Caffeine in any form becomes something you start to need. It's readily available to you at any age and you can wash away whatever potential you had growth wise. Which is something I heavily regret to this day every time someone calls me cute because of my painful short stature? When is it really an issue though? In The US we accept that coffee, tea, and soda are all daily parts of our life. So when should we truly consider it an issue if everyone around us is doing the exact same thing? When you start its simple... just a pick me up here and there. Then it becomes daily and growing to become a priority. If you didn't get it, there'd be hell to pay, except you'd be the one footing the bill. Withdrawal symptoms such as headaches and dizzyness driving you to grab the next cup of whatever your poison is. I understand that this sounds more suited to another more afflicting addiction but wheater we want to acknowledge it or not caffeine is an actual issue. Now that it's taken root, why should you give up and face these symptoms?

1. Insomnia

Anyone who submits to the siren call of caffeine to put in an extra few hours working on homework has the idea that they can survive off of 2-3 hours of sleep over the span of two days. Without that, it is very much a falsehood in its own right. You, my friend, are just as grumpy and disoriented as the rest of your friends. Perhaps even a little more so due to your inexperience without having caffeine. Planned all nighters vs. unplanned ones are an entirely different beast altogether. Sleep may no longer elude you as much and if you still struggle you should go see someone.

2. Anxiety

As much of a buzz coffee and tea can give someone, that extra energy has to go somewhere. For some, it manifests in sweaty palms, a racing heart, and a tight chest. You can refuse to acknowledge it or you'll convince yourself it isn't as important as being able to concentrate for a few more hours. On days where you need to keep yourself together for a few hours, you'll struggle just a little bit more than the person next to you. There's only so much you can do to solve this without cutting back.

3. Your kidneys will thank you

Excessive caffeine can put you at a higher risk for kidney stones as you grow older. Even if you try and combat it with drinking more water you'll still miss the mark. As someone who's been in the hospital before for kidney stones. It's actually awful, they can't do anything for you and you won't be able to sleep through it. Worst case is they'll be a large enough threat to your health and they may have to operate.

To conclude, please just take care of yourself and recognize when it's a problem before it starts to negatively impact your health.