What a bad week to try to give up caffeine. I tried my best and just couldn’t do it last week with my barrage of tests and papers and the endless hours spent in the newsroom.

With my unhealthy lifestyle of only exercising when I walk up to the third floor of Blair Hall three times a week, I decided I needed to at least try to cut back something that isn’t good for me.

I decided it would be the countless calories I add up drinking pop every day to start me on the fast track to good health.

That didn’t last very long.

When the headaches came from withdrawal and the amount of time I spent with my face in front of a computer, I gave up and made a run for the pop machine.

And let me tell you, when those headaches come, there is nothing but caffeine that can make them go away.

“Any kind of pain killer just doesn’t work for those,” Susan Mounce, Eastern biological sciences professor, said. “You need the caffeine.”

This is when I knew I had a problem. I’m not one of those people who has an IV of coffee hooked to his veins, but there are times where I need a good dose of caffeine and just can’t hold up without it.

My first week attempting to go caffeine-free did not go so well and it made me realize I have an addiction.

Yes, there is such thing as a caffeine addiction, and it is actually one of the leading addictions in the world. There are points where people begin shaking when they have a lack of caffeine in their system or when they have had too much.

This is caffeine I am talking about; not a drug one would normally associate with typical “addiction.” For some, once they have had caffeine for so long, their bodies become dependent on it.

It is hardly the type of addiction to that can ruin your life such as alcohol, cigarettes, cocaine and gambling, but an addiction nonetheless.

I know there are people who cannot live without caffeine and many can’t even begin their day without a cup of coffee in the morning.

Mounce said caffeine affects the reticular activating system in your brain which causes arousal or alertness. Caffeine makes your heart beat faster and gives a little boost to your day. Sometimes, people get used to that caffeine in their system and cannot function without it.

There is more to caffeine addiction than just a little shaking and a headache. People can actually develop serious problems from too much caffeine.

Mounce said a high intake of caffeine can eventually tear up a person’s stomach or can lead to thyroid tumors. Caffeine also affects the calcium in your body, giving you weaker bones.

And in my case, it also provides all the added calories from drinking too much pop.

“There are so many calories associated with drinking soda,” Mounce said. “Three or four sodas a day and there are your carbohydrates for the day.”

So what can you do to beat the biggest addiction in the world? Well, Mounce said it’s not a difficult one to beat and it just takes time getting used to going without.

Start off slow by cutting down how much you drink each day, then move to weeks and then phase it out altogether.

Go to the grocery store and buy juice. I know some juices are in the same aisle as the pop, but don’t turn around. Resist the urge. Your health could be depending on it.