By Cody Macomber
The Echo Assistant Sports Editor
It was a scary moment — I’d convinced myself that this would never happen while I was in college. I pondered the pros and cons, just like anyone else would do, but then again, it was 4 a.m. I wasn’t exactly thinking straight.
I was at work, dragging along, with three hours left before I could leave. Straight torture, honestly. I’d already worked eight hours, and by this point my arms were nothing more than weight I had to hold up.
I looked at the temptation sitting there. I knew it would help me immediately to finish my shift effectively. Was I really willing to give up my integrity to finish the shift?
As my head bobbed like an apple on water, I decided I had no other choice. I couldn’t fall asleep on the job.
I drank the cup of coffee.
You may sit back wondering why I make such a big deal over such a common practice. So many people feed off of the caffeine just to survive the daily grind.
That’s the thing for me: I don’t want to be so many people. I don’t want to depend on a drink to keep me going and to keep me engaged throughout the day.
That 11-hour shift though.
As a kid, I found great interest in sports. I wanted to be the next great athlete.
One thing that I saw across all sports, other than the size of their biceps, was that they all seemed to be at least six feet tall.
I was that kid that looked up how to help my growth, and one thing I read was that coffee stunted your growth.
I wasn’t taking chances, no matter how credible the source.
After that decision as a child, and seeing how dependent people became on that “morning cup o’ joe,” I was dead-set on anything reasonable other than coffee.
That 11-hour shift though.
I pumped 6 servings of creamer into the cup and stirred until the liquid became a creamy, light brown.
I told myself, “You’re not a coffee-dependent monster. You just had a busy day. You deserve this.”
But I think that’s how it starts for everyone: convincing yourself that it’s just one time.
I’ve compromised my coffee-resisting morals a few more times since then. I mean, graveyard shifts are correctly named.
Don’t worry about me though. They say the best way to heal from an addiction is to first acknowledge the problem.
I do have a problem: college is too tedious, work shifts are too long, naps are too short… I need coffee.
