Caffeinate or Die-inate: College Students and Their Love for Caffeine

“Ugh, I can’t believe that happened!” weeps Sofia as she crashes into the doorframe of the library. She just dropped her freshly made iced caramel highrise coffee. This was not the start she wanted for her night of studying. “I needed that coffee to keep me going tonight, I’m just so tired,” she plops down into her chair with her head in her hands, frustrated by the whole experience.

She continued on with her night, but every so often, would reach out to where her drink would be, forgetting that she had spilled it minutes ago. The ghost of the drink haunts her while she studies in the Retro Room.

Like many other college students, Sofia relies on caffeine to get her going throughout her long days. According to the Alcohol and Drug Foundation, caffeine is a stimulant drug that helps with “feeling more alert and active.”

This is why, often times, students turn to caffeine to get a quick feeling of energy and awakeness. Due to a lack of sleep, energy, motivation, or simply the desire for a refreshing taste, students will buy a caffeinated drink.

Elizabeth says, “Sometimes when I stay up late and have to wake up early from homework, I need it to keep me going.” Then she grabs yet another Fast Twitch energy drink from the Pub. The cool air from the refrigerators hit Elizabeth every time she opens the door. Then, after swiping away her dining dollars, she weaves her way through the tables and chairs to join her friends.

The Pub seems to be the hub of all caffeinated drinks. From the café that serves coffee and tea, to rows of energy drinks in the refrigerators, there never seems to be a lack of caffeine. Between all the refrigerators, there are about seven rows of different energy drinks, including Celsius, Bang, and Monster. Oh, and, of course, the separate mini fridge devoted just to Red Bull.

While the many, many options might seem intriguing to a tired college population, it could also lead to the overuse of caffeine. Elizabeth usually turns to caffeine if she has a lot of work coming up, but the excess intake does not always agree with her body. Elizabeth sips her Fast Twitch while typing away on her laptop, saying, “Sometimes the caffeine makes me feel good, and sometimes it makes me shake and I feel like my anxiety is through the roof.”

According to a report from a team of psychology professors from the University of Wyoming, “college students report up to 850 mg daily, or three to five times the recommended daily dose of caffeine.” Walking through the student center comes with being bombarded by the dinging ring of drink requests coming in from online orders, and the high pitched “duen duen du du” of the printer releasing small white order forms. The noise becomes a part of the constant murmur of talking and socializing. Going through the student center and not seeing a caffeinated drink next to an open laptop is almost impossible. Weaving through the chairs and tables on the bottom floor can become a traffic jam with other people going up to the counter to grab their drinks from the cafe.

Cups with various coffee drinks are piling up on the counter and it becomes a scavenger hunt to find the drink with your name labeled on top. Finally, after looking through the labyrinth of drinks on the white counter, you find your drink. The excitement bubbles up as you know that soon the caffeine will be flowing through your body. The smoky and herbaceous scent of drinks and the café lines the tables surrounding it.

While there are plenty of options for ready-to-go caffeinated drinks, Gabby and Meara prefer to make their own coffee in the mornings. Between the two of them, they own three coffee machines of varying sizes and purposes. Gabby has an espresso machine in her room, where she pulls shots from every morning, while Meara has a more traditional Keurig.

Gabby says, “I start off my morning like this and I have a fantastic day. It’s a nice little treat, and it’s how I like to say good morning,” as she stares down the freshly pulled espresso shot. The earthy and slightly bitter scent spills from her and floods the entire Rebert East third floor. Everyone knows when Gabby is up and making her coffee for the day.

Starting off with coffee in the morning is Gabby’s version of “me time,” but she does realize that the caffeine is not good for her, so she’s been told. She has been an avid caffeine drinker since high school. Her caffeine addiction is raging, as she gets headaches in the mornings when she does not indulge.

Gabby’s morning routine consists of her making a coffee for herself—usually a latte. After the coffee is poured, she opens her fridge and uses extra creamy oat milk to top the espresso. Sometimes she will reach into her freezer and wrestle with her ice cube tray, but usually, that is too much work for an early morning. She mixes the espresso and the milk together to create her signature drink which she thinks is better than any coffee on campus.

Meara also created her own recipe which she calls her “sweet coffee drink.” This consists of coffee, milk, and hot chocolate. She comments, “I have them quite frequently, probably thrice a week,” as she finishes making the hot chocolate from her Keurig and pouring it into her Yeti cup along with the other ingredients. The Keurig squeaks and the last spit of liquid pours out. The bitterness of coffee contrasts with the sweetness of the hot chocolate in her double room.

This “sweet coffee drink” is only the start of Meara’s caffeine journey for the day, though. She adds, “I have coffee in my Yeti for my morning class, then I go to lunch, and sometimes I’ll get another coffee if I’m extra tired, and then, you know, I go back to my dorm. And then I make myself another sweet coffee drink if I’m super-duper sleepy for, like, lab or something, but then other times I’ll just do tea.”

College students look to caffeine to help with their sleep deprivation and lack of energy. While most know and acknowledge that the amount of caffeine they are drinking is probably bad for them, they do it anyways. The promise of waking up and drinking a warm (or cold) cup of coffee is sometimes motivation enough to get out of bed.

Caffeine is a drug, and like any drug, too much can result in bad, long-lasting side effects. But SLU students seem to be doing okay and managing their caffeine decently well. And I mean, hey, drinking one more cup of coffee to finish that paper (probably) will not kill you.