It alters mood. It does not cause euphoria. But even if it did an addiction does not come from liking/enjoying something. Addiction comes from wanting something. Caffeine does not directly chemically alter the mechanisms of wanting (incentive salience) in the mammal brain. Drugs that directly manipulate wanting are the addictive ones.
Caffeine's mechanism of action is simply blocking the measurement of metabolic product build-up in the brain (adenosine) which is used internally for determining how tired one should be.
It alters mood. It does not cause euphoria. But even if it did an addiction does not come from liking/enjoying something. Addiction comes from wanting something. Caffeine does not directly chemically alter the mechanisms of wanting (incentive salience) in the mammal brain. Drugs that directly manipulate wanting are the addictive ones.
Caffeine's mechanism of action is simply blocking the measurement of metabolic product build-up in the brain (adenosine) which is used internally for determining how tired one should be.