I am an avid caffeine avoider. I can’t stand the feeling of shaking uncontrollably the entire day after I have just a sip of coffee. It’s not the taste I hate. I love a refreshing iced vanilla latte from Starbucks. I’d have one every day for the rest of my life if it weren’t for the disastrous side effects of the insufferable amount of caffeine in it.
Don’t get me wrong, I’m sure caffeine could be great for you. According to the Better Health Channel, “Caffeine is a stimulant, which means it increases activity in your brain and nervous system.” This means that in small doses it can help people feel focused, refreshed, and ready for the day.
What most people don’t know is there are plenty more negative side effects of caffeine than positive.
According to MedlinePlus, too much caffeine can cause restlessness and shakiness, a fast heart rate, insomnia, dizziness, headaches, anxiety, and dehydration, which can overall reduce the amount of things you’re able to do.
A simple grande iced chai latte from Starbucks has around 96 milligrams of caffeine in it, which is roughly 300 fewer than the recommended amount of caffeine someone should have in an entire day. However, that 96 milligrams makes my hands shaky and my head hurt. An iced chai doesn’t have a substantial amount of caffeine, so my inability to withstand it probably has to do with my low caffeine tolerance. Some people think I’m crazy when I tell them a simple iced chai makes me lose my mind, but if you’re able to drink three, four, or five cups of coffee a day, that’s concerning.
Don’t even get me started on energy drinks. Not only do they just taste like overly sweetened chemicals, but certain brands, like Celsius, can contain up to 200 milligrams of caffeine. Even if it doesn’t surpass the recommended amount of caffeine, it does not mean you become immune to the horrible side effects.
No matter how much caffeine you drink a day, it’s still proven to increase levels of anxiety, insomnia, and dehydration.
It just seems so obvious, the risks so clearly outweigh the benefits. There is just no reason for caffeine. You don’t need it. You’re just addicted. Stop drinking it.

I really enjoy caffeine. I’m mean, I really, really, really enjoy caffeine. In the past two years, I have become more dependent on it. I wouldn’t say I’m addicted, but my friends would disagree.
It’s not that I need caffeine to survive or anything, I just really, really, really enjoy it and would prefer to have an iced coffee or an energy drink—more specifically an Alani Nu because they are delicious—but my friends and teachers have made several comments to me that I shouldn’t drink as much caffeine as I do.
I know caffeine isn’t the best thing for teens to have
However, according to TCJAVA.org, “The caffeine in coffee acts as a mild stimulant, waking up people who drink it and honing their mental alertness. Teens can benefit from drinking coffee before school if they need a mild stimulant to help them stay awake and focus on their schoolwork or another activity.”
I have been drinking caffeine for quite some time now, and although it doesn’t have the same effects on me that it had when I first started drinking caffeine, I still see how it benefits me even now. Teens can get a jolt of energy in the early morning before school with coffee or energy drinks, but it doesn’t have to get to the point where you start “bouncing off the walls.”
I can feel myself becoming more focused on what I’m learning in my classes rather than the slow and heavy weight I feel in the morning without caffeine. Throughout the 7-class period day, it’s incredibly hard to stay focused and awake while taking notes and listening to teachers drone on without something that helps my mind focus and steadies the thoughts that fill my brain.
Caffeine in its many forms is also delicious, from the taste of espresso in dirty chai lattes or the fruit flavors in energy drinks. You don’t have to drink black coffee to enjoy caffeine, but instead, enjoy something with flavor that also has its benefits. There’s something so delicious about the taste of caffeine in lattes and energy drinks that water just doesn’t have.
There are just as many benefits of drinking caffeine, within moderation, as there are to not having caffeine at all.