When it comes to keeping your self awake while doing homework, I could think of much better techniques than inserting a 10cm metal needle through my urethra, but it seems that’s the best a 12-year-old boy in China could come up with.

The unnamed by from Shanxi, China’s Xi’an province, was apparently so desperate to stay awake while doing his homework that he did something most of us couldn’t even imagine – he took one of his grandmother’s long acupuncture needles and shoved it down his urethra, the sensitive tube through which urine is pushed out of the body. It’s not clear exactly how that helped him stay awake, but that’s what he told his mother pushed him to do it. He later learned that shoving it too hard made it impossible to retrieve, which in turn made him unable to walk normally without enduring stringing pain.

The 12-year-old’s mother said she first noticed something was wrong on July 25, when he refused to do his regular exercise session, after lunch. She made him go outside and join her for a walk to compensate for the missed workout, but she noticed he walked much slower than usual. Asia One reports that the mother thought he was merely throwing a tantrum, but later that night, the boy confessed to pushing a metal needle up his urethra to keep himself awake while doing homework.

“I often feel sleepy when doing homework,” the boy reportedly said. “I just wanted to refresh myself, so I stuck the needle into the urethra.”

Upon hearing her son’s revelation, the shocked mother took him to the local hospital, where surgeon Wang Shengxing found the needle far up the boy’s urethra, close to the bladder. It could have caused an infection, or pierced the urethra or other sensitive vessels, Wang said. Luckily, the 10cm needle, which apparently belonged to the boy’s grandmother, was recovered without causing any damage.

Obviously, many people didn’t buy the 12-year-old’s homework story, claiming that he was merely trying to cover up the obvious.

“This behavior is not for the sake of staying alert, but a case of ignorance during puberty. Sex education cannot be neglected,” one Weibo user wrote.

“Are people nowadays so gullible? Obviously, he stuck a foreign object up his privates for fun. After all, he’s still a kid and can’t say admit it directly as he wants to save face. But his parents should educate and guide him to avoid worse mistakes in the future. What if he tries to stick some wire up there next and does harm to his body?” another person commented.