Energy, yes; vitamins, not so much

I've mentioned before that, when I was 19, I went on a teen tour of Europe. On our second or third night overseas, we had plans to see Les Miserables in London, and, to keep up with the time difference, started the night with a round of cappuccinos. Never mind that I was barely a morning coffee drinker at the time; cappuccinos in a London cafe seemed like an entirely "Euro" thing to do, and I thought nothing of it.

Until, hours later, I was tossing and turning in my hotel bed, staring at the ceiling and at the numbers on the clock turn every hour until it was time to wake up. So much for adjusting to my jet lag.

That's pretty much how I felt last night, only this time, the culprit wasn't cappuccino, but Vitamin Energy, the new energy drink from otherwise-benign beverage maker Glaceau. Let me share: I'm not big into the energy drink market. I've had my share of Red Bulls with vodka, but most of that was back in New York, and I quickly learned that a hangover compounded with a sugar crash made for very bad mornings-after, indeed. And now if I need a mid-day pick me up, I'll get a coffee, or a Diet Coke. The Coke is cheaper, and the coffee, healthier, than anything else found in a can.

But last night I had plans for a date with the Wactor, and then to go a party which started at 10. Ten on a Friday? I had been dreading that since Tuesday. Nevertheless, I committed to go, so I figured I needed to put on my party hat and rally. I drank the drink from 4 PM to 5 PM at work, thinking that, with a few cocktails later and my internal clock set to "old lady," I'd be ready to crash by midnight.

Well, the party plans got canceled. I went on my date, but didn't drink. So when I got home and into bed at midnight, I again found myself staring at the ceiling, listening to my heart beat, wondering why my hands were clenched into fists. I think I fell asleep around 4. And woke up at 8. To the rumbling of my stomach, which reminded me that I hadn't eaten much last night, the energy drink numbing my appetite for dinner.