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Energy Drinks

I drink them regularly.

1 votes

I drink them occasionally.

2 votes

I've had one, two, maybe a few. I don't know if I'll ever have one again. Maybe, I guess.

0 votes

I've had one or two, maybe a few. Never expect to again.

7 votes

Never had one, expect that I ever will.

6 votes

Edgy MD Oct 08 2012 02:09 PM

Is this a generational thing? What's your attitude toward this stuff?

Ceetar Oct 08 2012 02:25 PM Re: Energy Drinks

I hate the taste of them. Tried one or two, bleh. I'll stick to coffee.

themetfairy Oct 08 2012 02:29 PM Re: Energy Drinks

I've had the sugar free Rockstar a few times. I love the caffeine boost, but it has a high sodium content. If I was preparing for an afternoon/evening race I'd use one, but there's no way my stomach could handle that stuff in the morning.

John Cougar Lunchbucket Oct 08 2012 02:39 PM Re: Energy Drinks

Worked at an office once that regularly received cases of the stuff for free, and even then consumed in moderation. Some of them were OK, but I get enough kick from coffeeand I'm not an obese video-gamer, so there really wasn't a point to it. I've never paid for one and wouldn't.

sharpie Oct 08 2012 02:46 PM Re: Energy Drinks

Had a Red Bull once. Never again. Don't like sweet drinks.

Ceetar Oct 08 2012 02:59 PM Re: Energy Drinks

sharpie wrote: Had a Red Bull once. Never again. Don't like sweet drinks. it's not the sweetness that gets me, it's whatever the other taste is. although Jager bombs intrigue me.

Fman99 Oct 08 2012 03:10 PM Re: Energy Drinks

Aside from drinking Gatorade or Powerade being handed out during and after running races, I don't generally get involved with these beverages.

sharpie Oct 08 2012 03:12 PM Re: Energy Drinks

I pretty much limit my beverage choices to coffee, tea, water and liquor. A little juice. No soda or soda knockoffs like energy drinks.

Frayed Knot Oct 08 2012 03:22 PM Re: Energy Drinks

Never had one, most likely never will. As in the coffee discussion from last week, I'm not really interested in something simply for the artificial effect (which seems to be the only purpose of this stuff) so it's more like something I simply never got around to starting rather than one I taking a stand against.

LeiterWagnerFasterStrongr Oct 08 2012 03:31 PM Re: Energy Drinks

They taste like death. Sometimes, though with decreasing frequency, I find myself in a place where I need a boost laced with a little self-loathing, and it's available.

themetfairy Oct 08 2012 04:08 PM Re: Energy Drinks

Fman - have you ever tried Wegman's MVP2? It's like the low cal Gatorade, but without the aftertaste.

Ceetar Oct 08 2012 04:18 PM Re: Energy Drinks

LeiterWagnerFasterStrongr wrote: They taste like death. Sometimes, though with decreasing frequency, I find myself in a place where I need a boost laced with a little self-loathing, and it's available. Do they work? my limited experience with them hasn't noted they had any more affect than coffee, which is marginal. Coffee has never kept me up, expresso actually seems to make me sleepy, and I've noted some anecdotal evidence that with a nighttime cup of coffee I sleep..better! I could see choking one down if it helped keep me awake on a long drive or something, but more than anything I find the best thing for that is to be eating and drinking. the cold, even water, down my throat and the act of chewing keeps me awake better than any substance.

themetfairy Oct 08 2012 04:39 PM Re: Energy Drinks

They're heavily caffeinated. So I'd say they work. It depends how much sodium and other miscellaneous stuff you want to consume along with the caffeine.

Edgy MD Oct 08 2012 04:43 PM Re: Energy Drinks

If you haven't guessed, this poll was triggered by this Deadspin review of the new Red Bull Total Zero, which took some writin' to do.

Ashie62 Oct 08 2012 04:53 PM Re: Energy Drinks

I like the Monster Blue..I would describe the taste of most of these as "sickly apple."

LeiterWagnerFasterStrongr Oct 08 2012 05:04 PM Re: Energy Drinks

Edgy DC wrote: If you haven't guessed, this poll was triggered by this Deadspin review of the new Red Bull Total Zero, which took some writin' to do. I enjoyed it. themetfairy wrote: They're heavily caffeinated. So I'd say they work. It depends how much sodium and other miscellaneous stuff you want to consume along with the caffeine. What she said; taurine and other additives (like the B-complex cocktails in these things) can and do serve as force-multipliers for the "buzz"/heart-rate increases, which is why energy drinks can be so potent (and dangerous, to those with caffeine sensitivities. Conversely, people can develop or even have inborn tolerances that blunt caffeine's effects, but people that feel no buzz at all are either rare, rare exceptions (like Cee, perhaps?) or... something else. As far as the caffeine-puts-me-to-bed crowd, well, I think they're likely full of shit/in love with being contrary*, or ignorant of some other factors at play in their own lives/bodies); the only lab-tested caffeine-related cause of depression/depressive effects on the body is caffeine withdrawal.

Ceetar Oct 08 2012 06:10 PM Re: Energy Drinks

LeiterWagnerFasterStrongr wrote: Conversely, people can develop or even have inborn tolerances that blunt caffeine's effects, but people that feel no buzz at all are either rare, rare exceptions (like Cee, perhaps?) or... something else. As far as the caffeine-puts-me-to-bed crowd, well, I think they're likely full of shit/in love with being contrary*, or ignorant of some other factors at play in their own lives/bodies); the only lab-tested caffeine-related cause of depression/depressive effects on the body is caffeine withdrawal. And yet coffee as a after dinner drink is still common. Oh, I usually can feel the caffeine in my body, some days more than others, but I don't feel it in my head or get more alert. Sometime I feel like I'm physically dragging and the coffee fixes that, but I almost never feel the alertness people seem to suggest. Sometimes I wonder if there is a blood pressure thing going on, and that's what creates the fuzziness that I feel, particularly from espresso, but I feel that way sometimes even without coffee (And didn't feel it once on vacation, shocker right?), but I'm not really sure how to test that but to take my blood pressure twice a day. Caffeine putting to bed though, is probably a result of people simply being sleepy (which is usually good motivation to actually drink coffee) and being capable of sleeping anyway. They'd have fallen asleep anyway, with or without caffeine, but given that the opposite is supposed to happen, it gets noted.

metsmarathon Oct 09 2012 06:30 AM Re: Energy Drinks

coffee as an after-dinner drink is perhaps two-fold, or maybe three or four. one, to shake off hte effects of whatever wine was consumed, likely for hte drive home two, to aid digestion possible three, to give one a kick to move on to the next phase of the evening, even if that next phase is just the drive home and maybe four, sipping coffee afer dinner is a social thing, where you can nurse away at a drink and still keep up the inane banter that inevitably dropped off as everybody was stuffing their faces

metirish Oct 09 2012 06:37 AM Re: Energy Drinks

They are vile...one co-worker drinks that Monster drink daily,it is so strong you can smell it and it smells awful.....I did drink one 5 hour energy drink driving back from Florida ....I wouldn't drink it again.... One of the doctors I work with covers the ICU, had a patient in there last year, total organ failure.....he was a runner, very fit but apparently drank energy drinks a lot, one day he collapsed ended up in the ICU, never made it out, electrolyte overload was one possible cause.

Ceetar Oct 09 2012 06:53 AM Re: Energy Drinks

metsmarathon wrote: coffee as an after-dinner drink is perhaps two-fold, or maybe three or four. one, to shake off hte effects of whatever wine was consumed, likely for hte drive home two, to aid digestion possible three, to give one a kick to move on to the next phase of the evening, even if that next phase is just the drive home and maybe four, sipping coffee afer dinner is a social thing, where you can nurse away at a drink and still keep up the inane banter that inevitably dropped off as everybody was stuffing their faces All true, but coffee doesn't actually sober you up (just does it's coffee stimulant thing, versus the depressant), I don't think it actually aids digestion (Germans would tell you to have jagermeister). I don't think the caffeine effects actually kick in that fast either, for driving home. Supposedly it takes hours and hours to get through your system, and they say that a pregnant or period-laden woman can take 12-16 hours for it to wear off.

metsmarathon Oct 09 2012 06:54 AM Re: Energy Drinks

i think i had red bull once or twice, and a monster once. all very much awful. pretty sure i never paid for either, but got em as a promotional giveaway at a race. i remember back in the day when the the jolt cola was the stuff. twice the caffeeine, but with some flavor they don't really talk about. i don't think i ever had it, as it looked illicit. like bad news. then along came the red bulls and hte monsters and the amps and all that other shit, and now its like jolt cola or vault (like a double down of mountain dew, and not altogether awful) are the prissy drinks of wannabes who can't handle the real stuff. all that energy shit seems like bad news - and this from a daily drinker of caffeine. it sure as shit seems like bad news before a game or a practice, though i could see it jacking me up and kicking my motor into overdrive. i think back when i used to play in the rec basketball league here at work there was a guy - we used to call him roid rage - who was always on teh stuff. he was a fucking menace, dirty as shit and a bruiser. one time, waiting for a rebound, he came up right behind my teammate and full on flung him out of the way from behind. not even close to a clean play or a basketball move, just a thuggish shove. that's the shit you do when you're on energy drinks in a game. iused to hate playing against that fuck because i always felt like i was gonna end up with a busted up knee or ankle or skull as a result of his fool self. but i always wanted to body him up - to take the brunt so my teammates wouldn't have to. dude was a beast and a savage, and not in a good way, but i could always box him out. however, my good sense and delicate nature (well, really it was the balky calf and a desire to focus on running) caused me to retire temporarily from basketball, and while i miss it at times, i don't miss playing against jackoffs like him who play dirty in rec leagues or work pickup games. so don't drink energy drinks before a game. you'll turn into that fucking asshole. though, in fairness, it probably helps if you're already a fucking asshole to start with.

Benjamin Grimm Oct 09 2012 06:54 AM Re: Energy Drinks

I voted the last option, "Never had one, never will." although I can't be absolutely certain about the "never will" part.

Edgy MD Oct 09 2012 06:57 AM Re: Energy Drinks

Yeah, I should have made that "never expect to." I imagine some swill dealer might put a gun to my head someday. So, Ashie is our regular consumer?

themetfairy Oct 09 2012 07:02 AM Re: Energy Drinks

metirish wrote: They are vile...one co-worker drinks that Monster drink daily,it is so strong you can smell it and it smells awful.....I did drink one 5 hour energy drink driving back from Florida ....I wouldn't drink it again.... One of the doctors I work with covers the ICU, had a patient in there last year, total organ failure.....he was a runner, very fit but apparently drank energy drinks a lot, one day he collapsed ended up in the ICU, never made it out, electrolyte overload was one possible cause. I can see that. One energy drink before a hot weather run would be fine, but drinking multiple energy drinks a day would probably mess up your electrolytes but good. I had the equivalent of a 5-hour energy (it was a sample of a competitor's brand, that was given away at a race) plus a Starbucks coffee before my last 5K, and I have to say that my performance was much better than I expected (it was my fastest 5K since before my glute injury in 2010). But as a rule I don't consume the stuff - I don't want my body building up a tolerance for it.

Ceetar Oct 09 2012 07:05 AM Re: Energy Drinks Edited 1 time(s), most recently on Oct 09 2012 09:52 AM

I picked the never again option, but I'm sure I'll pick one up every couple of years during a tired moment before a long drive or something. I was intrigued to try 4Loko just based off the zany reports making it out to be cocaine, but then they removed the caffeine or whatever so I said screw it. edit: This was my 10000th post.

Edgy MD Oct 09 2012 07:09 AM Re: Energy Drinks

I have to say, the WWF-type marketing, where the fonts and colors on the can say "POP ONE OF THESE BABIES AND CLIMB IN THE RING WITH TARANTULA!!" certainly says to me, "Keep walking, nothing to see here."

metsmarathon Oct 09 2012 07:11 AM Re: Energy Drinks

if you nurse the cup, coffee should kick in by the time hte waitress comes back with your credit card, and certainly before you're back in your car. the digestive effect of coffee is well known. using coffee to shake off hte effects of light alcohol consumption might not have any real effect, but it certainly is something people do, isn't it? but i think the real reason people drink coffee after dinner is that people drink coffee after dinner. it's a thing. well, i think actually the real reason it all started is just a combination of the first two reasons i said - to shake off the effects of a large meal. eating a lot of food makes you sleepy. and full. coffee helps on both accounts. factor in the social aspect, and there you go.

Ceetar Oct 09 2012 07:15 AM Re: Energy Drinks

Oh, it was definitely started via a we only have NINETEEN courses. This can't stand..let's serve coffee as the 20th! those damn slaves don't work hard enough!

LeiterWagnerFasterStrongr Oct 09 2012 09:42 AM Re: Energy Drinks

Ceetar wrote: I was intrigued to try 4Loko just based off the zany reports making it out to be cocaine, but then they removed the caffeine or whatever so I said screw it. I actually bought 4-5 of them that fall just before they left shelves, for planned consumption during the holidays at my cousins' homecoming... (see: previous comment regarding wanting "a little death" or something) ... but nobody would touch them. They're still in the garage fridge at my mother's house in the burbs, behind the beers/sparkling wines people actually drink.

Ceetar Oct 09 2012 09:50 AM Re: Energy Drinks

LeiterWagnerFasterStrongr wrote: I was intrigued to try 4Loko just based off the zany reports making it out to be cocaine, but then they removed the caffeine or whatever so I said screw it. I actually bought 4-5 of them that fall just before they left shelves, for planned consumption during the holidays at my cousins' homecoming... (see: previous comment regarding wanting "a little death" or something) ... but nobody would touch them. They're still in the garage fridge at my mother's house in the burbs, behind the beers/sparkling wines people actually drink. I looked at the huge display at the beer store near work a dozen times and each time told myself "Don't do that, that's stupid, you hate energy drinks" and bought real beer instead.

themetfairy Oct 09 2012 10:29 AM Re: Energy Drinks

Van Gogh espresso-infused vodka is like that. It's dangerous - you don't realize how drunk you're getting until it's way too late.

Frayed Knot Oct 24 2012 07:12 AM Re: Energy Drinks

'Monster Beverage' being sued over the death of a 14 y/o who died from "cardiac arrhythmia due to caffeine toxicity" after drinking two 24-oz cans in a 24 hour period.

Ceetar Oct 24 2012 07:26 AM Re: Energy Drinks

The lawsuit said Fournier died from "cardiac arrhythmia due to caffeine toxicity" that complicated an existing heart valve condition related to a disorder called Ehlers-Danlos syndrome. The two drinks together contained 480 milligrams of caffeine, the equivalent of 14 12-ounce cans of Coca-Cola, according to the lawsuit. Sounds like she died of the heart condition to me. Isn't this like a diabetic person suing Krispy Kreme after eating a donut for every meal for two days?

Mets – Willets Point Oct 24 2012 11:20 AM Re: Energy Drinks

When I was on holiday in Ireland 10 years ago, I went for a bike ride through the Burren that turned out to be a lot longer than expected (mainly because the bike rental guy who was supposed to have maps didn't have maps and I was following instructions he drew on a piece of paper and got lost) and I ran out of food and drink and was totally bonking. Finally I reached a village and found a store and saw something called Lucozade that according to the label "improves athletic performance by 33%." Energy drinks were still new at the time and I thought the claims were pretty hilarious and had a good chuckle. I probably also was delirious. So I bought a bottle and it seemed to help and I made it back alive. Of course, I also got an apple and some other food so that probably made a difference too.