Energy Drinks : Don't

[JDMDriver]

Working = money. Gotta pay to play and if I don't get paid I don't get to play.

Working is important we all agree, no argument there. If you need to have a drink to get by a day then by all means do so. However bear in mind that not taking a drink doesn't mean you need to stop work. So only your productivity or efficiency is decreased (not a instant reason for dismissal for most employment position). In any case you are free to take a drink to get by that particular day any way, one or two for that day will not kill you.

What I was more specifically referring to is when you are dependent on the energy drink (or multiple servings) to get by each working day or each working week.

Being on this pattern will not make you save money in the mid to longer term. You will likely end up losing all that you saved and some more to treat an ailment you will acquire from prolonged consumption of these type of drinks.

If you are tired, lacking awareness, feeling fatigued or not alert enough to be a work hazard then you need to address that underlying problem. We should be alert enough without any chemical or artificial stimulants. It means your body is trying to tell you something and you need to listen.

[deevergote]

Bringing back an old thread.
I used to drink 2-3 16oz Monsters a day. I was at the point where if I saw that green M logo, I'd really start craving one. Fatigue was a normal feeling for me, and even an energy drink didn't seem to have any effect on me. I drank them because I liked them, and because I craved them.

I've been off Monster for a few months now. Spending little time on the road these days, and not spending money on unnecessary things. I still crave the suckers, but I honestly don't notice any change otherwise. I feel no more energized, and no less energized.

[bassrock234]

Same here but red bull was my drink of choice. I still love them, but I've had to switch to drinking almost nothing but water. Soda's and energy drinks give me kidney stones.

[deevergote]

Yeah, a lot of that sugary crap will do that, I've heard.

I keep meaning to drink more water, but I find myself downing WAY too much coffee lately. Especially since I've been spending more time at home working on the computer rather than on the road! I always avoided coffee because it made me have to pee... but that's not a problem with the john 15 feet away!

[Straight Success]

I guess I'm the outcast here.

I vowed a long time ago not to put anything 'BAD' (subjective) in my body. This meant no coffee, excess sugar, excess caffeine, soda, cocaine, energy drinks, marijuana, alcohol, controlled substance, the list goes on...

However, I do slip up from time to time. Once in a while, the fried chicken, fried fish, and fast food gets the best of me. I'll be so glad when I'm back to eating healthy and exercising regularly.

Regarding the energy drinks, I tried a Red Bull only once, and on another occasion a portion of a can of a Monster. Both times, I said never again, and that was that. Basically, I haven't partook in the consumption of energy drinks because it seems like drug concocted in a laboratory to get people addicted. When your body become depended on something that's not normal in normal intake quantities, well... read the first post for the effect. For some reason, my body has always been able to harness energy when needed. Maybe it's the high metabolism. Try eating more fruits, veggies, and yogurt!

[wed3k]

5 hour energy is normal for me, i like the sugary drinks but i know its bad for my teeth and no dental insurance = stop drinking high sugar content drinks. i almost passed out today at work while standing up until the 5 hour kicked in lol

[Ralphie]

All that shit is chaos for your body.

My wife used to drink redbulls(sugar free) when we first started dating. When she would come visit we would have to stop and pick up a 6 pack for her.

Once I saw she had visible tremors after not having one, I made her quit.

It's all garbage anyway haha

[F22Chris]

Well fuck.. I just bought a Rockstar. I don't drink them often though as they give me heartburn. But I got 4 hours of sleep last night...

[deevergote]

5 hour energy is normal for me, i like the sugary drinks but i know its bad for my teeth and no dental insurance = stop drinking high sugar content drinks. i almost passed out today at work while standing up until the 5 hour kicked in lol

Yeah, no dental insurance here either... and that's another really good reason to stay away from that stuff! I felt like I was developing a cavity shortly before I stopped drinking Monsters. I haven't noticed anything since I quit.

[Raf99]

5+ years ago when I was doing roofing I was hooked on the RockStar Blue cans. Two a day for a couple years. Now I may drink one a week, sip on it, put it back in the fridge. But like Deev when I stopped I didn't notice any drop in energy level or more energy. Nothing changed at all.

But I certainly do notice more energy when I drink one. I don't like the heartburn though. Sometimes I will drink these instead, they feel like a watered down version of Rockstar/Monster.

All of it is bad for you. But sometimes one needs a pick-er-up-er to get through the day

[deevergote]

I've never seen that one before.

Usually when I want to go for something "better", I drink a Mountain Dew Kickstart. The orange one, in particular. 80 calories and just about as much caffeine as an 8oz cup of coffee. Monster, on the other hand, has about twice as much caffeine, and more than double the calories (per can... "per serving" is about the same... but I never drink half a can!)

I always said that I feel coffee more than an energy drink. Now I know why. At home, I drink coffee 12oz at a time. Two 12oz cups of coffee is like drinking 1.5 Monsters!
Apparently a 20oz Dunkin Donuts with a "turbo shot" has something like 435mg of caffeine (8oz of regular brew-at-home coffee generally has between 75 and 95 mg.)

[phatdoughnut]

Every once and a while I drink a full throttle. I think I crave the fizzyness more than anything. I like it when it hits my lips.

[lbus9168]

The only time I ever drink them now is when driving on road trips and I try to limit my intake. Sometime I'll have then at work because being a shift worker sleep can be had to get. Recently went from 2100-0500 to a 0100-1300 shift. That sucked.

[owequitit]

Energy drinks and caffeinated beverages are just like anything in life. They are fine in moderation. Coffee has most likely been blamed for issues that were either caused by other factors, or were exacerbated by other factors.

These are not all inclusive, but these should be reliable enough to get the idea (where is Uncle El when you need him):

http://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/preview/mmwrhtml/mm6144a3.htm
https://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/caffeine.html

http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/271707.php

http://www.mayoclinic.org/healthy-li...h/faq-20058339

http://www.webmd.com/vitamins-supple...tName=CAFFEINE

http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/283929.php

http://www.nutritionj.com/content/6/1/35

http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/255078.php

http://www.foodsafetynews.com/2014/0.../#.Vh7jm9ZD3ww

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2206048/

Most of the people having issues with them are not the "occasional" users. There are recommended guidelines for consumption, as with anything that we could eat or drink.

[deevergote]

Yeah, the issues are usually with people that drink far more than the daily limit. Monster says something like 2 cans a day (and studies have shown that over 400mg of caffeine per day can have noticeable negative side effects in some people.)

Still, everyone is different. People of different sizes and weights will be affected differently. People with different metabolisms will be affected differently. Some people have a sensitivity to caffeine, and possibly to the other junk in those things. Some people are just more sensitive overall to the way their body feels (perhaps I'm not one of them, since I don't really "feel" an energy drink.)