What are the disadvantages, of taking stimulant beverages like cola/caffeine drinks?
coffee drink
• Caffeine creates physical as well as psychological dependence and abstinence syndrome
• Coffee drinking raises cholesterol levels if not brewed using a paper filter. The substance that raises cholesterol is not the caffeine.
• They promote lack of sleep, gastritis, and arrhythmia.
• Their use can worsen nervous, digestive, and cardiac disorders.
• Cola drinks are particularly damaging for children. A bottle of cola drinks is equivalent to four cups of coffee.
o The effects include lack of appetite, nervous excitation, hyperactivity, behavioural problems, and sleep disorders.
Is tea a good substitute for coffee?
A glass of tea 
• No. Tea is less harmful than coffee since it contains less caffeine but it has all the disadvantages of caffeine.
• Some of the useful substances found in tea which neutralize cancer nitrosamines or lower risk of heart disease are also found in other plant foods.
• Tea contains a substance that destroys Vitamin B1 which is important to the nervous system.
What drink can I use to replace caffeine drinks and get similar satisfaction?
• Fruit/vegetable juice is the best. Malt (whose flavour is similar to that of coffee) can also replace caffeine since it’s nutritious but it should be taken moderately and not habitually.
• Decaffeinated coffee is free of the adverse effects caffeine has on the nervous system, the heart and the digestive system. However, decaffeinated coffee is not free of certain adverse consequences of coffee, which are not due to caffeine but other substances in the coffee that are present in the decaffeinated as well. For example, replacing regular coffee with decaffeinated has no lowering effect on cholesterol level. Thus, decaffeinated coffee cannot be referred to as a healthful beverage.
Conclusion: Caffeine relieves headache (reduces the blood supply to the brain) and provides emergency stimulation but it does not resolve the cause of the headache; rather it has adverse effects on the nervous system, heart and digestive system. It’s not recommended tea habitually especially if taken with whole milk and sugar.