Caffeine keeps eyes open for class

It is 6:00 a.m. The alarm wakes her, and she rolls over in bed, dreading the coming school day. Her head begins to throb as she climbs out of her covers and walks straight to the kitchen to pour herself a mug of Maxwell House. Gradually, her headache vanishes and she relaxes: the caffeine fix will get her through the day.

This is junior Emily Hutchinson's morning routine. She, like many Blazers, depends on caffeine for her daily schedule of early classes and late nights filled with homework. Hutchinson's dependency is not uncommon, says Dr. William Adelman, a pediatrician at the National Institute of Health. "It's quite normal for high school students to drink caffeine," says Adelman. At Blair, where soda machines line the halls and a Starbucks Coffee is just across the street, the caffeine habit is not difficult to adopt.
.
It's Addictive

Caffeine is a stimulant that enlivens the central nervous system and provides the consumer with a regular supply of energy, according to Adelman. He states that these positive effects of caffeine are certainly addicting and can result in dependency accompanied by uncomfortable withdrawal side effects.

No matter the reason for the first sip, caffeine addiction is quick to develop, says to Adelman. Addiction forms when the body adapts to the presence of caffeine, creating the need for regular dosages to maintain the caffeine high that one experienced the first time. "In the same way people smoke cigarettes and they get a little buzz that makes you feel good, people take caffeine," says Adelman.

That little buzz is just what senior Emma Karey says she needs to get out of bed every day. "If I am lying in bed, not wanting to go to school, my dad will be like, 'Let's go to Starbucks,' and I'm up," Karey explains enthusiastically. Karey has been drinking Starbucks hot chocolate about twice a day for a year now, similar to sophomore Dialika Camara, who started her habit with hot chocolate but moved towards coffee three years ago. Camara's Maxwell House coffee and two teaspoons of sugar gives her more of a boost than the hot chocolate that eventually lost its effect.

Hutchinson also began her habit on a smaller scale moving from just coffee to "light caramel frappachinos with two extra espresso shots and a couple of Pepsis, Dr. Peppers or Cherry Cokes every day."

Sodas are also on freshman Noelia Gonzolez's list. She relies on about four to six cans of Pepsi or Coca-Cola a day to stay "awake and alert and to be able to pay attention in class," she says.
This constant caffeine high causes high blood pressure, a raised heart rate, headaches, shakiness and dizziness. However, Hutchinson says without it, she experiences fatigue and looks "really drained. If I don't have any caffeine in my system, my head hurts, and I am kind of not a very nice person."

While Camara experiences dizziness, Karey says she "just craved it, just wanted it,and wasn't in a good mood without it." Minus her coffee and soft drink daily routine, freshman Jenelle Prins-Stairs says she would easily sleep through her first couple of classes.

The solution to your problems

For Hutchinson, school is stressful and daily doses of caffeine in the form of coffee and soft drinks often relieves that stress. "I need it to help me get through long days," she says.

Even biology teacher Patricia Miller has experienced a Diet Coke addiction, which began during graduate school when she often pulled all-nighters.

Senior Oscar Flores consumes a cup of Folgers coffee and a few cans of Coca-Cola every day. He says his habit began gradually while he was growing up because his parents both drunk coffee and soda, so drinks would always be available at home.

For Prins-Stairs, her dependency developed while she dealt with depression; the caffeine high would raise her spirits. "I didn't do it before," Prins-Stairs says, "but then I got sort of depressed, so I just do it so I can feel better." Adelman explains that caffeine allows individuals such as Prins-Stairs to feel better because caffeine helps to boost emotions.

A halt to the habit

In some cases, the caffeine highs don't outweigh the headaches. Miller explains that she attempted to stop her habit, but the dull teaching course she was taking at the time required a Diet Coke to keep her attention.

Withdrawal from caffeine is very similar to withdrawal from other drugs, says Adelman, and it includes intense cravings, headaches and stomachaches. To escape these effects, Adelman suggests weaning slowly off daily intakes of caffeine and promoting good eating and exercising habits. "If you eat right and exercise, you can get all the positive effects of caffeine without any of the harmful ones," says Adelman.

For the average teenager, caffeine can be an unavoidable problem. Caffeine is present artificially and naturally in products readily available in school vending machines and in Starbucks. "It exists naturally in foods like cocoa, tea and coffee, but it can be added artificially to soft drinks like Coke or Pepsi," says Adelman. Although the body doesn't need any caffeine to function, Adelman comments that the average teenager still consumes these products regularly.

As of now, doctors are only aware of the short-term effects of caffeine that include withdrawal and dependency, but they do not know of any serious long-term effects, says Adelman. Though dependency on any substance is unhealthy, the absence of long term effects greatly decreases the severity of the problem. Still, there are better options that can keep your eyes open for class and your energy level high: natural activity, sleep and solid eating habits.

Reflecting back on the significant role caffeine plays in her regular routine, Karey rethinks her daily caffeine cravings. "Now that I think of it," she says, "I kind of wish I had never even tried it."