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On the good ship Caffeine Buzz

BREMERTON, Wash. — Naval Base Kitsap is abuzz. The aircraft carrier John C. Stennis towers over the pier just across from the attack submarine Seawolf. Both are just back from their tours of duty throughout the Western Pacific. The pier is a hive of work and movement, loading and unloading, old hands leaving, fresh replacements arriving.

Indeed, the base is buzzing in more ways than one.

Just ask Electronics Technician 1st Class (SS) Tavis Owens, who works in the engine room aboard the nuclear-powered Seawolf. By lunch, his day already has been fueled by high-octane boosts from two caffeine-laced Amp Energy drinks, a few Mountain Dews — also rich in caffeine — and about half a pot of coffee. Don’t even bother asking if it was decaf.

“Caffeine makes me happy,” he says with a smile. “I enjoy the buzz. Everything feels a little brighter, I’m more sensitive to sound, and I’m not just more awake, but more aware, as well.”

Owen says his “caffeine drip” usually starts on his way to work every day. Yeah, he’s probably addicted, he said, but he leaves his vice at work.

“I never drink caffeine at home,” he says. “I don’t need it.”

Shipmate Sonar Technician Submarine 2nd Class (SS) Michael Balabin is trying to not need it at all. With a caffeine habit of four Dr. Peppers and about as many cups of coffee every day, Balabin has been trying to cut back.

“I was just getting so fidgety when I didn’t have any caffeine,” he says, “I figured it was time to lay off.”

Since he’s cut back, he finds he’s sleeping a lot better.

Electronics Technician 2nd Class (SS) Jeffrey Howat has cut way back. About two years ago, he was up to about 240 ounces of coffee a day, sipped from a giant Big Gulp-sized mug. That’s the astonishing equivalent of 30 regular cups of joe — about 2,550 milligrams of caffeine.

“It was a lot,” he says. “It does help with the ridiculous hours you keep when underway.”

These days, he’s down to about 32 ounces a day.

Over at the base gym, Yeoman 1st Class Shanette Parsons and her fiancé, Derrick Woodard, are pumping some iron after downing some XS Energy Drink. The drink sports 32 mg of caffeine per 8-ounce can, and they insist it helps with their workouts.

“I love it,” says Parsons, who sells the stuff with Woodard as part of his Amway business. They went so far as to send away for more while she’s here on leave from her duty station in Virginia.

“I never liked energy drinks before because I’d get the jitters and crash from all the sugar, but this is sugar- and carb-free,” she says.

“Half the people in here are using caffeine,” says Ramona Park, a personal trainer at the Bremerton gym. “It’s true, you can use it to get more from your workout, but I discourage it. ... We try to stress a more natural approach. If you eat right, you can get all the energy you need for your workouts.”