COLUMN: I'm a coffee addict
I, Megan Pacer, am a self-proclaimed coffee addict.
It’s taken me quite a while to come to terms with my condition. For nearly a year, I pacified myself with denial and a long list of excuses: I don’t really need it. I don’t buy it that often. I can stop any time I want.
Lies. All of them, lies.
There are several days a week when I feel I really do need caffeine just to function properly, I’d probably faint if someone showed me how much I spend on coffee each month, and I’m not exactly sure what would happen if I ever tried to stop. I’d also bet the fact that I’m writing this in a coffee shop is a pretty solid indication that I have a problem.
But how did I find myself in this predicament in the first place? How did I, along with hundreds of other college students, get pulled into such an addicting and money-sucking habit?
I can still remember my first encounter with the beloved espresso shot. It was a crisp fall morning, crammed around a table at the University Cup (may it rest in peace) with several other students for an Honors Program coffee tasting event.
That first sip, I’ll admit, was revolting.
When I recall it, I can’t imagine how someone who hated coffee as much as I once did could wind up a bona fide coffee enthusiast.
Maybe it was the long hours of studying that have only gotten longer as I progressed from a freshman to a junior in college. Perhaps it was the early mornings of volunteering, the 8 a.m. exams or 7-hour commute from school to home on the holidays.
My slow-growing addiction was probably due to a combination of all these factors, rather than one life-changing event. Whatever your reasons for drinking coffee, I encourage you to indulge the habit, but to proceed with caution.
The incentives to drinking coffee are nearly endless. It gives you a boost of energy, extra motivation and lifted spirits. And, let’s face it, it’s basically a sliver of heaven in a cup.
However, I’ve found that if I’m not careful, coffee can actually have a very negative effect on my productivity and general state of being.
One moment, I’m on top of the world, the sun is shining a little brighter, and birds seem to be serenading me as I walk through campus as if I’m some kind of Disney princess.
Cut to 20 minutes later, and I’m falling asleep in public as my body crashes and exhaustion sets in.
Moral of the story: Coffee is like Mother Nature. When utilized in moderation, it can provide endless happiness and improvements to human life, but when abused, it just might turn against you.
