BREWING TROUBLE

Young people down dangerous caffeine combos to be 'wide-awake drunk'

- Hazel Tang HW

As with most horror stories, this one unfolds at night.

On the eve of examinations or essay deadlines, many students often guzzle coffee or cans of energy drinks to stave off sleep and power through their studies. Some even concoct a more potent brew by mixing black coffee with energy drinks that contain caffeine for an extra jolt of alertness.

Ms Qistina, a 21-year-old motion graphic designer who prefers to be known only by her middle name, recalls needing at least two large cups of local coffee to stay awake while studying at a polytechnic. It led her friend to ask if mixing energy drinks with coffee would be the next thing she would do.

"It was the first time I had heard of such a mix," Ms Qistina says. "I don't think I would ever do it, but the idea has stuck with me since."

The cost of this desperate bid to stay awake is steep. As the artificial surge of energy wanes, students find themselves transformed into literal zombies, shambling through the following days in a sleep-deprived haze. Yet, this is a price they are willing to pay for academic success.