Caffeine
Caffeine is a naturally occurring chemical compound that produces dopamine and stimulates the central nervous system, increasing focus and alertness while suppressing appetite. It is classified as a drug due to its psychoactive effects, which tracks given its tendency to cause addiction. According to the National Center for Biotechnology Information, around 85% of the U.S. population drinks at least one caffeinated beverage a day. Daily caffeine use is not necessarily dangerous in moderation, but overconsumption can lead to caffeine dependence.
Caffeine dependence works like other drug addictions; repeated use leads one to develop a tolerance that requires more caffeine use to achieve the same results. In the absence of caffeine, a person with caffeine dependence may experience headaches, nausea, or low energy. There are conflicting reports on whether or not caffeine dependency should be qualified as a drug addiction at all, but caffeine withdrawal is currently recognized as a clinical condition.
CBT
Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, also known as CBT, is a psychotherapy method in which licensed professionals work with patients to change how they think about negative situations. CBT can be very helpful, not only for people struggling with mental disorders such as depression or anxiety, but anyone who wants to learn how to think more constructively. Some reported benefits of CBT include mood improvements, better emotional management, and faster healing after a traumatic experience.
There are many ways to get started with Cognitive Behavioral Therapy. If you feel you may be interested in CBT, you can reach out to your healthcare provider and see if you can get a referral to a therapist. It is important to make sure that your insurance covers psychotherapy such as CBT as treatment could be costly.
Celibacy
Celibacy is the intentional avoidance of sexual activities for whatever reason. Although they are often treated alike, celibacy and abstinence are not the same thing. Celibacy is under the umbrella of abstinence (any intentional avoidance of something), specifically referring to sex. Different people swear themselves to celibacy for different reasons, be it for religious, social, or personal reasons. For some people, vows of celibacy are lifelong commitments, and for others, their celibacy may last only a couple of years.
Involuntary celibacy is when someone is actively looking for sexual experiences but is unable to for any reason. Unlike voluntary celibacy, involuntary celibacy is inherently temporary as it is defined by the pursuit of a sexual relationship. Involuntary celibacy can lead to feelings of sexual frustration, resentment towards the preferred sex, and perceived inadequacy.
Chest Binding
Chest binding is the process of compressing one’s breasts in order to make them appear flatter and more masculine. Binding is often practiced by transgender men and assigned-female-at-birth nonbinary people to reduce dysphoria, or feelings of discomfort due to the disparity between one’s body and their gender identity. To assist with binding, many people use binders, tight undershirt-like garments that compress one’s chest to make it appear flatter.
Binding is generally safe when practiced responsibly, but doing it too often can have negative side effects on one’s health. High levels of compression are required to bind effectively, so binding for long periods of time without breaks could put excessive pressure on the ribs and spine. It is important to use binders that fit well yet allow for full, deep breaths while wearing them, and also to never sleep while binding.
Chronic
A chronic condition is one that usually lasts a long time and requires consistent treatment to mitigate. They are distinct from acute illnesses, like the flu or the common cold, which appear suddenly and last for relatively short periods of time. Many chronic illnesses start off slow with mild symptoms that get worse over time. Examples of some chronic disorders include cancer, diabetes, Parkinson’s disease, and long lasting mental disorders like bipolar disorder and schizophrenia.
Cisgender
Cisgender is the term used to describe people whose assigned sex at birth is the same as their gender identity. For example, someone who was assigned male at birth and continues to refer to themselves as a man is a cisgender man. In this way, it can be described as the opposite of transgender. Cisgender is often shortened to “cis” for brevity in the same way transgender can be shortened to trans.
Being cisgender is not related to sexual attraction, meaning that someone can be cisgender and not straight, or straight and not cisgender. The purpose behind the term “cisgender” is to remove the notion that being cisgender is the “normal” way to interact with one’s gender identity. This does not serve the purpose of stigmatizing cisgenderism; it is simply categorizing it as its own identity for social purposes.
Consent
Consent is the active agreement between two or more parties to partake in sexual activity with one another. In a legal context, both parties need to express an explicit, enthusiastic, freely-given yes for it to be considered consent. “Freely-given” in this definition excludes uneven power dynamics, such as a teacher/student or boss/employee relationship, as these dynamics implicitly remove the refuse from the disadvantaged party. Consent cannot be given by people under the legal age of consent.
Consent can also be freely revoked if one party no longer wishes to engage in sexual activity for whatever reason. In these cases, it’s best to use verbal communication to express the withdrawal of consent, as nonverbal communication can sometimes be unclear or imprecise. Nonverbal communication is better for reinforcing previously expressed verbal consent as there is less risk of being potentially misunderstood.