Are You Addicted ?

Are YOU Addicted?

           By: Joshua Bonanca 

 

                  Fall River- The next time you pick up a cup of coffee you may be asking yourself “am I addicted to this stuff?” Despite the recession across the country the continuous opening of Dunkin Donuts franchise coffee shops in the city of Fall River may lead you to believe many people are addicted. Currently the city of Fall River is home to seventeen Dunkin Donuts shops for a population of approximately ninety-one thousand people.

                  The second most valuable traded commodity in the world only to oil is coffee (National Coffee Association), which is basically derived from seeds of a coffee plant along with other chemical constituents. One of the main chemical constituents in coffee beans and freshly brewed Dunkin Donuts coffee is caffeine. As you may not know caffeine is considered a “GRAS” a Generally Recognized As Safe substance or drug to the FDA, but a drug none the less. According to the researchers at John Hopkins University it is not the caffeine but “altering the coffee-drinking routine that produces problems”. Simply stating when missing that morning cup of coffee you may experience a caffeine withdrawal with symptoms ranging from headache to nausea, muscle pain, and in more serious cases depression; that could last up to nine days depending on the amount you regularly drink. Some people may consider this to be an addiction, but it seems to be more of a personal opinion at this point. The upside of being a heavy drinker is the possible health benefits it may produce. An article on the WebMD website reviewed by Michael W. Smith, MD says it may reduce the risk of such diseases as type two diabetes, Parkinson’s disease, colon cancer, and even be used as a treatment for asthma attacks. “Overall, the research shows that coffee is far more healthful than it is harmful,” says Thomas Depauils, PHD. “People who smoke an are heavy drinkers have less heart disease and liver damage when they regularly consume large amounts of coffee compared to those who don’t,” says Depauils. But doesn’t drinking coffee everyday get costly? A recent U.S. survey revealed that 69% of American coffee drinkers consider coffee to be an “affordable luxury” (NCA).

                  I was still a skeptic of coffee addiction like many are, so I did my own research. I surveyed one hundred Dunkin Donuts coffee drinkers with one simple question. “Do you think you are addicted to coffee” of the one hundred people 63% said they were addicted 31% said they were not addicted and 6% said they really weren’t sure.

                  One woman said she was “absolutely addicted to coffee” “ I drink at least ten twenty-four ounce cups each day”

 at two dollars and thirty-nine cent each Stacy Sousa says coffee cost are “breaking the bank” still she spends over $8700.00 a year. Some people may consider this to be an addiction. Are you addicted?  

POST WRITE JOURNAL: NEWSPAPER ARTICLE

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So far I like this paper. I just feel that I have too much information that can be included in this article so I had to just stick with the major things.

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Did you enjoy reading this article? Did you learn anything from reading this article? Is it actually news to you? Are you addicted?