Opinion: College Hyperproductivity Culture Normalizes Caffeine Addiction
In the city that never sleeps, students will do anything to stay awake.
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New York City, NY — by Manami Yamano
This story was originally published on New York University’s Washington Square News.
Every morning, hundreds of NYU students stop at Pret A Manger, Starbucks, or any one of the other countless coffee chains in the city to purchase their constant companion and faithful friend: a comforting cup of coffee. I’m the first to admit that I can’t imagine my existence without it, but it’s easy to forget that just because every person you see walking next to you on the street is already on their fourth cup of joe, the drink might be doing more harm than good.
Few things bring college students together the same way coffee does, besides mutual stress and fear of failing your classes. The reality of coffee’s addictive side effects often get pushed aside in service of hustle culture. While entrenched in a coffee shop study date, students may forget that caffeine can have lasting and damaging effects on the brain, and, in large doses, can cause anxiety, nausea, increased heart rate and difficulty focusing.
Caffeine Use Disorder is a pattern that consists of a person’s unsuccessful efforts to cut down or control caffeine use, despite their knowledge that it worsens physical or psychological issues. The disorder also comes with symptoms of withdrawal. The World Health Organization now recognizes caffeine dependence as a clinical disorder.
Read the rest of the story at Washington Square News.