For junior Steven Gaw, the shot of Monster that he drinks in the morning is not only a part of his morning routine to wake up, but also the reason he is able to stay focused and alert throughout the day. According to Gaw, he started drinking caffeinated beverages for the energy boost when he entered high school.

“It’s really just a way for me to get up and keep awake. When I’m at home, I mostly drink caffeinated beverages so that I can finish my homework, and it is also another way to give me a lot of energy throughout the day,” Gaw said.

According to The New York Times, new research from the University at Buffalo concluded that adding caffeine to beverages increases the appeal to young people. When a group of young people was unknowingly given drinks with caffeine and drinks without caffeine and asked to rate them, the ratings for drinks with caffeine were consistently higher.

Lila Torp, family and consumer science teacher, said students tend to drink caffeinated beverages because of both taste and the energy from caffeine.

“I think students drink caffeinated beverages because of the various effects,” Torp said. “Some people need the extra boost of energy to make it through the day.”

English teacher Karin Uhlenhop also said she consumes caffeinated drinks on a daily basis and understands why some students might need the caffeine.

“For me, (drinking caffeinated beverages) started in college, when you have to find a way to stay awake to study for midterms and maintain your mental acuity in stressful situations. Caffeine keeps my eyes open, makes my mind clearer, and I’m more in tune with things in school,” she said.

Despite the fact that he drinks caffeinated beverages mainly for the energy boost, Gaw said he chooses some beverages because of his taste preference.

Gaw said, “I prefer the taste of sodas like Mountain Dew… and Mellow-Yellow in comparison to other drinks, so I normally drink those. Mainly I drink those things for the energy boost, but the taste is just another benefit.”

Like Gaw, Uhlenhop said she preferred Mountain Dew when she was in college but added that she now drinks coffee because she prefers the taste.

“I once spent a year abroad in Italy, which is where I discovered coffee. While living in Italy, I fell in love with coffee; I loved the taste and the warm feeling of coffee. That’s when the switch from soda to coffee happened,” Uhlenhop said. “It became not only the benefits from caffeine but also the flavor and comfort that coffee gave me.”

Despite the benefits of caffeine and taste that comes with drinking caffeinated beverages, Gaw said he has also heard of the negative effects.

“Most people tell me I’m crazy because I drink so much caffeine, but really I have never crashed before. The worst that will happen is that I get tired when I don’t drink caffeine in school,” Gaw said.

Uhlenhop said that in the end, drinking caffeine might not be more a preference of taste but of convenience.

“It’s really become something of an expectation that people are ‘go, go, go’ in our culture all the time. Compared to other cultures, we drink a lot more caffeinated beverages,” Uhlenhop said. “Caffeine just allows people to keep their energy up, which is why it’s more of an acceptable type of addiction.”