Between schoolwork, sports, work and other activities, most teens today don't have enough time to get the proper amount of sleep. This means they don't have enough energy for the day, which is making them turn to other forms of energy – energy drinks.
Everyone's seen the commercials for Red Bull. It claims to "give you wings," but does it? According to some teens, it does. Michelle Myers, a senior at Manheim Township High School, heavily relies on energy drinks to keep her going throughout her day.
"At first, I started drinking them just to try one. I tasted a Red Bull and threw it out because it tasted like liquid Skittles," said Michelle. "Then my junior year of high school came about. All of a sudden I became overwhelmed with work, extracurriculars, social pressures and school. Before long, I had trouble managing my schedule and I had to start waking up earlier, but going to sleep later."
According to Michelle, energy drinks became her "best friend, so to speak." School became "much easier because I wasn't feeling like I needed sleep that much. Energy drinks became the substitution for sleep for me," she said.
Energy drinks have become the beverage of choice for many teens; 30 percent say they regularly drink them, according to a 2007 report from Mintel, a Chicago market research firm. That is more than double the 14 percent of adults who say they drink them.
Michelle drinks them if not every day, every other day.
"A lot of times on a day that I do have one, I am drinking maybe two a day," Michelle said. "On days that I don't have some sort of energy drink, I am drinking coffee or iced coffee from Starbucks with extra shots of espresso, just to keep me going. I am also constantly drinking different types of caffeinated beverages."
The FDA does not have a formal limit on the amount of caffeine that can be in foods, but says about 72 milligrams of caffeine is "generally recognized as safe" for cola-type beverages. According to caffeine researcher Laura Juliano, a professor at American University, an 8-ounce cup of coffee has anywhere from 75 to 300 mg in it. Some energy drinks contain as much as 500 mg for a 24-ounce can, and teens who drink them seem to find themselves in a sort of buzz-crash pattern.
"They do provide a surge of energy I need, but in the end I feel the crash," said Michelle. "I have so much responsibility in life and finding a way to cope with it is why I have to resort to not getting enough sleep and then drinking the energy drinks. But in the end, I know I'm addicted and I've tried to wean myself off them, but I get the headaches. Even when I do drink them I don't get energized anymore. It's a psychological thing and that's the scariest part."
Joe Buckwalter, 18, of Manheim Central High School said, "Well, they do give me a lot of energy. The only downfall is they make you really tired then."
Abby Sipe, also a senior at Manheim Central, said, "They give me a rush, but the sugar content is so high, I do get a downfall afterwards."
Alyssa Kulp, a 17-year-old at Manheim Central, has tried energy drinks, but doesn't drink them regularly.
"Energy drinks give you a burst of sugar energy and then allow you to crash and feel even more drowsy than before you drank it," Alyssa said. "They also have a lot of empty calories that don't do much accept add some fat with no nutritional value. But I guess they are helpful to people who don't care and like the quick burst of energy."
But are energy drinks being marketed to teenagers as an alternative to alcohol and drugs? Energy drinks are legal for people of all ages. They may not work the same way drugs and alcohol do, but they can give teens a "high" they're looking for.
According to a recent Associated Press article, there was a case where the FDA investigated Redux Beverages for its energy drink Cocaine and the manufacturers of a powdered energy mix called Blow(a common street name for Cocaine).
Cocaine, pulled from the shelves voluntarily, was nameless for several months (the can instead said "Insert Name Here") and then relaunched earlier this year as Cocaine again, according to Redux Beverages founder James Kirby. The can now has an FDA disclaimer and a warning: "This message is for the people who are too stupid to recognize the obvious. This product does not contain the drug cocaine (Duh)."
Red Bull is the popular drink of choice for teens. Michelle, Joe and Abby all drink it and agree it's the best one.
Another con is the amount of money teens are spending on energy drinks.
"I'm paying about $21 a week," said Michelle. "That's almost $90 a month I could be putting toward something useful."
Joe and Abby both spend about $10 to $15 a week, which adds up to $40 to $60 a month, another pretty big chunk of change.
"I think energy drinks are the solution for a hustling and bustling generation.," Michelle said. "We will try anything to help us get by – no matter how harmful it may be."
