Drinking a cup of coffee every morning has become a crucial part of everyday life for millions of people around the world. The drink, made from beans found on various evergreen shrubs of the genus Cofea, is estimated to be used by some 80 percent of American adults every day, according to the Food and Drug Administration. In fact, most coffee drinkers consume around three cups per day on average. With its popularity in adult culture, it’s not surprising that younger consumers are easily recruited into the ranks of the caffeine cult.
Yes, cult. Coffee is not just a benign refreshment. It is a delivery system for a drug: caffiene. Any substance that causes a physiological effect when introduced to the body is defined as a drug. Caffeine, found in coffee, is a drug and whether society accepts the fact that this stimulant is a highly addictive substance or not, the population of individuals who develop a dependence on the wake-up drink grows every year through popular brands like Starbucks, the fast food equivalent for coffee, and Keurig, the maker of the popular machine built for quick home use.
“I definitely could not live without my Keurig,” says Kathleen Bergen, an Honors English teacher at Madison, “I start everyday with a cup of coffee.” Junior Courtney Formica comments on coffee, saying, “I seriously could not survive without it. It’s definitely an addiction but I’m totally okay with it.”
We’ve established that caffeine is a highly addictive drug and the negatives of becoming dependent on any external material are obvious, but what gives coffee the socially acceptable card? In fact, what gives any liquid drug (like alcohol) “the in”? “If we had a bunch of kids popping caffeine pills before class, I guarantee you we’d see a different reaction,” says Matt Blackman, an AP physics teacher at Madison, “It’s interesting how we associate certain drug types with the negative when realistically all drugs are bad, especially for younger people whose bodies are still developing.”
So what are the negative side effects of caffeine abuse? The main problem with consistent caffeine use is that developing a tolerance is inevitable. “The human body was meant to naturally function without it,” says sophomore Jack Thompson. “Once you’re dependent on it, you just need more and more coffee to wake up the same way every morning. It’s a drug. Drugs are bad.” Caffeine is also linked with indigestion, headaches and symptoms of insomnia. A study carried out by the American Diabetes Association found that caffeine hindered glucose metabolism in type II diabetes patients. Another study by students from the University of Nevada School of Medicine found that the use of caffeine can reduce a women’s chances of fertility by 27%.
Senior Andrew Kaye comments “Do I think it’s bad for people? No, not really. It’s just coffee. People overkill it though for sure.”
What do you think? Should coffee be outlawed for high school students? Is it a drug? Leave a comment below and let us know.