Energy drinks have become very popular with teens and young adults with their new flavors, bright colors, flashy advertisements, and famous partnerships. Surveys say 30% of teens drink energy drinks regularly. Most teens drink them for the flavors, but also for the jolt of energy they give you.
There are a lot of negatives and side effects that come from energy drinks and caffeine, such as an increase in heart rate, an increase in blood pressure, jitters, and insomnia. It is possible to be addicted to energy drinks or caffeine which may lead to withdrawals, headaches, and a depressed mood. Each year there are about 20,000 ER visits due to caffeine overdoses or related issues. That is not hard to believe when there are $18.5 billion of energy drinks sold each year. The recommended amount of caffeine for someone aged 12-18 is 100mg a day. The average energy drink has anywhere between 80 and 300mg of caffeine.
I interviewed two students from Potosi High who know their stuff about drinking energy drinks. Ryan Stoney, a senior, and Logan Rausch, a junior, are two students who have been drinking energy drinks for years.
Ryan says he started drinking energy drinks early in his junior year. Ryan says he started drinking them to get him “pumped” for games, but now he drinks them not only for sports, but also just as a casual drink. Ryan says ¨I easily had four to five a week during my peak.¨ He says he spends about $10-15 a week on energy drinks.
During Logan's interview, Logan admitted that he thinks he is addicted and it's getting to be a problem. Logan says he started drinking energy drinks around the age of 12. He says he spent $75 a week and drank about 25 energy drinks a week.
I asked Ryan and Logan if anyone told them to stop drinking energy drinks. Ryan says his mom hates when he drinks energy drinks, and he is trying to stop because his peers and advisors are warning him to stop. But when I asked Logan, he said nobody tells him to stop or advises him to stop drinking energy drinks.
I also asked what percent of people on the football team drink some kind of energy drink before the game, and both Ryan’s and Logan’s answers were similar and shocking. Ryan says ¨about 75-80% of people drink energy drinks before games.¨ Logan agreed with that and said ¨80-90% of people on the team drink some sort of energy drink or pre-workout.¨
I also wanted to see if either student felt that they experienced side effects when they drank energy drinks or when they went without caffeine for a while. Logan says that he gets headaches and gets tired really easily when he doesn't have caffeine. He says ¨about every two hours I need an energy drink because it keeps me awake and helps me concentrate in school. Ryan says that he doesn't feel any side effects from having caffeine or going without caffeine for a while.
Both Ryan and Logan think energy drinks are a very popular choice for young adults and high schools, and agree that drinking a lot of caffeine all the time could become a problem due to all the side effects they cause. They both know energy drinks aren't always the solution.