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Energy drinks are an expensive habit. I know just how expensive: I was an energy drink addict.

When your idea of a good breakfast is a Rockstar energy drink, you know you have a problem. When you wake up and the first coherent thought you can assemble is, "Oh god, I need some caffeine" you know you have a huge problem.

College can be a harsh time; papers pile up and between school and work you hardly see the light of day. My solution was to use the night hours, all of them, to get things done in. Staying up all night for multiple consecutive nights is difficult, but energy drinks make it so much easier. Eventually I was drinking 4 packs of Rockstar a day just to keep going. Yes, I was churning out papers and getting more done than ever, but my body just couldn't keep pace.

After finals week, I went home for the winter break. While there ten weeks of sleep deprivation and poor eating habits caught up with me: I got a roaring case of mono. With my body totaled in the short term, I made the easy choice to swear off energy drinks. It wasn't hard, until the next quarter started.

As work and classes started again I found myself craving that sweet nectar once again. I'd see my friends drinking them, my enemies drinking them I was surrounded by an uncaring world that would love to indulge my obsession. My will broke, and I descended once again into a world filled with garishly packaged drinks, the mad cackle of caffeine fiends everywhere welcoming me back into that brotherhood of the sleepless.

Fortunately I learned my lesson and remembered to sleep this time around, which did wonders for my health. Eventually I slowly stopped drinking my favorites, bored with their now repetitive taste, and with a caffeine tolerance so high I could chug 4 cups of strong coffee with no effects. I gave up on energy drinks; they had lost their thrill, their usefulness and gave me no joy anymore.

I'm now finishing out my college career and no longer have to resort to energy drinks to keep me going. It's good to be free of the energy drink monkey.

Learn more about this author, Robert Alverson.
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