“How much caffeine do you have in a day?” the physician asked.

I laughed. “Cups or pots?”

My boastful pride as a robust coffee drinker and caffeine addict didn’t seem to amuse anyone else in the room but me. That’s when I started to rethink how wonderful my perfectly legal addiction actually was.

Then again, I probably should have seen this coming. Most people I know have looked a little horrified when I describe my once-daily regimen of a full four-cup pot of coffee chased by a sugarless Red Bull Energy Drink (but since then have given up because of expense). Instead of getting several one-pound bags of coffee beans for Christmas, friends and family told me they’re no longer supporting my habit. Probably most disturbing was when I went to a specialty kitchen supply shop a few weeks ago and found myself absentmindedly caressing a $2,000 espresso maker.

There’s nothing wrong with enjoying a good cup of coffee, but somewhere along the way, I started to enjoy the residual jolt a little too much. I admit to looking to caffeine for the sake of getting caffeinated.

Dealing with caffeine isn’t, by any means, on the same level as dealing with a narcotics addiction or even alcoholism. But it still can be a concern, especially in a town where there’s a Starbucks across the street from a Starbucks at Barnes & Noble.

Caffeine is the lifeblood for many individuals with packed schedules — most notably students. Now that finals are coming up, this is especially true. With every exam, paper or project, there’s a caffeine splurge waiting to happen. It’s all just practice for the day when our extreme multitasking skills will be used to squeeze out 70 working hours per week.

Some students probably kick back just as much caffeine in a semester as they do alcohol without really ever thinking about it. It’s normal, affordable and attainable at almost every store on or near campus that might carry NoDoz pills, soda, energy drinks or even foods containing the substance.

This probably wouldn’t be a concern if there weren’t adverse effects associated with too much caffeine. Various information about caffeine warns about moderate use, or about 300 milligrams — roughly three cups of coffee — for the average adult per day.

Each article and expert says something different about over-caffeination: Abnormal sleeping patterns, headaches, body aches and myriad other unhappy ailments can result.

After consuming a few pots of coffee in a row, I sometimes get a nosebleed, though I’m not sure if the two are correlated.

Although headaches might be a small price to pay in order to get everything done, what worries me is what could this lifestyle do to me 20 years down the line? It might take more than 50 grande lattes in one sitting to actually cause any major problems — like death — but there has to be a more long-term reason why studies and experts are alarmed about the more than three cups a coffee a day.

I, for one, don’t want to wait to find out. I’ve spent the last few weeks trying to attain a less-caffeinated existence, which isn’t without its withdrawal pains and a sometimes random phantom aroma of freshly ground French roast. Life will never be without caffeine, but at least I can enjoy a coffee and worry less about what it will do to me.

Lindsey Poisson is the State News opinion writer. Reach her at poisson4@msu.edu.