Why I'm Caffeine Free
Hanna Jung (Harpeth Hall School, 2026)
One of my proudest achievements in my entire seventeen years of life is that caffeine never affected me. And it never affected me because I never drank it. I avoid drinking caffeine at all costs for two main reasons—because of a very shocking and unpleasant experience during my sophomore year, and because of my secret plan.
One, my very first interaction with caffeine brought me an unforgettably unpleasant experience during school. It was one night where I impulsively chugged down two cans of Monster and the next morning where I could FEEL my heart racing. I had never thought my body would be so sensitive to caffeine, but since all my friends drank Monster like it was water everyday, I thought I would handle it well like them. I was even proud of myself for becoming a "real high-schooler" by doing what seemed like the final requirement—chugging down Monster. However, It only took ten minutes for that proudness to drastically reduce into my anxious heart and many confused faces: I started hysterically laughing but crying at the same time, not knowing why. I was laughing until I was on the floor, unable to breathe, but at the same time, I was also sad and felt like I wanted to flood the floor with my tears. Later that day, I learned that it was a side-effect of the two cans of Monster I drank. As soon as I got home, I emptied the last can of Monster into the sink that was patiently waiting for me in the refrigerator; I don't think I ever touched a Monster again after that.
Two, I have a secret (not so secret anymore) plan that gives me a very logical reason not to drink caffeine right now, especially as a high-schooler. My long-term goal of studying medicine includes studying for a perfect GPA in my undergraduate years, studying for the MCAT, studying more in med-school, studying deeper during residency, and studying as I become a doctor. I can already sense from eleven years away that I would have to slowly increase my caffeine intake. Realistically, I expect myself to rely more on energy drinks, coffee, and tea to keep myself alert and going during the heavily rigorous journey to medicine. What hit me was one Kay Chung's (a famous dental student influencer) vlogs and the number of times she opened a new energy drink in it. She actively said that because she started drinking caffeine during her teenage years, gradually, her caffeine tolerance built up so much that now, she cannot really feel its effect without drinking so many energy drinks. For my future self, I decided to save all the caffeine consumption for later, when I would really need it in medical school. My caffeine tolerance level would remain extremely low for a while, which is painful because it produces terrible experiences like mentioned above, but also effective in the long-term since the effects would kick in right away once I consume any. As silly and uncommon as it sounds, my secret plan is to save up my caffeine intake until the right moment to fully take advantage of its effects.
Everybody is built differently; no two students are the same. But sensitive or not, our bodies aren't built to welcome mass amounts of caffeine, especially as growing teenagers. I'm personally strictly against caffeine consumption because of my body's severe sensitivity and plans for thinking long-term, but I acknowledge that caffeine could be more productive and positive for others. Still, I would like to advise everyone, especially to you reading this, to take a couple of steps away from chugging energy drinks and getting addicted to coffee. Rather, think of healthy ways to incorporate caffeine to benefit you and balance your body's health. Overall, we would be fine without any, if not better!