers and the rise in the amount of caffeine we consume. That wouldn't surprise

I also wonder if there is any causality between the decline in the number of smokers and the rise in the amount of caffeine we consume. That wouldn't surprise me at all. The idea that people with addictions often substitute one addictive behavior for another is conventional wisdom in counseling circles, I believe. But I'm a former cancer researcher, I know people who have drunk themselves to death, and I have friends who counsel heroin addicts. So trust me when I say this: Caffeine is an excellent alternative. At least you were able to stop drinking caffeine, and we're pretty sure that your liver or lungs aren't going to explode in ten years from the espresso abuse.