The Convenience Store Drug: Caffeine Dependency in College Students

By Alyse Whitney

Cans of Red Bull are not dealt in dark alleyways or abandoned parking lots. Bottles of Five Hour Energy are not passed underneath tables or hidden in sock drawers at home. Although caffeine is the most commonly used and abused drug across the globe, it is sold in the coolers of gas stations, grocery and convenience stores, and even in vending machines, making it easily accessible to people of all ages.

Waking up in the morning for a class can be exhausting. Rising with the sun has never been an easy task, especially when factoring in the average college student’s habit of staying up late and procrastinating assignments. For most students, the answer is simple: coffee. A cup or two can equal an extra few hours to complete a term paper or finish off a power point presentation, but those two cups can start to cause serious problems.

Biologically speaking, caffeine is a central nervous system stimulant and a sympathomimetic that mimics the nervous system. According to Dr. Donald Slish, a biological sciences and pharmacology professor at Plattsburgh State University, “when caffeine is in the brain, it blocks the action of adenosine, which is linked to the sleep and wake cycle. By doing so, caffeine naturally increases wakefulness and attention while also linking to dopamine – the reward or pleasure neurotransmitter – that is the main cause for addiction to drugs. Caffeine also blocks the breakdown of a second messenger called cyclic AMP in cells. By doing this, it mimics the ‘fight or flight’ response of the body, causing increased heart rate and blood pressure.”

For an average person, caffeine in small doses is not an issue. A cup of coffee in the morning with breakfast or sipping a latte out with friends is not a cause for concern; the problem occurs when a person begins utilizing caffeine as a scapegoat from the consequences of procrastination and unhealthy sleeping patterns. Jeff Vallee, the College Auxiliary Services registered dietician at Plattsburgh State University explained that students reach for caffeine because of time. “Students nowadays seem to procrastinate more and develop a routine or pattern where they don’t study regularly, then cram,” he said. “They take a few days to recuperate, then start the cycle again, causing insomnia. This causes both physical and nutritional stress and could be prevented with balanced meals instead of caffeine.”

The most difficult aspect of caffeine dependency and addiction is that the effective dose varies widely from person to person and increases with usage. A typical cup of coffee has about 120mg of caffeine and a first-time user (or someone who seldom drinks it) may feel the effects after as little as half a cup, while a chronic user may take two or three cups with little to no effect. While 300 to 400mg in one dose can be toxic to a naïve user, a more experienced one would need more to achieve dangerous and toxic levels. Unfortunately, tolerance develops quickly, especially in high dose users, and it can occur in approximately a week.

Caffeine use is introduced to us at a young age, stemming in childhood with a rewarding cup of Coca-Cola or even a sugar rush of a pixie stick. Dr. Jerimy Blowers, the director for Health Services at Plattsburgh State explained that it “remains very easy for most of us in society to become caffeine addicted, the reason being that it is the first drug that many of us are exposed to early on in life.” This addiction spreads in later years because “college life feeds this addiction and caffeine is a simple way to manage a very busy lifestyle by providing short-term energy.” Colleen Kutney, a sophomore at SUNY Albany uses caffeine to balance out her busy days, but has a system to manage it. “Sometimes I just need something to get me through studying, long days filled with classes, and club activities,” she said. “I don’t want to feel like I have to spend money on it or waste time making or buying it – I get it when I need to and try to go a few days at least in-between so I don’t run the risk of dependency.”

As the days seemingly grow shorter and the list of assignments grows longer, many students turn to caffeine just to get by instead of utilizing it for all-nighters and cramming sessions. Samantha Combs, a former Plattsburgh State student who juggles two part-time jobs, claims that she cannot function without it. “Sometimes if I am really tired and have not had coffee, I have a hard time talking,” she explained. “I am also very irritated by people when I haven’t had caffeine; they could just be saying ‘hi’ and I will snap at them or just not say anything back.” Although a snap at someone once or twice may not be a problem, caffeine is able to alter personal relationships and cause negative effects on a student’s studies and general health. While these effects are not as severe or life-threatening as those seen in other substance addictions, (such as occupational functioning and finances), side effects such as “insomnia, nervousness, and gastrointestinal problems” are common, said Jennifer Sanborn, the Alcohol and Other Drug Coordinator in the Center for Student Health & Psychological Services at Plattsburgh State.

In moderation, caffeine is okay for the body. In fact, the body cannot distinguish whether caffeine comes naturally – from foods or herbal teas – or if it is artificially made, such as in energy drinks and pills; when caffeine is consumed orally, the stomach and intestines break everything down into individual chemicals that are then absorbed and the body is unable to tell where it came from. Sarah Jennette, a senior at Plattsburgh State explained what life would be like without caffeine for her peers: “The world is lucky that I’m semi-dependent on caffeine to function. It’s not very pretty when I haven’t had any.”

The question is, are students addicted to caffeine or are they just using it to help ‘enhance’ their performance in school and balance their busy lives? It seems that mild dependency is the only issue, and that number only spikes up during midterms and finals. Sanborn explained her encounters with alcohol and drug assessments, showing that students at Plattsburgh State might be in the clear. “Whenever a student comes in for an alcohol and other drug assessment, I administer a psychoactive drug use history questionnaire that includes caffeine. Interestingly, many of the students I see do not consume as much caffeine as I would have thought. Very few have responded that they consume caffeine daily and many have responded that they rarely consume beverages containing caffeine.” Still, in moderation, caffeine can be helpful to students, and although it can cause dependency and addiction, it seems that college students do not have true addictions, but simply occasional dependence and cramming sessions. Caffeine has become more of a lifestyle choice due to its wide availability and low cost, and also usually goes hand-in-hand with junk food. Healthy eating – whether it is finding the right amount of protein or complex carbohydrates – is uncommon amongst college students because of both taste and time. If a student is presented with the option of chips or trail mix, they usually reach for the first, and if they are given the choice of a balanced snack or a cup of coffee to stay up late, they usually opt for the latter. It is a vicious cycle, but it is one that many students get sucked into.

There are a few symptoms that students can look out for if they are nervous about caffeine dependence. According to US News and World Report’s 2009 article, January W. Payne claims that after 12 to 24 hours of abstaining from caffeine, users may see headache, lethargy, depressed mood, nausea, vomiting, or even muscle pain and stiffness. Sanborn noted that fatigue, irritability, anxiety, and inability to focus or concentrate may also occur, but these symptoms will typically subside in a few days and can be aided through regular exercise, getting enough – but not too much – sleep, diet alterations, and getting enough vitamin B (whether artificial or natural). The most important part of daily caffeine is moderation, and even the most addicted can wean off of their habits by replacing a cup of coffee with a cup of herbal green tea or water. According to many specialists, going cold turkey is not the way out. Dr. Slish explained that this will “cause excessive lethargy and headache that aspirin won’t help” and it is best to taper off the drug in the same manner that your body became used to it. “Used in moderation, it can enhance performance – abused, it can cause real problems”

When it comes down to the facts, it seems that students only rely on caffeine when the time calls for it and are able to use it in moderation. For some, it may be during midterms and finals, and for others, they may just crave that ‘pick-me-up’ in the morning to get their day going. For Izzy Magliari, a sophomore at Brooklyn College, she is light-hearted about her caffeine dependence. “Without caffeine, I cannot function. I fall asleep on my commute to work, so it’s necessary. Honestly though, if I had to choose between free-basing caffeine and my heroin addiction, I’d choose coffee – it’s the lesser of two evils.”