My name is Kristen Daily and I’m a coffee-holic. That steaming mug of coffee needs to be in my hands as soon as the beeping of the alarm sounds in the morning. Without that morning cup of coffee, I’m a monster. I’m not ashamed; drinking coffee seems like a fairly harmless addiction, but I’ve always had a few friends (noncoffee-drinkers, of course) who criticize my caffeine intake.

Yes, caffeine is addicting. While everyone’s sensitivity to the drug is varied, there are suggestions and studies on how much caffeine a person needs to feel its effects. The article “Coffee: A Little Really Does Go a Long Way” by NPR correspondent Allison Aubrey discussed caffeine and its effects. Studies do indeed show that too much can make you jittery and can mess with your sleep. However, caffeine can also act as an antidepressant and lift your mood, as well as help you focus.

Here are some surprising facts about caffeine in coffee: The average person needs just 6 ounces of coffee to feel a “buzz,” yet most people order a 16 ounce “grande” at Starbucks — nearly 3 times the amount needed to feel the pleasant effects of coffee. This is when the jitters and anxiety begin.

Contrary to popular belief, darker roasts actually have less caffeine than light roasts, but they have a stronger flavor. And espresso has less caffeine than a cup of drip coffee — it would take about three shots of Starbucks’ espresso to feel the same effects as a 12 ounce cup of coffee.

Though caffeine is the most debated stimulant in coffee, it is not the only one. Coffee has over 1,000 other compounds that shouldn’t be ignored —  some of these may even be good for you.

As a coffee addict, I’m always eager to hear the latest studies on whether or not drinking coffee is good for your health, so a story on NPR, titled “Can Coffee Help You Live Longer? We Really Want to Know,” was intriguing. In this story, Rob Stein, senior editor for NPR’s science desk, discussed a study done by Neal Freedman of the National Cancer Institute, which was published in the New England Journal of Medicine. The study looked at whether or not coffee drinking could be attributed to a lower chance of death. Apparently, evidence suggests that while coffee may increase the risk of some diseases, it may protect against some others.

The study found that coffee drinkers had a “moderately lower risk of death than nondrinkers.” That is to say people who drink two to three cups per day were about 10 to 15 percent less likely to die during the 13 years of the study. Regular coffee drinking was found to reduce the risk of heart and lung disease, strokes, injuries, accidents, diabetes and infection. Another health benefit are the antioxidants found in coffee, which are used as dietary supplements taken for the prevention of cancer and coronary heart disease. This study cannot prove a cause-and-effect relationship, but it at least provides reassurance that coffee drinkers aren’t nursing a harmful addiction.

So indulge. Savor that sip of coffee. Join a culture that has been growing since the late 15th century. When coffee was discovered in Yemen, it took over the Arab world in a short hundred years and spread across all corners of the globe in the next hundred. Bennett Alan Weinburg, author of “The Caffeine Advantage,” argued that caffeine not only “gave the world a buzz,” but changed attitudes about economics and working life. He argued that coffee fueled the Industrial Revolution: Replacing alcohol with caffeine led to higher productivity rates. Today, coffee is the “cult drug of the computer world” due to its effects that supposedly increase focus and help people reason better. Like the thinkers that powered the Industrial Revolution, we as a culture rely on coffee for inspiration and energy.

Coffee lovers, take heart, your habits will not harm you — in fact, that mug of coffee may help you.