High Energy Drinks

Do your retail stores sell those "energy drinks"? They are everywhere here, particularly in convenience stores at gas stations and other spots where impulse buying is going to happen. The energy drinks are yet another fad and are basically high caffeine/sugar drinks that make people think they are more energetic by giving a slight "lift from the sugar and caffeine. The physical lift from them is probably less than the psychological one, but in the end they are another manifestation of the drug culture in which we live.

The most popular of them is the Red Bull drink, but the shelves are lined with them and they promise everything from a quick lift to increased sexual stamina. Americans seem to want a quick fix drug treatment for much of their desires. The medical community says there are links between caffeine in energy drinks, high blood pressure, increased alcohol consumption and even addiction among young people.

But no one seems to worry about it very much. There have been reports of people, including teens, with serious medical problems after consuming energy drinks are on the rise. For that group even the mildest of lifts can be a problem. The caffeine in energy drinks can lead to dehydration and caffeine makes insulin rise, which contributes to obesity.

But I wonder if those kinds of energy drinks ( drugs) really have enough effect to make a person spend money and risk medical complications. I doubt they are much more than a placebo. They surely show our fascination with drugs. I never take any over the counter medications, would not drink any of the energy drinks, and resist any prescription medications if possible. It might be that doing so has helped me be illness free almost entirely during my life.

I would like to read a study or to that deals with chemical ingested by people. I suspect that they may find that the more chemicals injected that are alleged to trick the body to do something the user wants, the more the body can react with symptoms of illness and other complications.

I guess for most, those drinks are not better or worse than the morning cup of coffee and donut. But they are expensive and when overused can cause problems. They also set the tone for the "drugs are great" mentality that encourages people to assume less responsibility for their own health. I'll stick to a donut and coffee. They taste better and come side effect free.