







Written by Hannah Thibedeau

Caffeine: Harmless Habit or Addictive Drug?

The media portrays the word addiction as a terrible thing, and it no doubt can be one, in certain circumstances. Drugs and alcohol are the main things people associate the word addiction with, which are obviously two of the worst possible forms of it; however, there are many other addictions that aren’t life- threatening.

Caffeine, though being categorized as a drug, is not a serious health problem. Experts do not consider this addiction consequential, even when consumption of the “drug” has been seen to cause hallucinations and people who go without face major withdrawal symptoms. Sophomore Kaelin Elsner stated, “When I go like a week drinking caffeine every day and then go a day without it I become very irritable and sometimes get headaches.”

The reason for caffeine not being a serious addiction is the high amount of positive impacts it has on consumers – for example, an increased sense of alertness and wakefulness, which is sometimes vital for people who lack in sleep, or in general just need an extra push.

It was found that addictions usually begin when people are under the age of 18, and develop more into their adult years. Which means that high school is the main time people get introduced to their addictions. Caffeine is known to give people extra energy. Ranging from just needing a little push to get to school in the morning to bouncing off the walls and staying up all night with your friends on the weekends.

“I usually don’t go out of my way to drink caffeine, I just like the taste of soda and energy drinks,” added Elsner. On an Instagram poll with around 200 votes, it is shown that 58 percent of people use coffee as their source of caffeine; however, younger adults and high schoolers seem to turn more toward soda.

Whatever the source of caffeine, it’s up to each person to weigh the immediate benefits with the potential side effects.

Written by Adley McMahel

Another View: Experimentation Doesn’t Always Lead to Addiction

It’s easy to conclude that first of all, the use of drugs that are claimed to be “gateway drugs” is on the rise, and the consequences for these are severe. For example, at Jeff High, if you are caught with marijuana or alcohol on school campus, you’ll be arrested without any question.

However, I do not believe that experimentation of these substances directly lead to the use of harder drugs like cocaine, heroin, or methamphetamine. Though majority of drug abusers have started from abuse of marijuana and/ or alcohol, correlation does not equal causation.

Not everyone who uses is susceptible to addiction. Addiction can be acquired through familial history, poor mental health, and a number of different reasons, but not necessarily because of some irresponsible decisions in high school.

Written by Bella Bungcayao

Any Drug Carries Dangers, With Risks Beyond Addiction


When you look at the impact of drug use, it is natural to wonder how addiction starts. “In most cases, nobody starts with hard drugs,” said Scottie Maples, a Colonel with the Clark County Sheriff ”s Office. “They start with marijuana.”

Many people believe that “gateway” drugs don’t exist. However, Maples disagrees.

“There’s people that want to push the limit,” Maples said. He believes that there are people with personalities which are attracted to addiction. While not everyone who uses “softer” drugs become addicted, users should be wary.

According to Drug Watch International, almost 90 percent of cocaine users began smoking tobacco, drinking alcohol, or using marijuana before trying cocaine. While this does not show that all marijuana users become addicted to drugs like cocaine, it does show that trying marijuana can be a starting point for using hard drugs.

Maples says there are dangers with any type of drug, whether it be marijuana or heroin. In Indiana, if someone is at fault in an accident and someone is injured or killed, having marijuana in his or her system can cause more problems than you might think.

“You could smoke marijuana 20 days ago, not be high, crash a car, hurt or kill somebody, and go to prison because you smoked marijuana 20 days prior to that,” Maples explained. “If that doesn’t open your eyes about smoking marijuana, and how it can get real bad for you, I don’t know what does.”

Maples tells teenagers to stay busy and driven. He believes if teens are involved in activities, it could keep them out of trouble.

“The more you’re involved in positive programs, whether it be sports, theater, or art, the less chance you’re going to have to go down these avenues to become addicted to drugs,” he said.

Written by Kristen Jacobs

The Addictive Nature of Drama and Gossip


Once a teenager reaches their high school years, they will quickly learn the notorious nature of tension amongst their peers. Though it is unspoken, there is a very apparent culture of having a chip on everyone’s shoulder, and saying one wrong word on someone else’s name can cause an uproar of backlash on social media, in the classrooms, and out.

The word “drama” has lost its association with theater. Merriam-Webster Dictionary defines drama as, “a state, situation, or series of events involving interesting or intense conflict of forces”.

They also define the word “gossip” as, “a person who habitually reveals personal or sensational facts about others”. However, most teens would disagree with this definition, as the majority of “gossip” that is spread is far from factual.

Both of these definitions have a negative connotation, but why are they so common?

High school is a strange time of transition for every student. In the short span of four years, a student will almost inevitably be exposed to several crucial life experiences such as the loss of friendships, falling in love, betrayal, failure and so forth. We’ve all been there.

With that being said, it’s not so surprising that those who haven’t yet reached the maturity to take these experiences with a light heart, are acting out.

This phenomenon has been a relevant issue this year at Jeff High, and predominantly within the underclassmen. According to several seniors and juniors, there is more tension amongst the school than anyone has ever seen before.

It is extremely easy to walk the halls at this school and hear about who did what over the weekend, which friends are fighting, which couple is breaking up… as if any of that information is anyone else’s business except for the subject’s.

And those involved are not adamant to stop it. They feed off of it. Much like an addiction.

There are several theories as to why this is, which span from the emotional turmoil that is puberty to lack of attention at home. For those of you concerned that this inevitable phase of life won’t come to an end, just take a step back and breathe. High school isn’t near as long as it seems.

By Bella Bungcayao

Photo by Amber Rowe

Vaping Gains Popularity Among Teens, Causing Concerns about Health


Toxic chemicals, brain damage and fruit flavorings. Many would think that these words don’t go together. However, for those who vape, these words combine on a regular basis.

Vaping is the use of e-cigarettes to inhale a flavored vapor packed with nicotine and other substances. Vaping is often advertised as helping smokers stop smoking, as e- cigarettes are considered safer than traditional cigarettes.

If vaping helps smokers stop using cigarettes, then what’s the problem? The answer is simple: vaping is extremely popular among people who never smoked at all, including teens. While vaping may be safer than cigarettes, it still comes with risks of its own.

Vaping is dangerous for teens because the large amount of nicotine can permanently alter developing brains. Not only that, but e-cigarettes contain other harmful substances, including formaldehyde and lead, that can cause lung damage such as popcorn lung (a disease that damages the smallest airways in the lungs, making it difficult to breathe).

One brand, JUUL, is popular among students because the devices can be concealed easily. JUULs come in many flavors, making them even more appealing. Because of this, JUUL has been accused by the FDA of marketing their devices toward minors and getting a new age group hooked on nicotine.

In an article published on April 24, 2018, FDA Commissioner Scott Gottlieb,M.D., stated: “The troubling reality is that electronic nicotine delivery systems (ENDS), such as e-cigarettes have become wildly popular with kids. We understand, by all accounts, many of them may be using products that closely resemble a USB flash drive, have high levels of nicotine and emissions that are hard to see. The FDA must – and will – move quickly to reverse these disturbing trends and, in particular, address the surging youth uptake of JUUL and other products.”

Vaping is a national issue, as well as a local one. William Eihusen, an assistant principal at Jeffersonville High School, said vaping has had “a negative impact on the school, basically through discipline.” He added, “There’s been kind of an uptick in students using vape sticks in class and so obviously as an administrator, we deal with that a lot more than we do with traditional cigarettes.”

Eihusen elaborated on the consequences for students caught vaping: “If a student is caught here and it’s the first time with any type of tobacco product, which includes vaping, typically as long as there haven’t been any other significant issues in the past, they would receive three days at the alternative school,” he said.

Nola Garrison, the nurse at Jeff High, grew up in a time where smoking was glamorized and says that in today’s society, vaping is just as trendy.

“People just didn’t know how addicting nicotine was and how harmful cigarette smoking was, but were bombarded with the practice,” Garrison said.“Vaping has many of the same long- term dangers of smoking and a few additional dangers of its own.”

Students who vape are divided on the issue. One anonymous student has been vaping daily for almost a year and says that in addition to vaping being dangerous, it costs him a lot of money.

He said of the habit, “I would’ve saved probably hundreds of dollars if I never started and also wouldn’t be addicted to such a harmful substance.”

Another teen says she’s been vaping daily for four months, but that she mostly vapes as a relaxation technique. She focuses on the positive aspects of vaping. “I wish I hadn’t started vaping due to the habit that I formed, but I also don’t regret it because it’s actually helped me a lot,” she said. “Vaping has strongly helped me deal with anxiety and being under a lot of stress.”

Society may be divided on the issue of vaping, but one thing is certain: vaping can have numerous health consequences.

Garrison said, “The more unnatural products we introduce, the more unnatural consequences we should expect from our bodies, which moves us further from our baseline healthy state. Everything has a point of failure.”

Written by Greta Reel

Photo by Caleb Sorrells (Not on school property)

The Powerful Pull of Video Games

There always seems to be a new game that “everybody” is playing, from Flappy Bird to Fortnite. Over the years, video games have become more alluring and addicting to children, teens and young adults. According to World Health Organization (WHO), gaming addiction in some cases can qualify as a disorder.

The people who use video games as a distraction from their problems instead of doing something to solve them could cause more problems. Those problems can, in turn, cause more gaming. It’s a vicious cycle. That is why gaming addiction can get to the disorder level of severity if left unchecked.

For gaming disorder to be diagnosed, according to WHO, one has to have one or more of these symptoms: little control over playing video games, prioritizing gaming over regular activities and continuing to play even when there could be negative consequences. For gaming to be considered a disorder, it has to majorly interfere with social, home, school or work life. Symptoms must also be prevalent for 12 months.

Rewards within a game, such as login streaks and global rankings, encourage users to log into a game regularly. The reward feature gives the gamer a sense of accomplishment. Consequently, the more rewards or in-game items they receive. As a result, the cycle continues.

Some people use video games for social and entertainment purposes. But like other addicting things, there is a science to why video games are addicting. Like social media and slot machines, video games are intentionally designed to get people to spend a lot of time on them.

People who get a gaming addiction or disorder can play games either recreationally, or to temporarily escape their problems and stresses. Both groups spend time playing, getting in-game rewards and feeling like they have accomplished something.

Gaming disorder, despite skepticism toward it, is a real addiction and should be treated as so. Gaming addicts need strategies and coaching to get off of their addiction. An avid smoker or alcoholic needs support and strategies to get off of their addiction; they can’t quit “cold turkey.” Gaming addiction should be treated similarly.

Written by Meredith Shepherd

Staff Editorial: It’s Time to Own Up to Addictions


There are many different types and forms of addiction, from cell phones and video games to alcohol and drugs. Addiction has made its way all through society from young children to older adults. Addiction has shown itself through many things that people have attached themselves to. Even addictions that seem harmless can have detrimental effects, whether people realize it or not.

In this issue, The Hyphen will inform you on many different types of addictions that are still relevant and will continue to be for many more years to come. So, how will society contribute to stopping these addictions? It starts with acknowledging that drugs and alcohol aren’t our only addictions. If it’s hard to stop doing something – whether it’s drinking Red Bull or checking your Instagram or keeping up with the latest drama – that thing has power over you. If you want to regain your power, start with admitting to its addictive nature – because whether you believe it or not, even something that seems insignificant could potentially be harmful in the long run.