The rush to get to school with a decent cup of coffee is on, even if it means being late.
Nikki Childs waits for her first coffee energy boost for the day. Reagan Lee waits until after golf practice to get coffee with her friends. Out running errands Morgan Jenkins enjoys a cup of coffee in the car with her mom while laughing and talking. These three seniors all love drinking coffee, but for different reasons.
According to eHow.com, when people drink coffee in moderation it can be healthy. Caffeine is a stimulant, which makes adrenaline pump through a person’s body, keeping them alert. Although some high school students use the caffeine in coffee to stay awake, this is not the case for Jenkins.
“I don’t drink it for the caffeine, or the energy. I like to get it as an extra treat, like you would a smoothie or ice cream,” Jenkins said. “I hardly ever get coffee in the mornings; I usually get it when I’m out with my mom or friends.”
“Sometimes at sleepovers my friend and I go to America’s Best Coffee (ABC) late at night, hanging out and drinking coffee until we start to fall asleep on their chairs,” Lee said. “It’s close to my house, and their frappuchinos are cheaper and better than Starbucks, in my opinion.”
There are several places to get coffee, but for Childs there are only two places she likes to go. One for the taste, the other for a cheaper price.
“I love Starbucks, but some of the coffees at QT are good as well as cheap,” Childs said. “I just need some kind of caffeine. My parents started drinking it, and they got me hooked.”
The website eHow.com states that although coffee can be good for a person, it also has drawbacks if consumed too much. Once a person’s body gets accustom to the caffeine intake, it becomes dependant on coffee, or even soda, to function. The result of a person not having caffeine whose body is craving it can lead to headaches, anxiety, irritability, insomnia and more.
“If I don’t have caffeine in the morning I’m grumpy. I know it’s not a good trait, so I just always try to have a coffee or a soda,” Childs said.
Also according to eHow, if a person wants to get away from their body needing caffeine, they would treat it as anyone taking hard medication for a long period of time would. Do it slowly, having less and less coffee every day, or week. The body’s necessity to have coffee can be dangerous, it’s better to have one a few times a week, or once a day, so one’s body can benefit from the caffeine intake instead of the other way around.
“It’s not like I need coffee.” Jenkins said. “I just like to have it when I’m socializing or out with friends or family.”
