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Whether it’s celebrities walking their dogs or 14 year-old girls with Louis Vuitton bags, a cup of coffee in hand seems to be a must, the ideal multitasking culprit.

And of course, the overworked college student is no exception to the modern phenomenon.

No matter if that first taste of coffee came from peer pressure, a need to stay conscious during lecture, or just plain curiosity, coffee has quickly become a young scholar’s staple.

Many of us start drinking coffee as college freshman, lured into caffeine by the homework load.

The need to cram or simply get stuff done the night before projects are due forces us to gulp down the drink. Soon enough, our hand shakes as it reaches for the cup, the tall replaced by the Venti.

With every additional time that caffeine enters our blood streams, we become slightly more hooked; a recreational activity unconsciously becomes a habit.

Now, we crave our coffee on a regular basis, unaware that it has become an inextricable part of our comfort bubble.

At this point, many students switch to decaffeinated coffee to avoid the caffeine jitters because they simply don’t need a continuous boost while being able to satisfy their taste buds.

Unfortunately for us coffee consumers, the change may be far from beneficial.

A new study from the University of Florida found that almost all decaf coffee contains caffeine.

Researchers analyzed decaf coffee from nine national coffee chains and all were found to have varying amounts of caffeine.

“I prefer to go to Starbucks for my coffee,” says Dorothy Tong, a second-year economics student and decaf coffee drinker. “I didn’t want to be addicted so I assumed decaf was healthier.”

And yes, that study includes Starbucks as well.

Even though the caffeine levels were not the same as in the caffeinated counterparts, the levels found are strong enough to increase blood pressure, heart rate and even anxiety in a number of individuals.

In addition, decaf coffee raises blood fat that leads to a rise of bad cholesterol.

Since your decaf coffee will probably have caffeine, it’s worth it to check out the side effects.

Caffeine stimulates the central nervous system and causes an increase in urination, which often leads to dehydration.

It also raises both blood pressure and heart rate. Most importantly, it enhances stress, leading us to feel more stressed in already hectic situations.

It’s important to realize that caffeine is a drug, and many drinkers have to go through withdrawal when kicking the habit.

What’s probably the most pertinent point is that it can actually undermine our memory – with a high dose of caffeine, you won’t be able to take in and retain valuable information at the same rate

The universal solution to this problem will be difficult to find because of America’s deep obsession with coffee.

Sophomore business economics student Rich Headley says he started drinking coffee once in college: “It’s just so convenient to get coffee and a pastry, especially when there is no time to get breakfast.”

When asked about the type of coffee he drinks, Headley says that “If I know I’ll be busy for a while, I drink caffeinated to keep me up, but if I don’t really need the jolt, I get decaf because I heard its better.”

Like many alternatives that initially sound so promising, decaf coffee is a collegiate letdown.

In response to the coffee craze, Tong replied that “America is addicted to coffee and the industry is just making money off the addiction.”

If you just really want a cup of coffee once in a while, go ahead and get it, but make sure to keep in mind that the cumulative effects are the most damaging.

Decaf simply does not mean no caffeine.

For a natural high, e-mail Oster at moster@media.ucla.edu. Send

general comments to viewpoint@media.ucla.edu.