Students coming into a first period class with a Celius, Starbucks, or Monster drink is not uncommon or even remotely unheard of. I personally hate the sound of energy drinks being popped and hissing when I’m trying to focus on a lesson, but the issue goes much further than just that with students having caffeine addictions.
It may seem obvious that trying to get to Dunkin’ Donuts or Starbucks before school would be somewhat time-consuming, but trying to get through those lines can be unpredictable sometimes. You may be only a couple of cars away from getting a coffee or you could be behind ten. That uncertainty could factor into whether or wherever not you’re late for school and whether it’s really worth it to miss the first ten minutes of class to get a $5 drink. It just feels so unrealistic and extreme to go to a coffee shop every day for an overpriced beverage, but don’t get me wrong I like a Starbucks coffee every now and again. However, it tends to add up pretty quickly.
The price of caffeine is high for what it is. The Starbucks drinks can go up to about $8 per coffee while Monster Energy is about $2 per can at Walmart. Assuming a student drank one caffeine product a day, in a week they would have spent $10-$40. I think most of what students are getting are drinks that have some caffeine but mostly sugar. Those kinds of coffee are glorified candy with a side effect of being able to stay up long. Considering this fact, one of the biggest complaints I hear most in school is “I’m broke.” This is odd because those same students are buying these types of drinks daily.
Besides the on-the-surface issues, caffeine can have a major effect on the health of teenagers. “Consuming too much caffeine can make it difficult to physically and mentally wind down at the end of the day and get to sleep,” Help Guide said. One of the main reasons students are drinking caffeine is because they can’t get up in the morning. What’s the point if it also stops you from going to sleep?
The thing most baffling however is that the cafeteria was selling Celsius cans earlier in the year and so not only were the school’s workload causing students to have a caffeine addiction, but they were actively feeding it and making a profit off of it. I don’t know how to express how insane that feels to me.
Students need to be able to get up in the morning without caffeine, it has major effects on multiple aspects of a student’s life. I also think that if students can’t get up in the morning because of school workload then teachers and administration should work hard to limit that workload.
