Opinion Editor- Soph White
Back in March, I made a YikYak post praying for some advice on how to quit caffeine. Unfortunately, I am lactose intolerant, hate tea, and think water has no flavor. All-in-all, I was bound to be cooked and got absolutely flamed on YikYak for it. All that being said, I managed to experience two weeks without caffeine, and after I got past the first few days of extreme fatigue, headaches, and nausea, I felt like a new person. Given the world we’re in right now, I want to pose a question to you all as college students who are prone to drinking caffeine drinks: what if we cut down on caffeine? For your own wellbeing?
In part, I say this due to recent news. Larissa Rodriquez, a 17-year-old girl, died from cardiomyopathy from high caffeine intake. According to Valley Central News, she was drinking six Alani Nu’s per day over a quite long period of time, which led to her body shutting down. Alani Nu’s contain 200 mgs of caffeine per can, so if you are drinking six Alani Nu’s per day, then I hate to inform you but you are drinking 1200 milligrams of caffeine a day. 1000 milligrams is the general marker for when caffeine becomes toxic to the human body, which can lead to tachycardia, vomiting, and tremors. Most professionals recommend not drinking more than 400 mg of caffeine daily.
Personally, I’m already tachycardic. My resting heart rate sits above 100 on average, (partly due to medication that increases my blood pressure and anxiety) and I’ve been consuming caffeine almost daily since I turned 12. I don’t want to die when we get back around to Starbucks’ winter line-up. Just saying.
Going further, considering the new Monster drink variant called “FLRT” just dropped and is now being sold at the Caf, I think we need to keep our eyes peeled on the back labels. While “FLRT” assumes that women don’t already drink an absurd amount of caffeine, as it CLEARLY is overtly trying to advertise towards a female audience (which I think is gross), these drinks actually have more caffeine than the average Monster can. FLRT has 200 mg of caffeine in one can, while a Monster might have 160mg per can. I think it’s time to consider the real hard-hitting questions here—is Monster trying to kill women with these new “FLRT” drinks?
I’m not going to answer that, but I will take from this that college students are generally more susceptible to drinking these energy/caffeinated drinks like Monster, FLRT, Alani Nu, and overall coffee. It certainly doesn’t help that Kwik Trip—everyone’s beloved late night stop—is selling caffeine pouches, similar to nicotine Zyns. Copy Writer Lily-Ann Gabriel commented, “Caffeine Zyns make you want to die. Not because of the caffeine, but because of the kind of person you’ve become.” It’s clear there is a life-ending epidemic here. If you’re not addicted to caffeine yet, expect you will be and be sure your kids for generations to come will be too—if we don’t cut it off here.
I know that I’m not going to be able to cut myself off right now. Not during the end of the school year. Not during finals. Not when I’m trying to pack up my room. So, when? I’m trying to figure out what that answer is for me, and I think it might be this summer. I want to get back to a place where my heart rate is back below 100 at resting and on average. I don’t want to be dependent on getting caffeine every day or literally fall asleep at school or work. Frankly, I would like to find a way to enjoy water for once, and I’m trying—when I remember to drink it. Take it from me—I know quitting is hard, but we need to start soon so we don’t have to say generations from now that it’s “normal” for kids to die from energy drinks.