Beep Beep Beep Beep! We all are familiar with the obnoxious sound of an alarm clock and the subsequent slap of the hand on the snooze button. Waking up is no easy task, especially in the life of an honors student. Some days it takes all my willpower to roll out of the nice warm cocoon that is my bed and begin what will most likely be a long, tedious day. I trudge to the dining hall in a sleepy fog. It isn’t until I have a sip of that dark sweet drink that I begin to feel awake. Coffee is the jolt that gets me going, the cheerleader to my game, the spark to my fire. I take a sip and feel that instant rush of the caffeine. Suddenly, I feel alert and ready to take on the challenges of my day.

I wasn’t always like this. I didn’t always need a cup of coffee to start my day. There was a time when I used to wake up and drink a cold glass of milk with my morning waffles instead of a warm cup of coffee. Those were the days when my school schedule was easier, my life less hectic.

My coffee habit started slowly during my junior year in high school. To this day, I can’t imagine having gotten through my high school career without coffee, especially during the dreaded first week of May of my junior year—the week of advanced placement tests. The tests were early, the study sessions unending, the pile of schoolwork looming. All eyes were on us, the AP students. Some gave up. Some prayed for the best. Some studied till they fell asleep with books still open. Chemistry, English and United States history consumed my life for the month before the testing. I lived and breathed those subjects. There was no time for sleep. I needed something to keep my game on. The solution: coffee. The caffeine was just enough to keep me alert and on task. It wasn’t like I turned to taking drugs or “brain steroids”. I just drank a few cups and was ready to do my best on those AP exams. It did the trick. The hard work and coffee helped me survive “hell week”. As time went one, one cup became four. By the beginning of college, I had a Starbucks gold card and an addiction to coffee.

A negative connotation is often associated with the word “addiction” but I feel no shame in admitting to having one. I am aware of the controversy that tends to surround coffee and the amount of caffeine it contains. People claim that coffee is an expensive habit that can cause headaches, dehydration and loss of sleep. This may be true in extreme cases where one does not react well to caffeine but normally coffee is okay in moderation. This is true for most substances. Even water can be bad for you if you drink an excessive amount of it. As it turns out, coffee within moderation can actually benefit you. It is packed full of antioxidants that can help the immune system and increase one’s brain activity and attentiveness.

As an avid coffee drinker, I can attest to this. I have never had problems caused by coffee. If anything, it has only benefited me since it became my dependable energy source. My schedule is hectic-18 credit hours of class, club meetings, social outings, time at the gym and homework. I need to be the best I can be from the moment I wake up.

Coffee is my personal cheerleader since it encourages me to wake up and stay alert. Just like a cheerleader encourages their team, coffee energizes me to keep going. And similar to how cheers call attention to the game, coffee enhances my alertness and forces me to focus. Coffee is the extra push I need to persevere through life just like a cheerleader can encourage the team to hold fast when the game gets tough. Coffee refreshes my attention. Coffee relaxes my mind. Most people who go to football games can’t imagine it without cheerleaders. I can’t imagine my day without coffee in my morning ritual.

There are far worse things to be addicted to than coffee- drugs, food, alcohol, gambling, shopping and countless others. Unlike cigarettes or alcohol, coffee is not labeled with a drug advisory warning or associated with the prospect of a term in prison. Why? Because coffee is not as harmful as some may think. Headaches or lack of sleep are the worst effects of coffee but drinking coffee moderation avoids these. I am addicted to a warm, comforting, energizing drink and I am not alone in this addiction. I am joined by thousands of others who flock to coffee shops. People addicted to those more dangerous substances are forced to attend community groups or even rehab, while we, coffee addicts, can join together openly and go to coffee shops where we proudly indulge in our favorite delicious drinks without fear of overindulgence.

Coffee shops provide us with harbors for creativity, motivation and intellectual conversation because coffee allows us to stay focused. The buzzing ambience of the coffee shop provides another source of liveliness since we are typically immersed in an environment overflowing with coffee lovers who go to hear the cheers and embrace the energy of coffee. Whether you go alone or with a group, you feel the stimulating benefits of coffee.

Every week, I walk into a Starbucks, swipe my gold card and sit down with my grande iced coffee. I take a sip, welcoming my personal cheers and finally feel alert. I peer around at the buzzing room full of students with laptops, iPads, and books—all with their coffee within reach. They know what I know- life is like a game and coffee is the cheerleader that fills you with positive energy.