Caffeine: An Analysis Of Coffee Addiction

Since I started working, I got into a really bad habit of drinking Starbucks practically everyday, specifically Caramel Frappuccinos. The reason why I think my habit came about in the first place was because I would see many of my co-workers with their own Starbucks cup. Honestly, pressure and acceptance are the main reasons why I got into the habit of buying Starbucks everyday. Prior to working at Forever 21 in the Westfield North County Mall, I was not a caffeine person. I would be the kind of teen that would drink fruit and vegetable juice tubes. However, due to often being at the mall, I would see literally almost every adult with a starbuck cup. One day after working an eight hour shift, I decided to give it a try and went into Starbucks.

In my situation having to cut out caffeine was challenging, especially since we all know a lot of people depend on caffeine to get them going. Out of common knowledge, we know caffeine is addicting, Peter Bardsley explains “ a recent medical study confirms that caffeine is strongly addictive, with subjects exhibiting “syndromes of intoxication, withdrawal, and dependence” (Rational Addiction to Caffeine: An Analysis of Coffee Consumption, 1996). The first day of my cut back was honestly not hard, I went about my day fairly good. The second day, was a bit challenging, I literally had to talk myself into not getting a Frappucino. I never thought I’d say this, but walking past the Starbucks Coffee shop smelling the coffee beans and seeing everyone in there picking up their Starbuck coffee cup was disturbing. On my way home from work, while on the freeway, I caught myself reaching into my cup holder in my car for the Frappucino I would normally have placed in there. I had already developed a learned behavior, in assuming there was going to a Frappuccino in my cup holder. That is when I was a little upset I did not get one that day. When I got home, I drank iced tea instead. The third day, I was honestly going to give in and purchase a Caramel Frappucino but then I was able to control myself and get out of line and leave the Coffee shop. Although I did not give in, I was extremely

Their withdrawals can potentially cause them to break laws or be dangerous to themselves or someone else. I’ve heard of true stories of teens who have such bad withdrawls, that they have sold almost everything they own to come up with the money to buy the drug they are addicted to. Worse stories have also been told, where family members have been threatened with their life because the addict has got a drug, promising the dealer he or she will pay the dealer soon but never comes through with the money. Situations like that is what makes drug addiction so serious and dangerous. The sad part is, many people are suffering from drug addictions. Jane Friedman states in Treating Addiction that “An estimated 22 million Americans are dependent on or abusing drugs or alcohol”. Drug addiction, I feel like is definitely more common among young teens, due to the pressure of fitting in, in school. Sadly, the easiness in obtaining drugs in school does not help the society problem, if anything it only attracts more problems. Today a teenager can easily get their hands on almost and drug. In fact, “according to the Department of Health and Human Services, about 15 percent of the nation's 10th to 12th graders are problem drinkers or at substantial risk for developing a drinking problem”. Statistics like that should open up our eyes, and realize that our teens will have higher