Energy Drinks on Campus: A Hidden Dependency?

Moon Woo '25 • Feb 5, 2024

Energy Drinks on Campus: A Hidden Dependency?

At Springfield, it’s not unusual to see students walking into morning classes with an energy drink logo peeking out of a backpack pocket. Some joke about “needing” it before first period. Others casually mention that they drink two cans during exam week.

But science suggests this might be less of a harmless habit—and closer to dependence.

Why so many of us rely on them.

Energy drinks combine caffeine with sugar and high-glycemic sweeteners. The hit feels immediate: elevated mood, faster reaction time, and sharper focus. For students juggling APs, assignments, extracurriculars, and admissions stress, energy drinks feel like an academic shortcut.

But there is a catch: energy drinks don’t give extra mental capacity. They “borrow” alertness from the future. The brain pays interest later—through sleep debt, cortisol spikes, and fatigue rebound.

Students get trapped in a cycle:

1. drink an energy drink

2. feel alert and productive for a few hours

3. crash in the afternoon or evening

4. sleep poorly

5. wake up extra tired

6. repeat from step 1

   
   

The short-term benefits are real—but the cycle is also real.

Why teens are more vulnerable.

Teen brains are more sensitive to dopamine. Caffeine + sugar elevates dopamine temporarily, but once the effect fades, the brain seeks the same stimulation again. That’s how a “treat” becomes a routine, and how a routine becomes an unconscious dependency.

How to use caffeine without it using you

– don’t drink energy drinks after lunch 

– don’t use caffeine to replace sleep 

– if you drink it daily, try switching to coffee or tea (less sugar, fewer additives) 

– set a weekly limit instead of treating it like water

Caffeine can be helpful. But in a school environment where everyone is trying to “optimize” themselves, energy drinks have quietly become performance enhancers disguised as soda.

The real flex in 2025 might not be how much caffeine you can tolerate.

It might be the students who learn how to stay sharp without depending on a can.