Whether students need to finish a paper due the next day or need extra energy to get through school or work, teens are often dependent on caffeine. This bad habit is addictive for students and can affect their health in negative ways. For junior Violet Lueck, drinking caffeine is part of her after school routine as she goes to Starbucks in Oshkosh two to three times a week.

“I spend probably about $5 or $6 on each drink. I usually like to switch it up every once in a while, but my favorite has been a pink drink with vanilla bean powder and sweet cream cold foam,” Lueck said.

Caffeinated drinks like ones from Starbucks is something many teens can get addicted to from both the caffeine and the sugar in the popular drinks.

“I do not think I am addicted. I can go without it and be just fine,” Lueck said. “Starbucks and caffeine are good in moderation, but easily addictive.”

Despite going after school most of the time, Lueck feels the side effects of caffeine that can change her mood.

“Sometimes if I drink it late at night I can’t sleep, or sometimes it makes it hard to focus or makes me really irritable,” Lueck said. 

Working long hours during the school year and summer has led senior Gretchen Petraszek to drink energy drinks for extra energy to get through the day.

“I usually drink them to get myself to wake up in the morning and to get more energy for the day,” Petraszek said. ”I typically drink Reign energy drinks maybe two or three times a week, depending on how I’m feeling. I’ve slowed down, but I used to drink one probably every day over the summer.”

Petraszek does not consider herself addicted to energy drinks, but often feels the side effects of caffeine.

“Sometimes I do feel jittery and very energized, but then after a while I get very tired. I don’t think that they are bad, but if you have too much caffeine it can be bad for you and you start to feel those side effects,” Petraszek said.

Similar to Petraszek, senior Lindsay Mularski also uses caffeine for extra energy while working.

“I drink coffee three to four times during weekdays and only on weekends when I work early shifts,” Mularski said. “Sometimes, I have coffee or a caffeinated beverage both before and after school depending on my schedule for that evening.”

Along with needing an extra boost during the day, Mularski says she enjoys coffee but is not dependent on it.

“The main reason I drink coffee is that I like the taste of it. Other than that, I just feel more productive when I have a cup of coffee sitting in front of me. It’s like a little motivator,” Mularski said.