I’m not even that addicted to caffeine.

But Sophie, every morning you have a coffee and every afternoon you have a diet coke. You’ve been drinking coffee since freshman year, and you cannot function in the mornings without a cup. You cannot get through a shift at work without a Red Bull.

Ok, well, maybe I am addicted. That’s at least what my friends tell me.

I was recently dared to go on a week-long caffeine cleanse. That means no coffee, no iced tea, no soda, and no Red Bull. For me, that sounded miserable, but I wanted to prove to my friends I could do it.

Day 1

Day one is always the hardest. Making myself a cup of coffee from my Keurig machine or stopping by Starbucks is an integral part of my morning routine.

Throughout the morning, my eyes dragged towards the ground and I thought about a medium iced coffee with cream and caramel swirl from Dunkin’ at least three times a class period.

Typically, I look forward to the rush caffeine gives me in the morning, and without that energy, the world felt more gray. To replace it, I drank water. Having something to sip on did for sure help with the cravings, but it just wasn’t the same.

Day 2-3

These past mornings, my head floated to a blissful dream of a cozy coffee shop, imagining the invigorating smell of a mocha. I was quickly snapped back into reality when I remembered this cleanse.
I couldn’t stop thinking about coffee, so I decided to do some research on the effects of caffeine.

According to Caffeine for the Sustainment of Mental Task Performance, a book written by the Institute of Medicine, caffeine has a half life of 5-6 hours.

For something that people are so dependent on, caffeine has a relatively short effect on our body. The effects of a 7 a.m. cup of coffee will be half as strong by 12 p.m. If someone is severely energy depleted, just one dose of caffeine isn’t going to sustain them.

That also means if someone has caffeine when they get out of school, there will still be half of the amount of caffeine in their system by 8 p.m. That could have negative effects on sleep cycles, causing bouts of insomnia and restless nights.

Furthermore, oral contraceptives cause the half-life of caffeine to double. Plenty of individuals on the pill may have their sleep and mental state affected in prolonged ways.

Caffeine is widely consumed by teenagers. But what do we know about the negative side effects? What do we know about healthy consumption of caffeine?

An overconsumption of caffeine can have bad temporary side effects. Nutritionist Darlene Holop said it can cause, “nervousness, poor concentration, restlessness, an irritated system, muscle twitching, and rambling speech and thoughts.”

Ms. Holop also recommended that adolescents consume no more than 100 mg of caffeine a day. For reference, Mayo Clinic reports that an 8 oz cup of coffee has 95-165 mg of caffeine, an 8 oz cola has 24-46 mg, and 8 oz of an energy drink has 27-164 mg.

A tall from Starbucks is 12 oz, and a small from Dunkin’ is 16 oz. Just one dose of the smallest sized drink from one of these popular coffee stores sets you at your caffeine limit.

Day 4-6

Lately, when I wake up, I do not crave coffee so much. In fact, the orange juice I have been drinking in the place of coffee sounds really good.

In my personal experience, I’ve seen much more advertising for coffee than for orange juice. These ads could be a cause of caffeine consumption rising over generations.

I have a personal theory that caffeine consumption has gone up in adolescents across generations.
Steve Korney, VHHS math teacher, reported that, “by far I will see kids walking around this school with more cups of Starbucks than I ever saw in high school.”

If you think about it, it makes perfect sense. School, sports, jobs, friends, and other extracurriculars demand grueling hours that often cut into when teens should be sleeping. Caffeine is a solution to the limited hours in the day, so more teens can do it all.

I do have to give fair warning to readers, though. Maybe I am addicted to caffeine, but if that addiction is a spectrum, I lie towards the mild side.

The only physical withdrawal symptoms I had from going cold-turkey on caffeine was fatigue, difficulty concentrating, and low energy.

If this article has inspired you to try to decrease your caffeine consumption, I have tips for doing so with the least amount of unpleasant side effects.

Nutritionist Darlene Holop recommends, “rather than doing it (quitting caffeine) cold turkey… because then you’re gonna have that headache and irritability, I would say lean yourself off.”

Since I drink so much caffeine, it surprised me to learn through a TSP survey that only 33% of VHHS students do not consume caffeine, so I wanted to interview the minority.

Junior Thomas Rose reported that he typically doesn’t consume caffeine, unless it is in soda.
He doesn’t consume caffeine because he’s, “never had a problem with having enough energy.”

A popular reason for consuming caffeine is to give one energy and to keep one awake through the day. But, if someone doesn’t have a depletion of energy, there isn’t much of a reason for coffee or energy drinks.

For someone looking to cut caffeine and energize in different ways, consider more nutritious breakfasts, staying hydrated, and getting light in the mornings.

Mayo Clinic reports that light tells your body’s internal clock that it’s time to wake up. One way to get this light is through a light therapy box, which can help your body’s sleep cycle and help you feel alert in the day.

Day 7

Well, I made it. Seven days without an integral part of my morning routine, seven days without what I was dependent on for my energy.

Starting this cleanse, I figured that not much would change with my relationship with caffeine. I still crave it and will continue to enjoy it, but there were also benefits that I didn’t expect.

For starters, when I wake up, I feel more refreshed and less foggy. I have found healthier ways to wake myself up and feel ready for the day.

At the start of the cleanse, I felt subdued, like I had less of a personality. This made me insecure about how others viewed me. Was I boring? Am I too different without coffee?

As the cleanse went on, I could function more as my “old self’ without coffee. It was just a matter of breaking my dependence.

I plan to continue drinking coffee, but I don’t want it to be an everyday habit. From now on, coffee will be for when I have been up late.

Overall, my caffeine cleanse allowed me to break my dependence on caffeine and pick up healthier morning habits. For anyone considering one, I highly recommend it. It won’t be easy at first, but as time goes on, you adapt and find healthier ways to fuel and energize your body.