'I Nee d a Cu p of Coffee.'

T wouldn'tcall my need forcaffeineanad-*• diction It'sa dependency," says Dan, a senior.

Caffeine. For some students, theonly way toputupwiththepressuresofLibertylifewas found incaffeine Energy, orafalsesense of it, was obtained through cups of coffee or cans of Coke A few even turned to caffeine pills like NoDoz and Vivaren

Dan, a Liberty student, reportedly drank 20 to 30 cups of coffee a day to maintain his lifestyle and keep up with the work load ofhis classes However,headmitsthathe was the source of most of the pressure He elected to take 18 credithours inaddition to his involvement with severalcampus clubs and an activesocial life

"I do itbecause I have to,"hesays. "Iknow thatI have a problem...but, for now,I'llhave tolivewith it."He saysthatduringthe summer months, away from school,he can bring his dependency under control. Mostofhissemesters at Liberty have been the same,and during each he hasadmitted tohimself thathe hasaproblem with caffeine

"I'm physically dependent on caffeine," he said, "just as I'm mentally dependent." He described painful headaches as one sideeffectfrom nothaving caffeine He also noted that there was a drive to have a cup ofcoffee allof thetime He attributes this tothemental dependency

"I need some caffeine daily tojustbe comfortable. Imay not have needed it tokeep going, butjustto function." Hisdailyintakeofcoffeewas around 20cups. However, when he was under pressure,such asabigtest orpaper, hisconsumption rose to more than30cups He alsosuppliedhisbody with caffeinethrough sodas

He admits thatpartofhisproblem is the accessibility of the drug Caffeine is always available through coffee and soda Both are available atMarriott Dan never had aprob-

Because so few people actually saw it for what it was,caffeine addicts functioned as a normal partofLiberty life Some neverrealized they had a problem

The realization for Dan came the second semester of hisfreshman year One day, he lem getting what he thought he needed ran out ofcoffee and went withoutforhalfa day The headache and an inability to function plagued his morning. At lunch,hehad two cups of coffee and it turned his day around That'swhen he realizedthatthe cof-

"Every person Iknow considers me acoffee drinker,not caffeine dependent Unless I admit to them that Ihave a problem, they don'tknow."

DeAnn Kelleyenjoys a cupofcoffee with her meal.It was hard todistinguish students who were coffeedrinkers from those who where caffeinedependent.

Caffeine wasavailable to students through coffee and softdrinkslikeCoke.