College students have a need to feed their addictions. And since caffeine is available everywhere, from the coffee pot in the kitchen to 7-Eleven, there are endless opportunities for them to get their fixes.
Caffeine makes late-night studying possible and can turn a downer day into a more exciting one, but there are consequences that can come from this weakness. Some students can’t function without coffee in the morning, while others just can’t resist the rush that Red Bull, Mountain Dew, Surge and other energy and caffeinated drinks provide.
Erb Essentials Campus Store employee Shari Takara, a senior at the University, said customers need soda and cigarettes because, “You don’t get any sleep when you are a college student, and you are studying.”
Takara said Erb Essentials moves more cigarettes than any other product, but they’re closely followed by coffee, soda and candy. While she said she sees “regulars” who come in for coffee, most people don’t seem overly addicted to any particular substance. However, for Takara, who said she has been trying to quit drinking soda, it’s a different story.
“It hasn’t been working,” she said, adding that the taste of soda is too hard to resist.
Junior Jen Kubicki said she drinks between four to five cups of coffee a day to keep her going and give her energy. The business major said she doesn’t really feel the caffeine in energy drinks such as Red Bull or Mountain Dew. Kubicki also commented that caffeine supplements don’t seem healthy to her.
“It just doesn’t sound appealing to me,” she said. “Coffee is more enjoyable.”
Kubicki spent her high school years and summers working at Café Diva and four other coffee shops in Gresham, where she would see the same customers every day. White chocolate mochas are her favorite, but Kubicki said she knows how to make just about every drink there is, and in a hurry, for customers who need a caffeinated drink as early as 6 a.m.
But it’s an expensive habit. She said regular customers would spend $3.50 a day, plus tips, so making coffee at home seems like a cheaper alternative. But the convenience of passing Starbucks on her way to class and the fact that the coffee shop accepts VISA makes it hard to resist.
Kubicki added that she used to work at a drive-through trailer in Gresham that sold both cigarettes and coffee.
“It would be a one-stop for your addiction,” she said.
But soda and coffee aren’t the only ways students have found to boost their energy levels and
balance school with a social life. Steve Karner, manager of Discount Sports and Vitamins at 255 E. 18th Ave., said he sees a lot of students looking for caffeine and weight loss supplements.
“I see a lot of UO customers,” he said. “And I question you the first dozen or so times you come in.”
Karner said he asks his customers why they want to take the supplements, warns them about their effects, and gives instructions on how to use them effectively. He asks how old his customers are and whether they have heart problems, high blood pressure or are taking other medications. Most product warning labels advise people under age 18 to avoid the product.
Karner recommended drinking a lot of water with caffeine pills because these products have stimulatory effects that can cause consumers to sweat a lot. They have the potential to enhance physical performance, increase mental alertness and stimulate fat-burning metabolism.
“People buy it just for the effects,” he said. “When you are young and invincible, you think nothing is going to hurt you.”
But these products can also deprive users of sleep, cause irritability or keep the heart pumping constantly, leading to high blood pressure if used along with soda, coffee or other caffeine fixes. He said they can wear down a person’s kidneys and reduce appetite or sex drive. He suggested taking a supplement for up to three months and then taking a month off from it.
Karner said he sees at least 20 students a week who spend an average of $20 to $30 on these stimulants. And while there are more than 15 brands out there, they all mostly offer the same results. Karner said if used in conjunction with the proper exercise and diet, these products can have dramatic results.
“A lot of people do great on these,” he said, pointing to the wall of pills in his store. “But sometimes it’s obvious if you are on these.”
He also said sometimes he sells his products to students who primarily use them while studying for midterms and finals. The products often contain ingredients such as ginkgo, a herb that acts as a “brain activator.”
“These could be dangerous,” he said. “But if you don’t have the health concerns, and you use them the way they are intended for short periods of time, they can be very effective products for losing body fat.”
Business major Sarah Stark said she takes Hydroxycut by MuscleTech, a thermogenic diet formula, which contains ingredients that help to burn body fat and suppress the appetite. But she said she only takes the supplement every once in awhile, when she feels down and wants to work out.
One reason for this is that when she takes Hydroxycut, she can’t drink coffee, and since she enjoys drinking coffee every day, Stark doesn’t take the stimulant very often. Coffee is another easy way to obtain that adrenaline rush, said Karner, a coffee addict himself. To cut back on his “acquired taste,” Karner said he has started drinking his coffee half-decaf and half-regular.
“I wake up dreaming about a cup of coffee,” he said. “That’s the first thing I’m thinking about.”