Energy Drinks : Don't

[Warudakumi]

Am I the worst one in here?

Hmm... well believe it or not I'm a caffeine addict extreme. Those that know me know that I work two jobs to feed my car and electronics addiction....the thing that keeps me going are energy drinks on Graves.

I can drink up to 4-5 cans a day which is really bad. As i'm typing this post right now, I've already had 3 energy drinks: 20oz redbull, a "Root 9" Korean ginseng drink and a 16 Rockstar... and I'm currently still at work on a special project and been ups ince 9:30PM yesterday....thus my reason for the intake.

On my very extreme point of my life, I was finishing a 4pack of Redline energy drinks...yes REDLINE the stuff that recommends you only drink 1/2 or one a day. I would then usually finish my day with a Rockstar as my relaxer before I crashed to sleep. This was when I was weighing 186lbs at 6"1 and active running and jogging with my dog late nights.....but now i'm a fatass at 233lbs all because of drinking too much sugar water and a busy life style where I *cough* "Don't have time to workout".

When I was trying to be "good" I had withdrawls and in the very same week fell asleep and wrecked my first CB7. Luckily I got out of that accident unscathed but another thing i'm fortunate not to have involved anyone else in my accident.

I know I should get off of these but just like someone that is addicted to cigarettes or coffee, I feel like my mind can't function without it. I'm now drinking lots of Green Tea and water when I have cravings and been down to only 2 energy drinks per day Max... Right now I drink mostly Rockstar Silver Ice or Monster Zero Blue cans. When I need to stay up 12+hrs in one work day I usually throw a different energy drink in the mix.

My coworker in the other department went to the hospital for OD'ng energy drinks like me and had kidney stones.

Everyone says i'm going to get it soon but I think my balance of Green Tea (JDM bitter straight from the leaf) helps flush the chances of this I think and so far so good.

[deevergote]

Man, that's pretty crazy. I remember that crash, too!

Be careful with tea. From what I've read, an excess of tea can contribute to kidney stones as well.


I haven't left the house today, but I've still had 2 cups of coffee and 3 cans of storebrand soda (1 regular, 2 diet.) Weekend BBQ leftovers!


I need to get back to drinking lots of water.

[gloryaccordy]

I have a 200mg caffeine pill before I go to the gym ~4 times a week, at most. I have coffee sometimes, mainly if I am at a coffee shop doing work and I feel guilty about not buying anything. Other than that

I do plan on jumping on an EC stack to help drop the lbs but I'm not quite there yet. Early next year.

Caffeine is no joke... you only get one heart.

[Raf99]

ya, i'm not sure if I have a problem too or if this affects me. Like others I don't feel any different when I'm off them. But I do like having them when I need them. I'm up at 6am, at work by 8am, sit at a computer desk all day mostly, get home at 7pm. A couple coffee get me through the day, I find it hard to stay away while staring at a screen for 10 hours. And when I'm on-call I'll get a call at 2am, and I'm up till 4am (when you get a call you're guaranteed to be up for 1-2 hours).

So then to get to work for 8am and get home at 7pm, knowing I'm on-call for a week and still try to work out, clean up, life, g/f, other shit todo, I will use an energy drink to get through the night.

It's like I need more hours in the day or I need a pill that only allows me to get 5 hours sleep and function like I had 10 hours sleep

[TheFunk]

I've been thinking a lot about stopping with energy drinks and it's great to hear everyone's experiences with them.

I have drank energy drinks regularly for about 10 years, in the past 3-4 years I got to a point where the only thing I could tolerate is redbull, any other energy drink, coffee especially, makes me sweaty and feel sick.

I consume 3-4 12oz cans of redbull daily with no exception, and have long since gotten used to/addicted to this regular intake.

I smoked cigarettes for 5 years and was able to quit on two separate occasions (first time only lasted 6 months). I am now smoke free.
I honestly think that the withdrawals I get from redbull are much worse than what I got from nicotine, and after numerous times of trying to quit or cut back even.

[TypeG]

can't say i've ever had an energy drink of any kind. or even a 5 hour. just never had the need. come to think of it, been about 25 years since i've had a coke of any kind. later.

[Mishakol129]

can't say i've ever had an energy drink of any kind. or even a 5 hour. just never had the need. come to think of it, been about 25 years since i've had a coke of any kind. later.

If you don't need them then I would say don't start taking them. Its kinda like a drug and once you get hooked on it you won't want to stop... unless you have a really strong will and therefore can control it.

Just got these caffeine pills in the mail though, and I got to say that this is the best source. There's no sugar or any other additives its just pure caffeine. Stuff is extremely cheap too, you can literally buy a pound of powder for less than $20. Its %100 pure and made in a lab. I decided to get the pills cause I heard of people taking too much with the bag of powder and having to run to the ER. Energy drinks are for squares when you have this, lol.

[deevergote]

Internet pills in baggies... that makes me nervous! I need fancy packaging with flashy artwork to distract me from the potential risk to my body!

[Mishakol129]

Ebay pills in baggies, lol. Bought them from a good company though.

Most bitter tasting powder ever. I took one capsule and felt a strong rush, but when I opened another and dumped half of it on my tongue my heart started bumping literally a minute after.
Then I got all panicky and the anxiety started to set in, not very good at all... Now its fine though.

Powerful stuff, very powerful.

[stevediraddo]

I used that stuff when I was in the army. Top notch!

[cb7 calling]

The scariest thing about energy drinks is people drinking alcohol with them. Jäger bombs, ect. A couple times in my life now I have seen idiots black out drunk with enough energy to run a marathon. That combination makes people certifiably insane.

[deevergote]

Ebay pills in baggies, lol. Bought them from a good company though.

Most bitter tasting powder ever. I took one capsule and felt a strong rush, but when I opened another and dumped half of it on my tongue my heart started bumping literally a minute after.
Then I got all panicky and the anxiety started to set in, not very good at all... Now its fine though.

Powerful stuff, very powerful.

8oz of average coffee has about 95mg of caffeine... so one of those 200mg pills is equal to two cups, or one large 16oz coffee. In many places, you can buy coffee in 22oz cups!
Then again, the caffeine in coffee is usually consumed slowly, and I'm sure the liquid content can make a difference in the way the caffeine hits your system.
Anhydrous caffeine (your baggy has an unsettling typo in the name...) is like chugging 16oz of coffee.

The scariest thing about energy drinks is people drinking alcohol with them. Jäger bombs, ect. A couple times in my life now I have seen idiots black out drunk with enough energy to run a marathon. That combination makes people certifiably insane.

Yeah, that combo is scary. Especially since caffeine is a diuretic (makes you pee), and alcohol dehydrates you. Alcohol suppresses the production of vasopressin (anti-diuretic hormone), which basically means you pee more. Along with more energy to be active, the combination of caffeine and alcohol in large quantities can be very harmful to your body.

[JDMDriver]

Energy Drinks if consumed in regularity is unhealthy and dangerous. Getting feelings of dependency (or addiction) in my view is a a clear warning sign to change and ween yourself off it.

If you feel you need Energy Drinks to get through the day then I say you are doing something wrong and you need to look at your lifestyle as it needs to change.

You may be working too much, not getting enough rest, not eating the right amount and/or not eating the right things.

Energy drinks may just be masking the real problems that must be addressed.

[Mishakol129]

Energy Drinks if consumed in regularity is unhealthy and dangerous. Getting feelings of dependency (or addiction) in my view is a a clear warning sign to change and ween yourself off it.

If you feel you need Energy Drinks to get through the day then I say you are doing something wrong and you need to look at your lifestyle as it needs to change.

You may be working too much, not getting enough rest, not eating the right amount and/or not eating the right things.

Energy drinks may just be masking the real problems that must be addressed.

Absolutely. Substance dependence is like tying yourself up with chains. Already i'm starting to feel the pull of these pills. I can control it though.

I just feel bad for people who are addicted to harder drugs.

[Raf99]

Energy Drinks if consumed in regularity is unhealthy and dangerous. Getting feelings of dependency (or addiction) in my view is a a clear warning sign to change and ween yourself off it.

If you feel you need Energy Drinks to get through the day then I say you are doing something wrong and you need to look at your lifestyle as it needs to change.

You may be working too much, not getting enough rest, not eating the right amount and/or not eating the right things.

Energy drinks may just be masking the real problems that must be addressed.

Yep, yep & kind of. Working = money. Gotta pay to play and if I don't get paid I don't get to play.