OPINION

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By Jonathan Yackel

Whether you like it or not, you are surrounded by soda. Every single restaurant, supermarket, and corner store sells it. According to Coca-Cola, 1.9 billion servings of its beverages are served daily. It is common to see students drinking from the brightly colored plastic bottles or metallic cans that are sold by the Collegiate Snack Bar during breaks. Some faculty members are rarely seen without a can of Coke (or Diet Coke) nearby. 

An example of one of the various types of soda drank by Collegiate students. Photo credit: User 5075933 via Pixabay.

While per capita consumption of soft drinks has decreased in recent years, and Coke is most popular with people ages 35-44, the carbonated beverage industry has taken hold of students at Collegiate. Have people fallen for the far inferior taste of soda instead of alternative sources of caffeine like coffee or tea? I decided to interview some of my peers who had a clear connection to the different types of cola to better understand why so many students refuse to drink coffee or tea for their morning pick-me-up.

Avid diet soda drinker Charlotte Smith (‘22) quickly opened up with the statement, “I am, quite frankly, addicted to diet soda.” It looks like we have found our target soda enthusiast. While I was prepared to ask Smith a few preliminary questions, she fired out a masterfully written description of her infatuation with diet soda. Smith continued her monologue, saying, “Diet Coke is my least favorite diet soda, but it is the most common, so I have learned to adapt … On the weekends, every morning, I drink a Coke Zero. After school, I immediately grab a diet Dr. Pepper and usually have another with dinner.” Smith is very open about her dependency on caffeine. She explains, “I have become immune to the caffeine in [soda]. I can drink one right before bed and still sleep totally normal. But, if I go too long without drinking a diet soda, I do get a headache and an immense craving for one.” She also says she drinks soda, “mainly for the flavor.” Upper School English teacher and Match editor Vlastik Svab agrees with Smith, saying he doesn’t drink soda, “for the caffeine” and that he just, “[prefers] carbonated beverages.” When asked if she had any final comments, Smith bluntly stated, “I don’t drink regular soda.” 

Image credit: User Mike Mozart via Flickr.

Tucker Walker (‘22) drinks soda and is often seen carrying a bottle of cola around school. Smith stated that their “friendship is strongly rooted in their shared love for diet sodas.” She was happy to share her lifelong affiliation with soda. Walker began drinking the beverage because her “Mom and sisters always drank Diet Coke growing up, so I started drinking it because I felt cool and old … and I just really liked the taste.” While it may seem we have another person who drinks soda for the taste, Walker further explains, “Now that I’m older and get more tired all the time, I drink them for the caffeine, because I don’t like coffee.” Soda’s appealing nature may be that younger people often prefer it over coffee due to the flavor. It is a source of much-needed energy for many overworked students. In fact, ,Diet Coke has 46 mg of caffeine per serving, which is lower than the average cup of coffee’s 95mg.

I believe that there is a better option for energy throughout the day. Even Sunday morning, I wake up at 6:30 a.m., often after a late night, in order to work at my job for nine hours. In order to maximize the effectiveness of the caffeine that I consume, this is the only day of the week that I allow myself to ingest it, most often in the form of coffee. While yes, the flavor of black coffee is absolutely disgusting, it becomes a sweet drink once two creams and sugars are added, with the added benefit of warming you up. On top of that, I personally get a disgusting feeling in my body when I drink all types of soda, which leaves me feeling off for the rest of the day.

While yes, I do occasionally enjoy some soda, I believe that there are stronger alternatives to caffeine or a beverage with taste. However, I think the more important question at hand is, why are these students drinking so much soda? I believe that my peers feel like sleep is secondary to productivity, which is simply a result of the environment we have all been placed in. This extreme pressure forces kids to start to depend on a sweet source of extra energy throughout the day. Are we bound to continually repeat this cycle with our kids seeing us drink soda? Only time can tell.

And be sure to thank Smith, as she “single-handedly supports the snack bar’s Diet Coke and Coke Zero sales.”