Caffeine can have strange effects on people. I myself have noticed that there are two kinds of people; those people who do not use caffeine to stay awake, and those people who must have caffeine to stay awake through a boring lecture. I have always been in the latter group. Caffeine is a natural stimulant, and is essential in most college classes. This miracle drug can be found in coffee, most teas, and most carbonated beverages.
Coffee is very special over at my father�s house. He refers to it as �water.� Not a moment goes by when Dad does not have a cup of this magical liquid in his hands. When I was a little girl, he just drank coffee to help him stay awake at work. Now he drinks it all of the time, and has gotten me addicted to coffee as well, although my coffee-drinking habits differ strongly from his. �Would you like a little coffee with your sugar?� is a question that my family and friends often ask me. My Dad may be used to it, but I cannot drink the strong coffee that even I make without a lot of sweetener. If I want to drink something without having to add a lot of sweetener, I�ll drink tea.
Tea is the most widely drunk beverage in the world. It comes in many different flavors and colors. Tea can either be served hot or cold, and is another great source of caffeine. However, one must never drink cold tea in the presence of my roommate Anna. She considers cold tea disgusting and a misuse of a very wonderful beverage. Naturally, I drink cold tea whenever she is around. Some may consider this cruel, but I believe in teaching tolerance to anyone who will encounter more iced tea drinkers eventually as she enters the real world. Besides that, I have actually gotten Anna to drink the same type of soda that I do by using this technique.
Carbonated beverages, sometimes called �soda� for short, are also sometimes a very good source of caffeine. Caffeine levels in sodas vary, depending on the brand which one buys. Too much soda can cause an effect similar to drunkenness in some people. My high school junior prom is a very good example of this phenomenon. After I was lied to by my best friend and ended up going to prom alone, I was depressed. After consuming large quantities of Mountain Dew, I began to feel light-headed and energetic. I ended up dancing to almost every fast song with a large amount of people. After the prom, some of my friends asked me if I had been drinking that night. The answer was no, and I proceed to explain this new phenomenon that I had discovered. My friends believed me, but they rarely let me drink Mountain Dew anymore.
Caffeine can have strange effects on people. From coffee to cola, caffeine can play a secret role in our daily routines. The world would not be a safe place to live in without caffeine, especially since most college students could not stay awake without it. Too much caffeine, however, can lead to a disaster beyond one�s imagination, or perhaps an incident that one can look back on and laugh about as one relates the story to one�s children and grandchildren.
�Rebecca Lynn Oaks 3/1/99
Last Modified: 11/18/2000 by Rebecca L. Oaks
� 1999-2000 Rebecca L. Oaks