Before starting off this column, I would just like to say I have nothing against coffee.

I like a nice cup in the morning.

It tastes pretty good (if you add the right amount of cream and sugar) and gives me a little kick in the mornings when getting out of bed.

But I have heard far too many people talk about how much they need it.

How dependent they are on it.

How they cannot function without their cup of coffee in the morning.

Or my favorite phrase, “Don’t even talk to me until I’ve had my cup of coffee in the morning!”

I get that people are tired in the mornings, but since when do we need a drink to help us be nice to each other?

Or at least halfway decent?

I personally think if it takes a “Venti soy mocha with five espresso shots and three pumps of pure caffeine” to keep you from being a total jerk to someone, you were not really that nice to begin with.

At times, it even seems like people use the amount of coffee they drink to make themselves seem more important.

Like the more coffee you drink, the more tired and therefore busy you must be and therefore the more successful.

What if we treated caffeine the same way we treat other drugs, like alcohol?

When someone says, “Wow, I had a really late night.

I would not function if I didn’t have coffee today” we think they are a real go-getter.

You never hear anyone admit, “Wow, I could just not get out of bed without my morning shot of whiskey,” we do not call this person a go-getter, or accomplished.

We call this person an alcoholic.

We call this someone with a problem.

I know this comparison is far-fetched.

I know all of us are going through the college struggle of late nights and early mornings.

But getting even slightly dependent on something that can be taken away is never a good idea.

What if all the coffee shops in the world decide to close for a day?

What if the all the plants that grow coffee beans just wither up and die?

Or maybe more realistically, what about the days when you have a 9 a.m. class you cannot be late for and wake up at 8:50 a.m., making your morning trip to the coffee shop impossible?

Would you have to neglect your responsibilities or do them incompetently because you are too dependent on caffeine to do basic human functions?

Or would you be able to rise to the occasion and power through days when you might be a little more tired on your own?

I definitely think it is possible.

Cassie Buchman is a sophomore journalism major. She can be reached at 581-2812 or [email protected]