She further goes on to state that the withdrawal symptoms may qualify as a DSM disorder in and of themselves and merit further medical and psychiatric concern. She does admit that coffee users who have no risk factors, such as cardiovascular problems, diabetes, etc. may be able to manage a comfortable addiction to the substance. Conclusion:

While the research is interesting and yelds some provocative information, there are several problems with this article, not the least is the trivializing of addiction and substance abuse by associating it with a morning cup of coffee. Nehlig agrees, "Thus, dependence and abuse should not be associated, and, as pointed out recently, discussing caffeine in terms of drugs of abuse might in fact trivialize the dangers of drugs such as cocaine." (2004, p. 140) While certainly important in the overall scheme of a good health regime, caffeine and its association with drug addiction and withdrawal are highly overemphasized in most respects.

However, it must be noted that:

substantial body of research has linked caffeine use to anxiety disorders. In fact, evidence suggests that caffeine...

(Nehlig, 2004, p. 42)
It is also noted in the same research that reduction of caffeine also reduced the level of anxiety in the consumer of the beverage. So while turning coffee into a "monkey on your back" addiction is certainly an exaggeration of the actual evidence presented, it is certainly within a good overall physical and psychological evaluation to moderate and advise on its use. Heightening it to the level of an opiate or other addiction is not only unnecessary but bad judgment in categorizing for disorder in the DSM.

References

Florin, Carla. (2004). "Crazy for Coffee." Psyched for Success. 5 November 2004 Retrieved on 11 May 2008 at http://psychologytoday.com/articles/pto-20.html

Nehlig, a. (Ed.). (2004). Coffee, Tea, Chocolate, and the Brain. Boca Raton, FL: Routledge.

Satel, S. (2006). Is Caffeine Addictive?-a Review of the Literature. American Journal of Drug and Alcohol Abuse, 32(4), 493+.

Crazy for Coffee