Caffeine is an essential part of any college student’s diet. I mean really, we have to make sure we are alert enough to take some kind of notes in our morning classes, or stay awake to review for that exam we have tomorrow we started studying for two hours ago. Most people’s go-to caffeine deliver device is coffee. It’s easy and less expensive when you can make yourself a whole pot to drink throughout the day. But if you’re like me, your love for coffee may have become a kind of addiction. For me, I have accepted that I am addicted to coffee and I am completely okay with that. Here are some tell-tale signs you might be addicted to coffee:

1. Your day doesn’t start until you’ve had your first cup of coffee.

You can’t just walk out the door without having your coffee. Even if you have to put it in one of your many travel mugs to take with you, you will have that first cup of coffee before you officially start your day. If you don’t, it’s like you didn’t really have that day.

2. You have a cup of coffee in your hand at almost any given moment of the day.

When you’re not drinking water, you’re drinking coffee. Travel mugs are your best friend because you can reuse it all throughout the day, and take it with you anywhere. You almost never leave your house without your travel mug filled because soon, you’ll want your second cup to sip on during your first class.

3. You can drink it right before bed and still be able to go to sleep within 10 minutes.

It literally has no affect on your sleep schedule, it just tastes good so you’ll drink it at any time of the day. Your body is not affected by the amount of caffeine you get from your coffee that it won’t make a difference when you drink it. You have to drink those energy drinks when you actually need to stay awake and alert.

4. You’re the friend everyone relies on to have gum or mints because you have to get rid of your coffee breath.

Although you’re used to it, you don’t like to have that nasty feeling in your mouth after you’ve drank your third cup for the day. You keep gum and mints with you all day so that you can pop one in your mouth so freshen your breath before you try to go talk to someone. Your friends will notice this and they will ask you for gum once they catch on.

5. You drink from a mug that can fit a whole can of soup, then will still have another cup of coffee later in the day.

If you can fit like six cups of coffee in one mug, you will never want to go back to those small 8 oz. mugs. It’s also useful to make yourself some ramen in when you get hungry once you’re done with your coffee. Two for one!

So my fellow coffee addicts, let’s embrace our addiction and go make ourselves that next cup so we can still be functional human beings for the rest of the day.