My first time drinking caffeine
College is a time for new experiences. Living on our own for the first time, we meet new people, take new classes, live in new places and try new things.
Even though I’m in my third year here at Utah State University, one of the things I had never tried was an energy drink. I’ve had friends who would drink them all the time and start bouncing off the walls, or use them to keep going until late in the nights. Personally, I just didn’t feel the need to use them.
I’ve never been a caffeine drinker, actually.
Growing up, my parents were careful to limit my brother’s and my caffeine intake. The most exposure to caffeine came from the chocolate we ate or from the sips we took from my dad’s Dr. Pepper. Tiny amounts.
Even in high school, when my friends and peers would drink a 5-hour energy, or a Monster to help keep themselves awake after doing homework or hanging out with friends all night, I somehow managed without needing the extra energy.
Lately though, I’ve been wondering about what it’s like to drink caffeine. How would it affect me, compared to other people I’ve talked to? How long would it last? What does the crash feel like?
This weekend, I decided to try one and see. Because of my investigative nature, I treated this like an experiment. I used my phone to record my thoughts and how I was feeling as the night went on.
It was 8:45 pm this Saturday when I opened the can of Rockstar I had brought home. My first reaction was surprise as I took my first sip and found that it was carbonated and tasted like medicine.
“I feel like I want to throw up because that stuff really doesn’t taste good,” I recorded on phone 15 minutes later. I had downed about a third of the can already. “It really tastes like carbonated cough syrup and leaves a bad taste in your mouth, and I’ve been burping because of the carbonation.”
Twenty minutes after that, I started to feel jittery. I was bouncing around and singing, though I couldn’t tell if it was because of the caffeine or if it was because I was listening to some of my favorite music while doing the dishes. It was probably a mixture of both. I had a quarter of the Rockstar left when I checked in with my phone.
I finished the can half an hour later after getting distracted by making banana bread. It was 9:54, and I was feeling less jittery than before, but my hands were still shaking a little.
“Okay, I’m going to be adventurous,” I told my phone a few minutes later. “My banana bread is out of the oven, I still have music playing in the background, it’s 10:00 and I’m going to start on my second Rockstar.”
This one went down faster than the first. I guess it’s an acquired taste because it wasn’t so bad this time around. I was definitely high on motivation and energy though. 25 minutes later I checked in with my phone, and the kitchen had been cleaned. The counters and cabinets were wiped down, the floor was swept and mopped and the magnets and notes on the fridge were reorganized.
“The fridge is a mess, why is it so cluttered up and how did it get this way and why does it bother me so much right now?” I told my phone in annoyance.
I started to feel a drop in motivation and energy, shortly after I finished the second Rockstar. It was around 11:00 and I had cleaned the back porch windows, tidied up most of the living room, and even started to vacuum before I remembered what time it was.
At that time, I was thinking it was too bad I didn’t grab a third Rockstar to try, because I had realized that I had homework due the next morning, which meant I needed to stay up for a few more hours.
“I feel kind of floaty and dizzy, like the world is spinning while I’m sitting still,” I checked in half and hour later after I had been sitting and working on my homework.
I’m guessing this was the crash, because I was feeling tired and lethargic at this point. I was also starting to feel nauseous. It got worse while I finished my homework.
“I think I’m glad that I didn’t get that third rock star like I wanted to,” I updated before going to bed. “If I did I probably would be throwing up by now.”
I was feeling better by morning, but I learned my lesson about drinking too many Rockstars at once.
For my first experience with energy drinks, I guess it wasn’t all that bad. I wasn’t very impressed with how long the energy lasted, though I could probably attribute that to the big dinner I had a few hours before I started the experiment. It did help motivate me to clean the kitchen though, and the living room. That was a plus.
Overall, I’m glad I tried this at least once so I can know what to expect the next time I feel the need for a boost.
—miranda.lorenc@gmail.com
@miranda_lorenc
Can this become a weekly story… Next week: My first time doing LSD.
This is internet pollution. This couldn’t be more irrelevant to college students, unless they’re all this sheltered and arrested in prepubescence at Utah State. Hey author: You’re in college now. Have a real experience.
Nick, bravo sir. You’re the real MVP.
College students drink energy drinks. Lots of them for the first time in college. Relevant.
Ok. That’s adorable. Rock on.
Having never drunk an energy drink before, you shouldn’t have had 2. Did you not read the label to see how much caffeine and other stuff was in it? I’m not gonna say that what you did was idiotic, but it was.
Oh shut up. I live on a steady stream of coffee she’s fine.
Oh god…welcome to the real word.
This is embarrassing. I am embarrassed for you. So much cringe… Grow up. It’s caffeine. No one cares.
If no one cares why have over 20,000 people viewed this article?
For the same reason videos of people falling over have thousands of views, people like dumb shit.
Because it’s hilariously pathetic.
Really hoping this is satire. Besides being hilarious in itself, this a poor representatiom of caffeine. It’s like saying “I wanted to try sushi for the first time, so I ate a whole box of gas station sushi and it made me sick. Sushi sucks.”
Coffee and black tea are much safer ways to enjoy caffeine. Energy drinks and soda are poison, if you’ve never had caffeine and you’re writing an article about it, do some research beforehand. Rockstars usually have at least two servings, so drinking two within an hour isn’t a great idea in general. Caffeine, like EVERYTHING else (even freshly baked banana bread), is dangerous when you over do it.
No offense, but as an avid Caffeine enthusiast. Don’t drink energy drinks. It’s insane drinking 2 in a row. Let’s add in that your body isn’t used to caffeine. Next time try a coke. Idiot.
Sounds like a productive night! You should try coffee next, or some chai tea. They both taste 100 times better am than rockstar and are not specifically forbidden by the word of wisdom.
Never did this author discuss religious affiliation…
She didn’t need to. Some things are as clear as day. And this is coming from someone who goes to BYU and is surrounded by a lot of people who consider caffeine the rebellion of a lifetime
How useless…
The short, immediate burst of energy is from the sugar. The caffeine’s effects themselves are generally much less noticeable and last significantly longer.
By-the-by, if you’ve ever eaten a bar of dark chocolate then you’ve had about the equivalent caffeine content as a cup of coffee.
Joshua. Chocolate and coffee do not have the same caffeine content.
Sincerely, Science
Thank you.
Oh crud, I hope you don’t become addicted! #praying
Please tell me more. Are you addicted? Do you need help? Please don’t let this take you down the wrong path!
I came here for the comments… Wasn’t displeased.
You know what they say…caffeine is a gateway drug! Spare all of us your moral misgivings over a can of soda and try something worth trying. Relative to that “crazy cocktail” you just tried, eating a spoonful of peanut butter should fly you over the moon.
You planned to drink three! Good lord! What is it with Mormons and drinking/drugs/sex that they feel they’re behind in a contest and need to catch up by dangerously sucking down everything in sight?
You assume the author is Mormon…
https://usustatesman.com/our-view-no-reason-for-such-negativity/
what a crazy night! all that cleaning! you really got out of hand probably should hold off any more of these crazy concoctions! energy drinks should be outlawed if this is the madness they cause!!!
This is where I point out that nowhere in this article does the author discuss her religious affiliation and many of you are assuming that she is…
regardless of religion this is a stupid point which is just a waste of media
I feel like I just wasted 10 minutes of my life reading this
We go hard at Utah State!
I knew the comments on this post would be harsh the moment I read the title of the article. That said, I’ve decided that I’m just going to pass along some innocent thoughts as to not add to the masses.
To the author… Nothing wrong with wanting to try caffeine “for real” and post about it. However, I think some feedback is warranted. First of all, for the sake of science, there is no control i.n your test. For all you know a part of your experience was purely a placebo effect from trying something new. Secondly, I’m impressed you drank two Rockstars, but heed caution as that much can make anyone feel like crap. Third, I think a lot of the other comments, however harsh they may be, have merit. If college is really about having new experiences, and most readers have already tried caffeine, perhaps you should branch out and try something less commonplace or more interesting. Perhaps alcohol (assumming you haven’t already), or one of the many other college experiences. (Recreational drugs, same sex intercourse, a crazy spring break vacation, etc.)
I say this because I think your readers would appreciate your insights on the things many of them are experiencing, rather than something most of them experienced a long time ago and is considered commonplace in society.
Nevertheless, we all have different versions of branching out. Congrats on joining the caffeine club.
Brilliant piece of satire! Can I forward this to The Onion?
Why did the Utah Statesman publish this? Because they care about people and their stories. You should try it sometime.
https://usustatesman.com/our-view-no-reason-for-such-negativity/
Just thinking aloud here…but insulting your readers for voicing opinions on a piece seems counterproductive. It’s unfortunate that feelings were hurt, but that sometimes happens on the Internet. Not everyone is gonna like what you write, and they have a right to publish their opinion.
Is this article for real? It’s because of crap like this that I never read the Statesman when I went to USU.
If you never read the Statesman when you went to USU, how would you know what kind of material it published? If you’d like, I’d be happy to direct you to some of the multiple award-winning stories the Statesman has published in the past year.
Now calm down people and lets have a group hug. Be kind, the world is tough enough already! The wonder of the internet, that this article has reached outside the hallowed walls of the USU campus. This article is indeed beautifully written and actually quite compelling. How many of the haters actually read it until the end? Probably most of you? That is good reporting right there. Kudos to Miranda for putting herself out there! But as for the fact that the Statesman felt the need to respond about the negativity, says so much about how students/twenty somethings today need constant reassurance that they are doing a “Great Job” lest they may fall into a self loathing pit of failure. Many are going to get a sharp wake up call, when they graduate, get out into the real world, where people are mean, make jokes at their expense and sometimes live their daily lives high on things far stronger than a Rock Star or two! Good Luck!