A Good Addiction

It's 3PM.

The headache is beginning to set in.

My hands begin to shake.

I need another fix.

I drink one before work. I drink two at work. I drink another before class. I drink one mid-afternoon. I begin most nights with a drink.

A drink of coffee that is.

Hi, my name is Alex and I'm a coffee-aholic. I can't get through the morning, let alone a day without a good ol' cup of joe. Coffee, and in essence caffeine, is the modern drug choice in the work/school world. It offers easy access, is socially acceptable and excluding daily Starbucks runs, is readily affordable.

I'm far from alone in my addiction. There are almost 16,000 Starbucks in 44 countries and this amazingly addictive chain is only one of many (go ahead and add the independently run coffee shops to that obscenely large number). They make coffee so quick and easy that it's hard not to find yourself instantly lost in and addicted to this world. After spending almost $100 in a week and a half on this addiction, I think it's finally time to admit I have a problem. Being a full time student, working 30 hours a week and attempting to maintain a social life, this addiction is one that easily follows.

Despite the death of my bank account, is drinking too much coffee really a problem? It's not Vodka in my mug. It's not MaryJane that gets my day going. Caffeine is my fix, not needles in my arm, so is there actual harm?

In actuality, in the shadow of all the experiments done to prove the damaging effects of coffee on the general well being of the individual, scientists have thankfully shown the opposite. It seems as though there are far worse addictions. Coffee can actually lengthen the lifespan (of women mostly, they drink far more coffee than men do) and coffee can actually reduce some other medical ailments. A group of American researchers have come to this conclusion: Coffee consumed in moderate amounts, up to four or five cups a day, may provide a series of health benefits, irrespective of the age and sex of the individual. Most things are good in moderation, and coffee is one of them.

I regularly drink slightly over, ok 3 or 4 cups over that number, but I am still reaping some awesome benefits. Although I need to cut back slightly, if not for my own health then for the health of my wallet. But as far as addictions go, I have choosen pretty wisely.

Alex M. Mead