All right, all you caffiends! 'Fess up to your habit

By Alexis Lear

October 19, 2006 | We're all sleep deprived, we all don't eat as healthy as we should, we are all way too hard on our 20-something bodies, and we all try and make up for these bad habits with one drug or another. We choke down protein shakes, take Tylenol for our achy muscles and drink anything with caffeine for even the slightest bit of energy.

We're in college, and all of our college doings, meetings, get togethers, and parties would not be as lively if it weren't for that little drug we call caffeine. Caffeine can be the extra little kick in our day that is the decider between pressing the snooze button 10 times or waking right up to go to the gym before class. Caffeine is popular because it is accessible, affordable and one doesn't have to be of age to buy this mind and body altering drug

A couple weeks ago I was flipping through the October issue of Glamour magazine when I came across an article about caffeine. The article had a chart displaying how much caffeine was in different items from chocolate bars to Starbucks lattes. The article also said that caffeine is the most widely used mind-altering drug in the world. This got me thinking a little bit about caffeine and its affect on me and other college students.

As my fingers move up and down typing on my keyboard and the digital clock on my computer changes from 1:49 a.m. to 1:50 a.m., I realize I am only awake and still functioning because I am drinking roughly my 80th ounce of Diet Coke for the day. And then I come to the sad realization that I have conformed: I am another one of those college students addicted to caffeine.

I'm pretty sure that half of the students on this campus would not be able to make it through their day if it weren't for caffeine. Café Ibis would go out of business completely and students wouldn't be able to stay awake during class. Living in Utah, caffeine is the people's alcohol. Many people shun the thought of consuming alcohol, but can't put their Big Gulp down to save their life.

Yes, caffeine is a much safer drug than alcohol, but I can't count the number of times I have seen people shaking because they overdosed -- on caffeine. My freshman year I was friends with a girl who refused to drink alcohol because it was an evil, mind-altering drug that made people act differently when consuming it, yet she loved to put down eight 12-ounce Red Bulls every Friday and Saturday night to maintain the same level of energy and have some of the same side effects as someone who was drinking alcohol. Caffeine was her drug, and she prided herself on abstaining from alcohol while choosing to partake of another type of mood alterer.

People drink caffeine for different reasons. Many people can't function without their morning coffee; others need to drink Coke morning noon and night. Whatever the reasons are, caffeine is something that we all probably should cut down on. If you drink caffeine solely for the energy it gives you, remember that a great way to create and have energy is through exercise; something I only do when I have a Diet Coke in hand. Exercise actually gives you more energy, which might be able to replace some of the caffeine you drink everyday.

So don't kill yourself or live with horrible migraines trying to cut back on caffeine. Still go to Café Ibis every morning, and continue to fill your mug with Mt. Dew at the Quickstop; just keep in mind why you are drinking caffeine and maybe even one day switch it up for a Milk Chug.

NW
MS