Caffeine In Today’s Society

By: Andrew Howle

To begin with, caffeine is a highly effective central nervous system stimulant to the body. It affects the methylxanthine class of the body and is the most commonly consumed psychoactive substance globally. It is found in many widely consumed daily drinks, such as coffee, tea, soft drinks, and energy drinks. Even eating substances like chocolate contains amounts of caffeine. Caffeine has become such a staple in so many American lives today. It is almost impossible to fathom a world without caffeine. I love caffeine, but I try not to drink too much daily. It can be very harmful to someone in improper amounts.

Typically, most teenagers my age drink excessive amounts of caffeine a day. This caffeine is most commonly in energy drinks and soft drinks. There is an obsessive taste factor and stimulant feeling that makes these drinks so irresistible to the average teen. I am not a fan of energy drinks or soft drinks in general. They can cause teeth to decay as well as heart complications later in life. There have been way too many people hospitalized due to an overdose of caffeine, making potential heart complications appear. Some people are not as lucky and pass away from continuous overdoses of caffeine.

However, drinking adequate amounts of caffeine a day also has some positive benefits. These benefits can include awakeness and alertness. This can be traditionally helpful during early mornings. I love to drink coffee in the morning to caffeinate my body for the tasks ahead. It helps hugely when coming off a stormy night of rest. I probably drink coffee four days a week to get through tough mornings at school. However, too much coffee can cause a person to crash, resulting in extreme tiredness to the body. A person’s senses all diminish during this period of crashing.

To conclude, caffeine is a prominent staple in today’s society. It just needs to be used in the right amounts to prevent harm to others. I enforce the safety of the right amount of caffeine to drink. There should be no health complications from the use of this psychoactive stimulant.