First thing in the morning, a student sees one of three things in the first five minutes: a pair of headphones, a couple holding hands, and an open energy drink. Energy drinks are a staple in high school especially with the lack of sleep and the many commitments students are managing.
“I usually drink two [or] three a day, but recently I’ve been drinking one a day or three a week,” Keara Simpson, 12, said. “Sometimes when I was really tired and didn’t sleep, I would drink three a day, but if I [just] needed to focus, I would drink two.”
According to the National Library Medicine, the consumption of energy drinks can often lead to the following: risk of increased blood pressure, anxiety, seizures, and many other health risks. Due to the caffeine in energy drinks, addiction is highly possible.
“I know [energy drinks are] probably going to affect me later in life, but for now, it’s fine,” Brooke Evans, 9, said. “I feel like it’s really common around this age group [with] having to wake up every day around six or seven. If it gets to the point where people are constantly relying on it, I think that’s when it [becomes] an issue.”
Caffeine addiction is incredibly common today; in fact, 90% of adults drink some form of caffeine every day in order to increase motivation and alertness. Since caffeine is so common in everyday life for so many people, it’s really easy to become reliant on it.
“There’s a bunch of people who think they can’t live without worse addictions, [so] everyone thinks, ‘Oh, caffeine is not that bad,’ but the addiction can turn into something else and in the future can be almost life threatening.” Simpson said.
Many people don’t consider caffeine addiction a “real” addiction, and the American Psychiatric Association currently agrees with this as it’s not considered a substance use disorder. However, according to the Addiction Center, caffeine withdrawal is considered a clinical condition.
“The first two days, if I don’t have one for a while it’s pretty normal, but after a while, I’ll get headaches,” Simpson said. “[It’s a bit concerning] because my body doesn’t need caffeine to live, and the fact that my body thinks it does worries me.
With energy drinks being a part of so many teenagers’ daily routines, it’s important for people to be aware of the issues that can arise. Aside from the issues that can come from drinking caffeine at a young age and the many other health risks specific to energy drinks, caffeine addiction is a real and common issue. Contrary to popular belief, getting proper sleep will always be better than the slight boost that a Monster or Red Bull could ever give you.
