Coffee Addiction in College

Sandra Benny, 21, first moved to the U.S. in 2011 so that she could attend college at the University of Oregon. Traveling all the way from Singapore, it’s no surprise Benny had a little bit of culture shock after the move. Many things changed for her like her sleeping patterns and work-load; however, one thing that remains constant in her college life is her need for coffee.

Benny is addicted to coffee, but she hasn’t always been this way. She hardly drank coffee at all before moving to the U.S. three years ago. Her non-coffee drinking days were before she had college papers and final projects.

College students around the nation are beginning to grow more in tune with U.S. coffee culture. In the U.S. alone, around 400 million cups of coffee are consumed every day and the American Psychiatric Association now lists caffeine addiction as an actual diagnosis.[i] Recent reports have attempted to pinpoint exactly how caffeine addiction is directly affecting college students, especially freshman.

“I was living in the dorms and it was cheap and readily available,” Benny said. Coffee is everywhere and it’s a staple for many college students. It’s known to be a study companion and to assist attentiveness in class.

The demand for success from college students while being incredibly overwhelmed with schoolwork is a suspected influence of excessive coffee drinking. How else might a student pull an infamous all-nighter if he or she is falling asleep? Caffeine can be used as a perceived tool for success.  Students at the collegiate level are statistically becoming more interested in coffee and caffeine as a norm—students like Benny.

“I heard about how caffeine isn’t the best and that I shouldn’t start drinking it at a young age,” Benny said. Yet, Benny’s understanding of the seemingly harmless black drink doesn’t seem to stop her from the substantial consumption she achieves every day. Students questioned Benny’s coffee drinking habits when she first arrived in the U.S. and moved into the dorms. She wasn’t entirely sure what all the fuss was about, but she started drinking a cup a few times a week.

Midterms came around and Benny became a night owl studying into the early morning. Coffee became more of a necessity than a tasteful pleasure; she upped her “dosage” to two cups per day.

The same goes for Ashley Burke, 22, another student at the University of Oregon. Burke relies on the energy she gets from the caffeine in her daily cup-of-Joe. She drinks coffee every morning, but she ups her dosage when college life seemingly requires her to do so. “If I have to get up early, or if I have a test— that’s when I drink it. It’s just because of school,” Ashley said.

Burke admits to having drunk around 10 or 12 cups of coffee in one day. She’s actually done this a few times, however, she is quick to point out that this is a “once a term thing.”

“Addiction” is a powerful word, but according to the Merriam-Webster dictionary, addiction is defined as, “a strong and harmful need to regularly have something or do something.”[ii] Ignoring the need for caffeine can result in withdrawal.  Avid coffee-drinkers like Benny and Burke have both experienced withdrawal at some time or other.

Burke skipped coffee one morning on accident and she experienced drowsiness alongside a terrible headache.

Benny tried to quit coffee cold turkey and she faced a full body shutdown: fatigue and moodiness.

In the nationally recognized Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM5), symptoms of withdrawal are listed to assist diagnosis and several of the symptoms directly relate to the experiences of Burke and Benny.[iii] One criteria states that addiction occurs when “taking the substance in larger amounts or for longer than you meant to.” As Burke explained previously, she tries not to overload herself with caffeine, but she also knows when she must use coffee as a tool to keep herself awake for studying and class.

College students like Benny and Burke continue to consume coffee on a daily basis and feed their caffeine addictions in order to maintain physical and mental stability—a must for any successful college student.

Substance abuse and mental health therapist Leah Chapman explains that caffeine addiction is very much real. Although Chapman primarily works with patients experiencing different variations of drug addiction, she points out that one can be addicted to almost anything. “Addiction is a medical definition and that’s a chronic progressive disorder,” Chapman said.

More specifically, to better explain caffeine addiction, Chapman explains the effects caffeine has on the brain.

“Caffeine effects the dopamine and serotonin in our brains which is a chemical effect to make us happy,” Chapman said. Sugar intake along with caffeine can add to the effect on the brain’s chemicals, causing a craving. These cravings are what cause addiction to caffeine in coffee. These cravings make Benny and Burke reliant on the chemical effects.

While caffeine is an addictive substance, it’s definitely not the same as hard drugs or alcohol. In the DSM5, caffeine addiction is the only substance that is not diagnosed as a substance abuse disorder—it’s only recognized as an addiction.

Chapman has seen every addiction from heroine to methamphetamine and very often, these abusers are known to be polysubstance abusers, meaning that they are addicted to more than one substance.

Caffeine addicts may enjoy other addictions, but it’s likely these are less offensive than hard drugs.

“You physically and psychologically can be addicted [to caffeine], but the consequences are significantly less than drugs or alcohol,” Chapman said.

On the other hand, in support of the fact that caffeine is an addictive substance, inpatient treatment for drug abusers requires that patients be detoxed from all caffeine and nicotine. Cigarettes and coffee can pose as substitutes for intense addictions, making the detox process even harder to recover from.

Overall though, caffeine is a much lesser offense. In fact, Chapman notes that caffeine will not kill you, but drugs and alcohol will.

Regarding caffeine consumption, Chapman said, “You won’t go to prison trying to support the habit.”

But the withdrawal symptoms are still there, making caffeine addiction a real issue, especially amongst those in college where overwhelming access to coffee is reality.

At the University of Oregon, coffee shops like Starbucks and Café Roma line nearby streets. It’s no secret that students like Benny and Burke are immersed in a coffee culture.

Yet, contrary to the growing trend, not all college students are obsessed with the nature of caffeine. Another international student, Awab Al-Rawe, is sure that he is better off without coffee or anything addictive for that matter. Regarding coffee consumption, Awab said, “I want to be in full control of my body for energy and concentration.

Awab doesn’t believe in artificially producing energy.  He makes clear that he understands the negative effects of coffee addiction.

“Some days pass when I get about zero to five hours of sleep and I can still function well.  I tried both tea and coffee before and I liked them but I can do without them alright,” Awab said.

So why start a coffee drinking habit and then suffer from the consequences of withdrawal?

That’s just it—Burke and Benny don’t consider what it’s like to not have coffee anymore. Coffee is a daily embellishment. As long as the coffee continues, there is no withdrawal. Problems only arise when the coffee stops and this is not often for Burke and Benny.

“It doesn’t make me wired; it just makes me feel better,” Burke said. Clearly, Burke doesn’t see the negative side of maintaining a life of coffee.

But whether or not coffee is used to stay awake in class, one thing is certain: it’s addictive. Regardless of why one drinks coffee, those who drink it regularly need it regularly.

“I have gone without it, but I haven’t wanted to,” Burke said. And that’s just it, she doesn’t want to.