"W" The Battalion
Lifestyles
)ctober21
Quati ruesda y * October 21, 1997
Addicted to more than love
’MT/
zrv Despite caffeine’s ability to reduce fatigue,
t can have adverse effects on the body, mind
1 By Marium Mohiuddin
y. H Staff writer
Hrlhere is a Colombian drug lord who has
swept the conn try by storm. His powerful
drug has caused millions of people to
ler.nme addicted.
f af F,ll His victims include not only college
^tudents, but children, parents and
■ :vei i professors.
ilprug houses have emerged in major
I^^Si^hnetropolitan cities — a few exist in College
l UtkOD VE itation, with a promise of more to come.
WT THEH His empire is not restricted to one type
TW\t >fproduct.
t ?U)i{]| The name of this infamous drug lord is
y IM THeir uail Valdez, of the powerful Colombian Cof-
1'amily, and his drug is caffeine.
y §|The first use of caffeine dates back to 2700
r J.C. with the Chinese Emperor and today is
\ ^ t basic part of the human diet.
- Many college students have added caf-
eine to their meal plans, trying to cope with
ate nights and early mornings.
K^affeine, a mild central nervous system
itimulant, is commonly found in coffee, tea,
10ft drinks and chocolate and is also found
"'nmany non-prescription drugs.
■ It occurs naturally in leaves,
' leeds and fruits of more than
—iO plants.
■This stimulant can in-
:rease reaction time, alert-
tess, memory and tem-
lorarily increase mental
unction. It reduces feel-
ngs of tiredness and fa-
igue, and for some, it can
mhance metabolism by helping
he body burn fat for energy.
affeine is also a diaretic, which causes
in increase in urination.
his causes the body to release water, vi
am ins and minerals.
Contrary to popular belief, it does not
make up for declining performance due to
lack of sleep, and it will not
sober an individual who has
consumed too much alcohol.
In the last decade, exten
sive research on caffeine
has been done.
In relation to cardio
vascular diseases, can
cer and birth defects,
caffeine presents no sig
nificant health hazards from
natural consumption.
However, sensitivity to caffeine may in
crease due to pregnancy.
Dr. Jane Cohen, the Health Education and
Nutrition Specialist at A.P. Beutal Health
Center, said students should be aware of
how much caffeine they are consuming.
“Caffeine is OK in moderate amounts,”
Cohen said. “It is better to get your sleep
than to rely on caffeine before the test.”
Erin Tarter, a nutrition assistant at Beutal
and a senior nutrition major, defined normal
usage for caffeine.
“Three cups of coffee and two soft drinks
a day are normal,” Tarter said. “It can be
come dangerous and may even be toxic
when 700 mg to a 1000 mg of caffeine are
Jji^ taken in a day. That would be seven
to 10 cups of coffee.”
Tarter said the symptoms
from overuse of caffeine vary
among individuals according
to their sensitivity.
“Caffeine causes the blood
vessels to get bigger,” Tarter said.
“Without the caffeine, they con
strict which then cause headaches. It
can also cause people to be jittery
nauseous and lightheaded.” *
Please see Caffeine on Page 4.
For most students, smoking proves
a harder habit to break than suspected
Photography by
Derek Demere
and Dave House
By Chris Martin
Staff writer
S moking on college cam
puses is a fact of life. It
may not be healthy it
may not be attractive, it may
not even be cool anymore,
but it is here to stay.
The legal battles may rage
on in the courtroom, but
there is a decidedly different
story in the classroom.
Many students who
smoke are finding the habit
of smoking far harder to
shake than expected.
Jordan Scharf, a senior
mechanical engineering ma
jor, began smoking three
years ago, when first privi
leged by the freedom of col
lege life like many students.
“I was living on campus,
and I used to sit out on the
balcony dorm with a bunch
of guys to hang out and listen
to music,” Scharf said.
“Everyone would go out
there to smoke, so I would
join them. It’s how I met a lot
of people.”
Scharf said he currently
smokes about a pack a day,
usually between classes or
when he is sitting around.
He has tried to quit smok
ing several times, but has
never fully kicked the habit.
“My roommate smokes,
and I would always see him
smoking,” Scharf said. “That
makes it hard to quit,”
Money is a key motivator
in persuading students to
quit smoking, Scharf said.
“At a pack a day, it costs
around $14 a week, $700 a
year,” Scharf said. “After that
there’s not much [money]
left. That’s a lot of money for
a college student.”
The onslaught of health
warnings surrounding ciga
rettes and tobacco use have
not impeded Scharf’s smok
ing habit.
“Pm more addicted to
the habit of putting it
[a cigarette] in my
mouth. Nicotine has a
little to do with it, but
it’s mainly the habit.”
JORDAN SCHARF
SENIOR MECHANICAL
ENGINEERING MAJOR
“It’s not exactly healthy
stuff, especially when you get
sick because it takes a lot
longer to feel better, and you
also have the coughing,”
Scharf said.
“You have to take the good
with the bad. It’s definitely a
choice, and you know the
risks before you start.”
Scharf said he feels nico
tine plays a minor role in his
decision to continue smoking.
“I’m more addicted to
the habit of putting it in my
mouth,” Scharf said.
“When I’m not smoking, I’ll
stick pens in my mouth be
cause I’m so used to it. I’m
sure nicotine has a little to
do with it, but it’s mainly
the habit.”
Scharf said he enjoys the
camaraderie of the smoker
community most of all.
“I’ve met quite a few peo
ple from just hanging out and
smoking,” Scharf said. “It
gives you something to say to
people you would have no
other reason to talk to.”
“I smoke when I’m
stressed,” he said. “Some
times it gets me more
stressed and jittery if it’s a
bad situation.
“Other times I smoke when
I’m studying. I’ll take a break
for five or 10 minutes, and
everything seems OK. It’s not
so much the smoking - it’s the
friends and situations.”
Mel Bartlett, a junior agri
cultural economics major, be
gan smoking three years ago.
“I’ll smoke after tests,
sometimes before or on my
break at work,” Bartlett said.
“It’s mainly to relax.”
Bartlett acknowledges
there are many disadvan
tages of smoking.
“I usually think about the
health risks, but right now I’m
young and not going to worry
about it for a few years,”
Bartlett said.
Please see Nicotine on Page4.
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like hot dogs, peanuts and half-priced
popcorn.
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following the matinee performance and
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