But what about, say, a student? A student’s dharma is to study well and learn the course materials properly. When one is studying late into the night for an exam, one should take all measures to learn the material properly. Drinking a cup of tea or coffee will help one stay attentive when reading over lecture notes, or reading a particularly complex explanation, rather than being half asleep and trying to comprehend. Drinking coffee early in the morning may also help someone be more alert, and therefore pay better attention to their professors during lecture, and absorb the material better.

One might argue that you can eat something instead, that you can take other measures to stay awake while studying. One might also ask, if drinking alcohol or taking drugs will help me with my dharma, should I do it? For such slippery-slope arguments, one should first make sure that what they are taking will not hurt anyone else, or prevent someone else from performing their dharma.

To assess the “capacity of detachment”, one should look both at the types of substances they consume (saatvic, rajasic, tamasic), and the motives behind consuming those substances. For example, I mentioned in another post social drinking (without dependency) is fine, as long as the act of drinking does not reflect an underlying attachment to the status of “coolness”. One can take a similar approach to caffeine: what underlying ambitions and attachments force an individual to consume it? If a lust for money, power, and instant gratifications, is the driver – then I would argue the motive behind drinking the caffeine makes it rajasic (temporary, superficial betterment). However, if needs energy for selflessly planning an business venture that will help thousands of clients or volunteering in a shelter, then, the underlying motive behind the caffeine is still detached and makes it less rajasic. I would argue that psychological dependency, in any case, is a problem due to the decline in a person’s “natural productivity”, which makes selfless action more difficult and tedious. In any case, assessing motives behind consuming certain substances helps inform one of their attachments.

Note: I drink caffeine in order to pursue certain goals that do not exemplify “detached, selfless action” – I don’t want anyone to think I am preaching to them. I am just expressing my opinion of the ideal balance, even though I do not yet reflect it.