One morning, you wake up and you realize that it is 7:00 —you are late for school! You brush your teeth, get dressed and you are out the door just in time to make it to first period. Your eyes begin to feel heavy; your body starts to feel slow, and then your head starts to throb. Why? Oh wait, you forgot to drink your cup of coffee this morning.

When most people consider substances that they are addicted to, very rarely does caffeine make it onto the list. Caffeine is an extremely addictive drug. Yes, that is right, a drug. Caffeine addiction is a current and rising problem that troubles teens and adults world wide.

“I love coffee, but you really have to be careful that you do not get hooked because it is so easy to. I like tea. There is less caffeine in it but it still is good,” junior Shannon Dunne said.

With that first sip of a caffeinated beverage, the body is then filled with a rush of adrenaline. Because of this, caffeine consumers come to depend on the caffeine to give them this energy. A downside to this temporary rush is that the body eventually crashes. This crash is usually displayed by sluggish or tired actions where the consumer feels exhausted. Usually, the solution to the sluggish feeling is indulging in another cup of caffeine.

“I drink diet Coke and coffee regularly and have headaches without caffeine. I think that it is fine in moderation but can be addictive. I do not know about long term or high volume impact. I avoid giving it to elementary age kids,” said Tanya Busch Garcia.

Caffeine is a commonly consumed drug among teens. In many circumstances, athletes believe that taking this stimulant will increase performance. In other cases, teens have built habits upon staying up late to cram for that huge test the following day, then the following morning consuming enormous amounts of coffee or caffeinated drinks to “rise and shine”.

Many that are addicted do not realize the side and long term effects. Those addicted experience rapid weight gain, irritability, major migraines, irrational behaviors, irritability and, eventually, major heart issues.

A major long term issue is the fluctuation of heartbeats. When one drinks too much caffeine, their heart fluctuates in amount of beats per minute, eventually leading to heart diseases as well as heart attacks.

A 14-year-old girl from Hagerstown passed away after consuming Monster Energy in December of 2011. A bill is now being considered to prohibit the sale of energy drinks to minors in counties like Montgomery County. However, energy drinks like Monster and Amp are considered a dietary supplement, meaning that it can be extremely difficult to ban.

As many wake to the delicious taste of their morning joe, they do not realize the dangerous side effects of caffeine addiction.