By Stephanie Villanueva, Anthony Escamilla and Raymond Bernal/Staff Writers
Whether you’re drinking that Monster while doing homework late at night, or hanging out with friends and sipping on a Frappuccino at a local Starbucks after school, caffeine has become the drug of choice for most teenagers.
The caffeine in soft drinks, candy, energy drinks and those Frappuccinos take students extra high, only to drop them back down again.
According to Kidshealth.org, caffeine is a naturally produced drug that is found in the seeds and leaves of many plants. It is then processed and added to goods such as soft drinks, candy bars, energy drinks, and the most popular, coffee.
The reason caffeine effects people the way it does is that it stimulates the central nervous system causing an increase in alertness and productivity of those that consume it.
For the most part, caffeine is used to help give people a boost of energy to carry out their daily activities and lift their mood.
This effect will commonly last a couple of hours.
For many, caffeine has become a daily habit ranging from the morning cup of coffee, the tea to go along with lunch, the afternoon chocolate snack, to the late night energy drink.
“In my senior government class, many have wanted to bring in coffee despite my ridicule,” said Mr. Dan Lodolo, who embarrasses students who bring coffee to class. “There must be some addictive quality there.”
For others it has become a silent addiction that goes on without being noticed. But what are the side effects of this ignorance?
According to Preventdisease.com, one of the possible effects is the dependency and addiction to caffeine. It can also interfere with deep sleep that may affect students’ schoolwork and getting adequate sleep during their growing years.
“The students rely on it psychologically and physically,” said computer-science teacher Audrey Wei. “You’re dependent on it, much like cigarettes. They become psychologically addicted and they can’t stop. From advertising, it brings people to a state of necessity. You spend money on it and lose what you’ve earned.”
Counselor Mr. Tim Murphy agrees.
“I think caffeine affects people in different ways, some get wired, others don’t do anything at all,” he said. “It’s more of a psychological dependency. They think they need to stay up late, or they need this certain drink. It’s more of their abuse for the substance.”
High doses of caffeine can also lead to dehydration from the need to frequently urinate.
Caffeine also increases the risk of the body losing calcium, which can lead to bone loss, and can increase the risk of developing osteoporosis.
It is also believed to cause ulcers, as it causes the body to release more acids in the stomach.
And lastly, caffeine is known to cause heart problems, from small problems to irregular heartbeats.
According to experts, the best way to cut back caffeine intake is to try drinking alternative beverages such as water, vegetable juices, green tea or decaffeinated coffee.
