Focus

Popular beverages may fuel caffeine addiction

Stephen Biermann
Feature Editor

Few people truly know much about the most widely abused drug on the market. As a matter of fact, surprising amounts of people begin abusing this drug at a very young age. Some are encouraged to do so by their own parents.

That drug is caffeine. Although it isn’t as dangerous as its illegal counterparts, it is available in far more outlets and it is included in a variety of consumer goods ranging from beverages to candy to even soap. The most common of these caffeinated items are beverages.

Logos graphic by Anna Seibert

Caffeinated drinks are targeted to every demographic available. As for college students and young adults, the most popular drinks contain caffeine. Top beverages that college students drink include coffee, soda pop, tea and energy drinks.

All of these items boast the ability to give consumers energy, but do they deliver?

“They (caffeine manufacturers) are equating stimulation with energy,” Craig Zoellner, NIACC Health and Nutrition instructor, said.

Zoellner said that consumers don’t actually gain any additional energy at all. They simply feel wired.

The blatant offender of such claims would be ever-so subtly named “energy” drinks which include an odd combination of B-Vitamins, gurana, taurine, as well as other natural vitamins and minerals.

“The additives aren’t doing anything for you, it’s the sugar and the caffeine,” Zoellner said.

He said that the energy drinks are targeted toward the younger crowd by using such names as Rockstar, Full Throttle or even Amp.

“Most of the younger students’ caffeine comes from pop,” Zoellner said. “Pop is basically empty calories and sugar.”

He explained that when soda was first produced, it was being produced in 8-ounce cans.

Soda pop is now available in 64 ounces, which can contain from 800 to 1,000 calories.

However, some people opt for alternatives to receive their caffeine intake.

“I would choose coffee over pop any day,” Elizabeth Montgomery, a NIACC student and employee of Jitters Coffee Bar, said. “I think the idea of coffee is interesting with all of the different brews (available).”

Caffeine can pose health risks, too. It can give someone an abnormal heart rhythm and increased blood pressure.

It can create an increased risk of heart attack and stroke.

According to Melinda Furman, NIACC Nutrition instructor, caffeine is also known to cause restlessness, anxiety, irritability, muscle tremors, sleeplessness and headaches, as well as nausea and diarrhea.

However, caffeine shares at least one risk with its illegal brethren.

“In a realistic sense, it is very addictive,” Zoellner said. “Don’t start because you will become addicted.” If one daily abuses caffeine, it will take more of it in order to get the original effect.

“For those who regularly drink caffeine, the body adjusts,” Furman said.

She cited a personal example.

“I used to be a caffeine addict... I devised a way to come down from caffeine headaches by using Excedrin (migraine medicine), which contains caffeine,” Furman said. “I’ve been free since September 28, 2006.”

Furman noted the importance of the date with a laugh.

“You know a true addict when they can tell you an exact date of their last hit,” Furman said.

In addition, the use of caffeinated beverages has another effect.

“One of the problems with caffeinated beverages is that they replace healthy alternatives,” Furman said. Both Furman and Zoellner agree that water, milk or juice would be the best substitutes to caffeine.

“All things are good in moderation,” Furman said, “Well not all things. Many things.”

According to the Mayo Clinic Web site, moderation is defined as 200 to 300 milligrams of caffeine a day. For example, one 12-ounce can of Mountain Dew contains 54 milligrams of caffeine.

Some 16-ounce energy drinks can contain as much as 160 milligrams.

So the next time you grab that caffeinated drink, be aware of the potential for abuse.