Since Central Perk achieved world wide fame in the hit US TV sitcom Friends, drinking coffee has become more of a social habit than it ever was. Coffee has become a major part of our social lives more than ever before.
Coffee has become a part of college life in particular. At hours in the day when drinking alcohol is not deemed as socially acceptable as it might be in the evening, students are drinking coffee as a social aid. Friends will meet up for a coffee or enjoy a coffee break as a means of a recreational activity. Campuses have coffee machines and coffee shops. There has never been such availability of coffee in and around the college campuses. Drinking coffee has become a cool thing to do.
However, what in the majority of cases is an innocent delightful hot beverage enjoyed by millions of people is now becoming a problem issue and in some instances, an addiction. The facts are there to show that caffeine is an addictive drug.
In college there are even students who have become reliant on coffee as a means of getting through their daily routine. It is not unfamiliar to hear students say that they must have a coffee to wake up first thing in the morning or that they have to take a coffee break to help them get through their day. Coffee has become an essential part of college lifestyle.
Perhaps more disconcertingly, students are using coffee as a means of helping them defy nature to keep awake the night before a test or a deadline to ensure they can maximize their studying time. This can put the body under immense pressure and even though the students think they are aiding their chances of success, they could well be introducing a negative effect.
It is not uncommon for students to pull off ‘all nighters’ regularly when the stress and deadlines pile up in order to get as much work done as possible. The odd ‘all nighter’ might be ok but when it becomes a status quo in a student’s life, the health risks can be dangerous.
Despite the minority of examples where students rely on coffee to keep them going, coffee can be enjoyed as part of a well balanced lifestyle. Students can use coffee as a social medium. It can be used as an excuse to meet new people, speak to old friends or even just to escape the world and have some alone time. As with all food and drink, it should be had in moderation and not used in excess or to the stage where the individual becomes reliant on it.
It seems coffee is here to stay in the college lifestyle and it is easy to see why. It can help socially and it can help academically, provided it is drunk responsibly.