At The Risk Of Dying, This Generation Needs To Put Those Energy Drinks Down
Lacking energy is a common theme for us 20-somethings.
We are always looking for a quick fix, which is why we start and end our days at the local Starbucks. But sometimes those coffee drinks just don't cut it and we opt for something else entirely: energy drinks.
We think these quick solutions will provide us with the energy we need to make it through the day when, in actuality, they are hurting us in ways we couldn't have even imagined.
There have been dozens of cases where energy drinks were a key factor in death speculations.
Back in June of this year, 16-year-old Lanna Hamann passed away while on vacation after consuming energy drinks throughout the day. Although no official cause of death has been named, her family believes the amount of energy drinks was what drove her into cardiac arrest.
Hamann was rushed to a local hospital where she was pronounced dead.
Anais Fournier, a 14-year-old, died after consuming two 24-oz cans of Monster Energy over a two day period. Hours after drinking her second beverage, she went into cardiac arrest and, as a result, became unconscious.
After spending six days in a medically induced coma, her parents withdrew life support and were forced to say goodbye to their young teenage daughter. Her cause of death? Cardiac arrhythmia due to caffeine toxicity.
During this time, the Food and Drug Administration said they were investigating five deaths that could be associated with this brand of energy drinks.
Still think energy drinks are a good way to boost your energy?
What is even worse is that people are going to extremes with these drinks by combining them with alcohol. While not every situation involving the drinks results in death like the above two scenarios, the extreme level of effects can be quite alarming.
People who consumed alcohol and energy drinks simultaneously were completely unaware of how intoxicated they actually were.
Researchers at the Institute for Social Research at the University of Michigan came to the following conclusion that was published in the Journal of Adolescent Health:
We found that college students tended to drink more heavily, become more intoxicated, and have more negative drinking consequences on days they used both energy drinks and alcohol, compared to days they only used alcohol.
These people ended up spending much more time drinking since they were hopped up on caffeine. This resulted in users' blood alcohol levels reaching higher levels since the stimulant caused them to believe they were less drunk than they really were.
Sound safe? Not in the slightest. This poses serious consequences because people are failing to realize how intoxicated they really are, which might lead them to decide to drive home or engage in any other activity that would put themselves and others at risk.
There are numerous case studies and examples of unfortunate circumstances surrounding energy drinks, but one thing remains constant: you should avoid them. If you need more energy throughout the day, maybe you should reevaluate your diet or your sleeping habits.
Do not try to fix a problem through an immediate and short-term trick because that's all it is, and you could end up paying for it with your life.
Photo Courtesy: We Heart It