Energy Drinks
What are energy drinks?
• Beverages like Monster, Rockstar, Red Bull, Venom,
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Adrenaline Rush, and ISO Sprint
Contain lots of caffeine and other legal stimulants like
guarana, anti-oxidants, ginseng, taurine, B vitamins, Lcarntine, ginkgo biloba, glucose, and lots of sugar
May contain as much as 80 mg. of caffeine (equal to a
cup of coffee)
Compare that to the 37 mg. of caffeine in a Mountain
Dew or the 23 mg. in a Coca-Cola Classic
Marketed to people under 30
Long-Term Effects
• Caffeine is addictive
• Tolerance and dependence develop after a long
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period, reducing the perceived stimulant effects
To temporarily overcome the body’s tolerance, caffeine
must be consumed in increasingly larger doses
When usage is stopped, it can lead to a break down
(irritability, anxiety, loss of concentration and other
withdrawal symptoms)
An acute overdose of caffeine can cause caffeine
intoxication (This condition is similar to overdose from
other stimulants. In extreme cases, psychosis and
death may occur)
Short-Term Effects
• Diuretic (increases the need to use the
bathroom)
• Temporarily increases alertness
• Nervousness, jitteriness and tension (when
taken in large doses)
• Increased risk of miscarriage if pregnant
• Boost of heart rate and blood pressure
(occasionally to the point of palpitations)
• Dehydration
• Prevent sleep
Psychological Side Effects
• Increased blood pressure
• Heart rate may become too accelerated and
lead to an irregular or quickened heart beat
• Can last long after the first effects
• People with heart conditions are in danger
• Several cases of people dying after drinking
energy drinks and exercising a great deal
Mixing Energy Drinks and Alcohol
• Energy drinks are stimulants
• Alcohol is a depressant
• Stimulants mask intoxication and prevent you from
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realizing the amount of alcohol you have drank
because fatigue is one of the ways the body tells
someone to stop drinking
Blood alcohol concentration (BAC) is the same as it
would be without the energy drink
After the stimulant effect wears off the depressant
effects of the alcohol stay put and could cause
vomiting in your sleep or respiratory depression
Major dehydration
Dehydration can delay the body's ability to metabolize
alcohol and will increase the toxicity (and the
hangover the next day)
Students & Energy Drinks
• Popular with students
• Especially college students
• “Fun filled night with my system filled with Bawls
energy drink. First time i tryed this choice of
drink. My group of friends and me were WIRED.
Almost better than a real buzz,” writes the
student below.
Students & Energy Drinks
Continued
• Increases the amount of time student
uses the restroom
• Hard for students to sit still and focus
• Students don’t get much sleep at night
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Types of Energy Drinks
Red Bull
Rockstar
Monster
Adrelaline Rush
Venom
ISO Sprint
Shock Wave
Omega
Amp
Full Throttle
…and many others!
A Legal Stimulant
• As the student with the Bawls energy
drink wrote, “Almost better than a real
buzz.”
• Legal for teens
• Can be as dangerous as some other illegal
drugs
Help for Those Addicted
• http://www.drug-rehab.com is a basic
addiction cite created to help you find a
treatment center near you
Works Cited
• http://www.drugfree.org/Portal/drug_guide/Caf
feine
• http://www.brown.edu/Student_Services/Healt
h_Services/Health_Education/atod/energydrink
s.htm
• http://www.associatedcontent.com/article/2342
99/the_health_effects_of_energy_drinks.html
• http://www.flickr.com/groups/energydrinks/
• http://photobucket.com/images/monster%20en
ergy%20drinks/
• http://www.zimbio.com/Energy+drinks/pictures
/3/Energy+drink+Photo+Album