We all have those days when we guzzle five cups of hot black coffee — no cream and no sugar, because we’re SERIOUS, okay? — and then hit up the movie theatre only to vomit everywhere.
That’s just what one man did, according to the New Zealand Herald. But it gets worse.
The Herald reported that a man in Hastings — Bruce Ellery Royal, who is 43 — went to a movie theatre after getting loaded on caffeine. There, he not only threw up in the entranceway (and apparently helped clean it up), but took four bottles of water out of the concession fridge, drank them, squirted them onto other people, pushed a staffer, head-butted the theatre’s manager dead in the face, and then eventually resisted arrest.
He actually pushed a police offer and then ran from the scene.
Shortly after, he tripped and was approached by two additional cops, who all struggled to handcuff him.
Yikes.
While this strange tale may make some people laugh at its sheer absurdity, we’re glad to report that Royal was not treated poorly by staff, who extended understanding of the issue.
It was clear he was going through something, it seems.
Royal actually completed mandatory anger management classes, in addition to a $300 fine, and was said to have been experiencing stress during the time.
So, how much caffeine should a person really be drinking? And can five cups of black coffee trigger rage in just about anyone?
The fact is, it depends.
We each respond differently to caffeine, and of course, environmental, personal, and mental health factors play into the body’s response to caffeine as well.
It’s important that we recognize this next time we go for a cup.
According to one study, there is a definitive link between that cup o’ joe and anger issues.
Here’s an explanation of what may have happened with Royal, according to the study:
“Caffeine works by stimulating the central nervous system, an important part of which is the brain. Coffee, or any other caffeinated beverage, works by tricking the brain into releasing dopamine, serotonin.”
“In addition, hormones including adrenaline and norepinephrine are released.”
It also went on to say,
“Coffee drinkers experience irritability, agitation, and anxiety. The burst of alertness you feel after drinking a cup of coffee is followed by these negative mood fluctuations in some people, and the more coffee you drink, the worse they get.”
Another study found that drinking 1,000 milligrams of coffee a day essentially mimicked the symptoms of anxiety. The thing is, people are addicted to it.
If that’s you, try to drink one or two cups a day — and limit it at that.
As for the vomiting, there’s a reason you feel nauseous after consuming too much caffeine:
Coffee contains acid, which on an empty stomach or when consumed in high quantities can irritate your stomach lining and cause that horrible about-to-vomit feeling.
Still, people LOVE their coffee.
In short, don’t ever down five cups of coffee — like, for real.
If we can learn anything from this weird theatre vomit situation, it’s that stress, in addition to too much caffeine, can do very, very bad things to the body and mind.
So be careful out there.
It really makes you think twice about how our morning coffee makes us nicer people, right?
In the end, coffee can give us magical powers. Like this:
Or it can make us feel totally out of whack.
So, be sure to limit your caffeine, occasionally switch to tea, and don’t drink it on an empty stomach!
On that note, if you’re gonna drink the stuff, drink the good stuff, like this Starbucks beverage for REAL coffee drinkers only.
Just don’t head-butt anyone.
