The Cost of Energy
Understanding student energy drink consumption and its effects
A student trudges up the stairs as the 8:30 a.m. bell rings, hastily shaking the last few drops of Celsius into his mouth before entering his first class. After staying up late the night before, the student uses energy beverages to keep himself awake during classes. Celsius and Celsius Vibe beverages contain 200 milligrams (mg) of caffeine, while Celsius Essentials Beverages contain 270 mg of caffeine per can, nearly double the caffeine in an average cup of coffee, according to Healthline. As a result of the addictive nature of caffeine, the student enters a cycle where he is dependent on energy drinks to make it through every school day, inadvertently harming himself.
According to an American Psychological Association (APA) survey, over half of high school students regularly describe themselves as stressed or “burnt out.” Due to the rigor of an Advanced Placement (AP) course load and the long hours of extracurricular activities, some students seek the extra boost of caffeine to help alleviate these problems. However, some students experience side effects when relying on energy drinks. According to a survey conducted by The Muse, around 75% of students who drink energy drinks did not look into the effects or only somewhat looked into the effects before consuming them. Despite potential consequences, such as anxiety and heart complications, the role of energy drinks in student life is prevalent, with 54.1% of students drinking them.
This story ended up being longer then I intially expected. It was just supposed to be a small lead to introduce a graphic-heavy story, however, through the editing process I quickly added more to it. My biggest problems with this piece was attempting to stay away from editorializing, but also portray the effects of energy drinks. I ended up relying on different sources to accurately tell my readers the addictive natures of caffeine, and I thought it worked out very successfully. My second biggest problem was trying to write a lead I thought would engage my highschool audience, and I ended up telling the story of a highschooler which I also thought was creative and worked in my favor.