Hey North Platte HIGH. There’s a drug out there that’s legal for everyone to use. In fact, most of the general population uses it daily without even realizing it. It’s called caffeine. Caffeine is the perfect drug for a high school student – cheap, legal, and available pretty much everywhere.
Some students are spending $1,500 a year.That amount of money is enough to buy five coffees per week throughout the year. If coffee isn’t your niche, $517 would buy you five Monsters a week for a whole year. “I’d rather spend money on coffee than anything else, and that’s not a good thing,” said sophomore Haeley Folk.

Some bank accounts would look a lot prettier without caffeine addictions, and many piggy banks would probably be a lot heavier, too. Senior Breanna Welch is an avid Red Bull addict, drinking anywhere from one to two cans a day. “It depends how much money I have in my bank account,” she said. “If I have a really bad day, I’m like like, ‘you know what? I deserve a Red Bull.’”
What is all the caffeine doing to our bodies? “It’s more of a stimulant; it speeds the heart up,“said North Platte High School Nurse Jacque Allison.

Allison also said that advertising plays a big role in high schoolers thinking that these caffeinated drinks truly do help them stay awake.”If I’m tired in the morning and I get Starbucks, it just helps me and I’m more focused on doing what I need to do,” said Folk.

For senior Amber Tidyman, her final year of high school is particularly a stressful time, “I’m drinking espresso at nine o’clock at night to finish my homework, and then it gets to the point were I have to take Zzzquil to down myself, so I can go to bed,” Tidyman said.

“There’s so many things that you guys are doing and trying to do, homework and your jobs it’s complicated,” said Allison.

Although it’s expensive and can be unhealthy, many teens will continue to consume as much caffeine as they can. However they don’t need to lose sleep over it, “I think that if you drink water you’ll sleep better because you wouldn’t have that constant stimulant from the caffeine,” said Allison.