For most college students, coffee is an absolute necessity. Not only is it a tasty drink, but it also motivates us to get through the day knowing that at some point, we will get another caffeine fix. As much as college students thrive off multiple cups of coffee a day, when is our coffee addiction too much and unhealthy?
Let’s face it; coffee is always there for us. It keeps us awake for those torturous 8:30 a.m. classes, it keeps us up after a three hour class ending at 9 p.m. when we have a paper due the next morning. It gives us an excuse to take a break from homework and go on a “coffee run,” or we can meet up with a friend and catch up on the latest gossip over a cup of coffee. It almost seems as if coffee is the cure to everything.
“Coffee is what gets me through not just my day but my existence,” said Erin Lupo, a sophomore education and English student. “You can get a lot of different flavors and coffee just brightens my day,” said Lupo.
There is always a brand of coffee one prefers over another and on most college campuses, it seems to be a fight over Dunkin’ Donuts and Starbucks.
Here at the University, I think it is safe to say that we are on team Dunkin’, due to the fact there is now a Dunkin’ Donuts on campus.
“My favorite type of coffee is the dark roast caramel from Dunkin’ Donuts,” says Meghan Ferguson, a sophomore business finance and economics student. “I usually drink my coffee black because of the health benefits. I don’t like to put extra stuff in it,” said Ferguson.
More than half of Americans drink coffee on a daily basis and while there are ample critics saying that exceeding the healthy amount of milligrams of caffeine a day could be harmful, there are advocates who say coffee is not a danger to a person’s health whatsoever. But what is the real effect of that extra cup o’ joe?
Just like any other controversial topic, there are pros and cons to the drink we know and love.
There are studies that say avid coffee drinkers prevent disease progression and lessen the risk of contracting type two diabetes. Caffeinated coffee can also prevent Parkinson’s disease and reduces the risk of symptomatic gallstone disease.
However, with every perk, there is always a setback. Some cons to drinking coffee are the high calorie consumption due to flavoring and other additives, as well as the addictive qualities coffee drinkers contract. The immense amount of caffeine in coffee is not good to intake daily either.
According to mayoclinic.com, “Up to 400 milligrams (mg) of caffeine a day appears to be safe for most healthy adults. That’s roughly the amount of caffeine in four cups of brewed coffee.”
“I’ve always been conscious of my caffeine intake and usually opted for decaf tea. But that quickly changed after tasting a local business’ cold brew coffee…and yes, I have one in my hand right now,” said Director of Conference Services and communication professor, Nicole Frame. “I never appreciated the impact coffee has on our society until I started consuming it. I feel like an anomaly though as I don’t drink coffee for its effects; I drink it because I enjoy the taste. Specialty coffee in particular can have a strong hold on you with its taste or effect for that matter. Either way, it can be difficult to go without,” said Frame.
Whether we drink coffee as a social activity, to stay awake in the morning, or just solely because we enjoy the taste, it is hard not to get addicted. Coffee is not the worst thing in the world to drink, but we should be conscious of the potential harms coffee can have on our health.
As long as you do not have more coffee in your veins than blood, I am thinking your coffee addiction is normal, just like any other college student. Just do not use all of your declining dollars at the Dunkin’ on campus before Sept. ends. If you do, then you may have a slight coffee problem.
IMAGE TAKEN from Instagram/DariaValles
