My name is America, and I’m a coffee-aholic

Whether it’s celebrities walking their dogs or 14 year-old
girls with Louis Vuitton bags, a cup of coffee in hand seems to be
a must, the ideal multitasking culprit.

And of course, the overworked college student is no exception to
the modern phenomenon.

No matter if that first taste of coffee came from peer pressure,
a need to stay conscious during lecture, or just plain curiosity,
coffee has quickly become a young scholar’s staple.

Many of us start drinking coffee as college freshman, lured into
caffeine by the homework load.

The need to cram or simply get stuff done the night before
projects are due forces us to gulp down the drink. Soon enough, our
hand shakes as it reaches for the cup, the tall replaced by the
Venti.

With every additional time that caffeine enters our blood
streams, we become slightly more hooked; a recreational activity
unconsciously becomes a habit.

Now, we crave our coffee on a regular basis, unaware that it has
become an inextricable part of our comfort bubble.

At this point, many students switch to decaffeinated coffee to
avoid the caffeine jitters because they simply don’t need a
continuous boost while being able to satisfy their taste buds.

Unfortunately for us coffee consumers, the change may be far
from beneficial.

A new study from the University of Florida found that almost all
decaf coffee contains caffeine.

Researchers analyzed decaf coffee from nine national coffee
chains and all were found to have varying amounts of caffeine.

“I prefer to go to Starbucks for my coffee,” says
Dorothy Tong, a second-year economics student and decaf coffee
drinker. “I didn’t want to be addicted so I assumed
decaf was healthier.”

And yes, that study includes Starbucks as well.

Even though the caffeine levels were not the same as in the
caffeinated counterparts, the levels found are strong enough to
increase blood pressure, heart rate and even anxiety in a number of
individuals.

In addition, decaf coffee raises blood fat that leads to a rise
of bad cholesterol.

Since your decaf coffee will probably have caffeine, it’s
worth it to check out the side effects.

Caffeine stimulates the central nervous system and causes an
increase in urination, which often leads to dehydration.

It also raises both blood pressure and heart rate. Most
importantly, it enhances stress, leading us to feel more stressed
in already hectic situations.

It’s important to realize that caffeine is a drug, and
many drinkers have to go through withdrawal when kicking the
habit.

What’s probably the most pertinent point is that it can
actually undermine our memory ““ with a high dose of caffeine,
you won’t be able to take in and retain valuable information
at the same rate

The universal solution to this problem will be difficult to find
because of America’s deep obsession with coffee.

Sophomore business economics student Rich Headley says he
started drinking coffee once in college: “It’s just so
convenient to get coffee and a pastry, especially when there is no
time to get breakfast.”

When asked about the type of coffee he drinks, Headley says that
“If I know I’ll be busy for a while, I drink
caffeinated to keep me up, but if I don’t really need the
jolt, I get decaf because I heard its better.”

Like many alternatives that initially sound so promising, decaf
coffee is a collegiate letdown.

In response to the coffee craze, Tong replied that
“America is addicted to coffee and the industry is just
making money off the addiction.”

If you just really want a cup of coffee once in a while, go
ahead and get it, but make sure to keep in mind that the cumulative
effects are the most damaging.

Decaf simply does not mean no caffeine.

For a natural high, e-mail Oster at [email protected].
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