Throughout my life, I have been given an extreme number of lectures on how I drink an unhealthy amount of caffeine. Yet, when it comes to the why, no one seems to care.

I believe the caffeine addiction in the country is so high because of the pressure we put on ourselves to finish massive amounts of work in the least amount of time. Villanova University states that 90 percent of people in the United States consume some form of caffeine every single day. The article also states that the average American should keep their caffeine consumption around 400 mg per day, yet a Grande coffee from Starbucks holds 550 mg of caffeine.

During the cold, bitter falls and winters at Iowa State, students seems to resort to coffee or tea to warm themselves up and keep themselves perky. It is especially easy during this time of year for college students to get hooked on caffeine. As the semester begins to wrap up, studying for finals can also contribute to this addiction – students may use caffeine to stay up later to study or to be more focused during the day. 

About 50 percent of all age ranges drink caffeine one-two times per day. Having two Grande coffee’s two times a day is over double the recommended amount of caffeine.

With all those statistics in mind, it is easy to see how students between the ages of 17 and 24 are the most addicted to caffeine. However, who is to blame for this addiction being a problem in the United States?

It is our own fault for making excuses on why it is OK for us to drink an extra coffee or have an energy drink. However, the workload and pressure put on us is enough to drive anyone to finding an alternative route on how to finish everything by the day it’s assigned.

I don’t believe college students should cut out caffeine from their routine, because without caffeine, I think students would ruin their GPA and make college so much harder than would be with the help of caffeine. Caffeine is an amazing tool that, when used in moderation, can help anyone complete the tasks put in front of them. It’s those who overuse caffeine that hurt themselves more than help themselves.