Help me break my energy drink addiction
 

Since I was 11 or 12 years old, on average, I've drank about 2 per day.

I slowed down considerably right around 20 years old, and since then have been on about 1 or 2 per day.

If I see them in a grocery store, I have to buy one. If I go inside to Quik Trip, there's no chance I can walk out empty handed. I don't even feel a true burst of energy off them, and haven't felt that in many years. I drink them and at most I'll be at a normal level of energy, but without one I'll feel heavy eye'd throughout the day.

I'm still in decent/good shape, but I'm tired of feeling tired. I feel like once I finally break away from these things I'll once again have my natural energy back and maybe once I do indulge in a caffeinated beverage I'll actually feel energy from it. At this point I can still drink one or two and fall asleep 5 minutes later no problem.

It's a real addiction, and I need to do something about it. Don't know how to alter my mind into thinking I don't need energy drinks anymore, but I gotta stop.

I'm there with ya man. Are your teeth sensitive now? Once my two front teeth seemed to be bothered I let it go. It's been 3 months and I have had one large red bull. I do now drink coffee a few times a week though.

Same thing with the tolerance. Didn't do anything anymore, it really was an addiction. Then I would drink three big ones and end up with a terrible headache.

Good luck, the thing to do is just stop. Easier said than done.

Then stop, quit being weak minded. Control yourself
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Oh, and the price is a big factor. Add that shit up and you will poop gallons of taurine.

****ing gross. You try coffee?

Luckily my teeth have always been very strong. But I'm sure it'll take its toll if I don't stop.

I drink about 1.5 to 2.5 a day. I usually drink the sugar free kind, at least that may be helpful on your teeth. I kind of like them, I know I should stop, but they help me throughout the day and to do what I do I need to be alert and not fatigued.

I would say to try gum, when I quit I did get a headache for about a 2-3 days and then it quit. It's not a real chemical dependency like drugs and or even nicotine but it is an addiction. Gum has helped me quit for a few weeks, but then I go back again. Maybe even just try drinking something in place of it, like a diet soda, to ramp down. Then move to green tea, and finally maybe a glass of water. I think you are used to the constant having something in your hand, something sweet to drink at different points of the day as well.

I added up how much I spend per year on them this morning. Came out to around $1,700 per year.

Never been a coffee fan. But I'll occasionally grab one at work.

I work overnights on weekends. If it wasn't for energy drinks, I don't know how I would physically get through the week.

Go work out. That'll give you the boost you're looking for.

If you don't have time for that, maybe try a 5 hour energy or something? Still not good for you, but very little sugar and caffeine.

There's suppose to be be more caffeine in a Starbuck's Pike's Peak than an energy drink. Or so I hear. But there's other stuff in those drinks too.

See a naturopath doctor or nutritionist-orientated chiro/internal medicine practictioner to help you. If you have any nutritional deficiencies it can create cravings for things like that and/or the drinks destroy certain nutritients making you want more setting up a vicious cycle.

But you're going to have to learn some behavior control too.

Another good idea.

I had one of those drinks once for a long trade show...good energy for awhile but it sets you up for a crash later—requiring more.

Learn to eat right for maximum energy like protein every so many hours. That keeps your energy up too. Maybe it's your diet too.

I usually have fights with myself while in the grocery store. Constantly thinking about whether or not to get one. Or if I can avoid it. Hell, did it this morning at Hen House even. Told myself nah, just to get an orange juice or something instead. Then I saw the wall of energy drinks in the cooler....

Talked myself into a sugar free one at least.

The thing is, I LOVE the taste of them. They probably aren't that good, but my brain has been wired to like them for over a decade, since I was a kid.

Orange juice will just spike your blood sugar for a temporary boost too.
Small meals throughout the day of quality protein, healthy fats and some whole grain carbs will provide a more sustained energy. But you'll have to get used to that kind of energy too. It's better for you long term though.
Also, Brewer's Yeast is a good energizer.

I started out hating the taste of Red Bull. Now that I need it to function a lot of times, I've grown to crave the taste. Weird how that works.

I eat about 150 grams of protein per day at minimum.

It's a messed up system they have out there in energy drink world.

I drink them sometimes. Usually sugar free Red Bull if I do.

But all energy drinks pretty much taste like cat piss. I definitely wouldn't say the flavor is anything most people enjoy.

I weigh 183 right now. If I get off them I could probably get down to 10% body fat like I'm wanting. That's a big factor to me.

Quality protein in small quantities throughout the day?

Mix an energy drink with anti-freeze.
That'll kill your addiction.

I'm someone who also has an addictive personality, so I feel I can relate to you to an extent. You need to find something positive and healthy to take the place of your energy drinks, while taking care not to replace them with something equally/more destructive.

I'm also not one who is in fantastic tip top shape, but I've been working out quite a bit lately, and I feel great. Even a simple walk around campus seems to give me extra energy and puts me in a better mood.

Not small quantities necessarily. Quality, I'd say yes. It's not McDonalds protein and ish like that.

Anyway. I'm probably not going to be of much help in this thread. I've never really developed a dependency for anything.

But, I can say that more than 2 or 3 energy drinks per week is most definitely unhealthy for you, and you are doing the right thing by trying to stop. Good luck to you.

I am usually guaranteed to have one right around 8am after I get to work. Maybe coffee or just water would be a possible replacement.

Honestly, the more water you drink in a day; the more anything sugary/sweet tastes awful to you. Force yourself to get a gallon of water down a day and it may help your taste buds get back to normal.

That might help eliminate one aspect of your craving/addiction.

Thanks. I need to stop, and I'm tired of feeling fatigued for no reason.

If you want to save money, the Hy-Vee in Olathe off of 151st Street has Venom for $1.25 each. I don't actually like Red Bull that much. I love Monster & Venom though, and sometimes drink Full Throttle, Amp, and Rockstar. Unfortunately Red Bull is probably the least bad for you, it has the least amount of caffeine than any of them.

Wow, that's too bad you had anything like that as a kid. Kid's shouldn't even have the caffeine in coffee. You may just need a supervised de-tox program.

I gave that exact advice to someone else on here one time
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Switch to meth.

LMAO This is not the place to be telling me that. Money isn't the issue, but it'd be nice to keep that extra $1,000 in my pocket each year.

I think this is very true. I'm 30 now, and I used to not drink energy drinks at all. No soda, no energy drinks. Its just a habit I've picked up in the last 4 years. And back before then, I was in really really goods shape. I ate well, and drank tons of water. I'd carry around a liter of water everywhere I go and just drank out of it. And I hated the taste of sweets and soda. Now I love it :(

He will spend quite a bit more money per year on that program
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It started when my dad would let me pick out whatever I wanted at Quik Trip in the mornings before he went to work. I fell in love with Monster. Didn't even care about food.

We both need to quit then. Or at least slow down in your case. I need to just flat out quit. I'm sick of it.

Add a little more and more Antifreeze.

Sorry if repost.

I'd still like the taste of it. Maybe not the aftermath.

Hey man, you want $100? Cause quitting will net you about $100 a month.

Think what you could do with that money.

Yup.

Yeah, I slipped into a funk this winter where I drank more soda/sweet drinks than I have in quite a while. It's an easy way to pack on pounds.

Really, if you stick mostly to water, you'll feel a whole lot better in general.

I drink coffee occasionally. It's your best bet if you're looking for quick caffeine. I wouldn't say I love the taste of coffee in general, but it's alright. I try to stick with water, tea and coffee if I can help it.

Fatigue? See a naturopathic doctor or wellness clinic with both those and regular doctors to build your body back up naturally. You sound like you have deficiencies. Drugs, caffeine, alcohol use up B vitamins which are your energy vitamins. They are hard to find in the American diet of white processed foods today. Allergies to food can cause fatigue too. The symptoms are not just sinus related.

Someone here mentioned water, that will help de-tox you by washing out any toxins in your cells. Besides that caffeine dehydrates you. 80% of the people do not drink enough water. Go for 70 ozs a day. I'd buy bottled Volvic for at least a month for the natural trace minerals. It's not cheap but it's really good water. Then switch back to your regular water.

I realize, I am giving you a recommendation that is a lifestyle change that is not easy or even popular. But it works long term. Helps if you have someone assisting you.

Switch to coffee instead.

This is good. Lifestyle change is what I'm aiming for. Aiming for natural energy from food and good health rather than this fake quick fix that will maybe last an hour, then the fatigue sits in again. I'm just wondering what a decade of energy drinks has done to my body that I don't realize.

Do you by chance attend MNU in Olathe? My best friend in on the basketball team.

LOL

Nope.

The human body is incredibly resilient. You're young enough that I imagine if you seriously cut them out now, you'll feel great within six months and probably get off easy on long-term health implications.

That sucks bro, that he can't drink alcohol, dance, or say an f-bomb.

http://www.cnn.com/2013/02/06/health...ink/index.html

http://www.healthguidance.org/entry/...gy-Drinks.html

Anything can be an addiction. It has control over my mind. The only thing that has control over my mind.

Yeah, it does affect your body after that long. It's gonna take some strong discipline plus. Read some good nutrition books at least. Balanced B complex plus Niacin ( as they only use niacinamide) are energy vitamins. That's what Brewer's yeast is high in.

I suffered from horrific fatigue after having a C section and a baby. I just happened to come across an allergy specialist and nutritionist internal medicine chiro, who isolated what the cause was and I had a resurgence in energy. I drink coffee in moderation—mainly just a cup or two in the morning. I know what foods affect me or bring my energy down. I only went to her after regular doctors could find no pathology in my blood work. You don't need to have a disease or illness to suffer from some poor health issues. However, long term they can become something worse if not attended to earlier. It's just preventive healthcare.

Dude, just suffer through a few days of being tired. Your body rebounds faster than you think. Unless there is some property specific to energy drinks that I don't know about, it shouldn't be this hard.

just buy them by the case at costco. drive your yearly total down to 1500 instead of 1700

just think of what you could do with 200

I'd like to find someone like that. That can help pinpoint any other issues.

My step mom tried to scare me into stop drinking them. Tried to convince me that I am drinking bull semen in every drop. She's partly right. They obtain the taurine from bull semen, but surely it's not actually bull semen you are drinking. Or maybe it is, one energy drink company is just taunting us right to our face by indicating we are drinking semen from a Bull, with Red testicles, named Red Bull. Nonetheless, I always tell her I have to run into the convenience store to get me some Bull Jizz to drink.

http://nsnbc.me/2014/04/02/your-ener...4-aprils-fool/

Ha. Good chance if there's more just sitting around the house, then I'll just be drinking more. And making more trips back to the store.

It takes 21 days for something to become a habit. I need avoiding energy drinks to be that habit. It's possible. Just have to fight it.

you could get even more with the money you save by driving the per unit cost down :evil:

I'm addicted to Sobe No Fear and Rockstar Peach. I feel nothing from them at all but love the taste of them in the mornings and just feel like they give me a physiological boost. But i know it's actually not doing jack. I just love the taste of them. I try to tell myself i'm not going to have one but then i go into the gas station and see they are on sale 2/$3 and i walk out with a case.

I know i can go cold turkey i've done it before but i always come back. It's tough but you just have to have the will power. You can control it either by finding something to replace it or just telling yourself no more.

You probably know some of this already but it may have more in it. Even though a more natural health orientated site it refers to the energy drink addition written about in the Journal of the American Medical Association.
It's not normal to feel fatiqued most of the time.

Last paragraph:

Only by breaking your energy drink addiction will you be able to once again enjoy the increased alertness and performance improvements that caffeine offers to those not addicted. If you continue to feel fatigued once you leave the dangers of energy drinks behind and break your addiction (it takes about a week), it’s important to explore other potential underlying causes of your fatigue and to seek safer, more natural fatigue remedies. See our Comprehensive Guide on Fatigue for some great ideas!

http://www.naturalhealthadvisory.com...ink-addiction/

I'm gonna try just a ton of water in the morning instead of energy drinks. Those companies know how to lock on to their buyers.

That's what I'm talking about. I know it's not normal to feel fatigued all the time. Once I fix this, I think I'll feel a LOT better.

Working at 3 am, and some times 12 hour days I have to have one a day to not feel miserable.

AMP is usually the one that seems to work for me and recently went to the sugar free AMP, so there's that.

Retail?

Simple solution, take up Speed. You won't give energy drinks a 2nd thought.

Nah. Warehouse work. If that's what you're wondering.

JW

You want a real energy drink, check out Redline.

I bought one, completely unaware of what it was in terms of potency. I was messed up all day- like amped way too much, my eyes were fully dilated, uncontrolled muscle spasms or reflex jerks, intermittent periods where I would feel chilly and have goosebumps for close to an hour. It's impossible to fully describe it.

Check out the comments in the link below, they're both amusing and crazy all the feedback people who tried it gave. Definitely a funny read.

http://voiceofthevictims.blogspot.co...drink.html?m=1

This is just the 1st comment as an example, and there are way better and crazier stories posted.

http://img.tapatalk.com/d/14/08/10/uru4a6y2.jpg

I will agree, I have no clue how they sell this legally or not sued into oblivion. I suppose you could use it, if you only drank maybe 3-5 caps full of it at any 1 time?

1 more comment - you can read rest on the link.

I've had one (sugar free Red Bull) that sped up my heart rate so much.


**** that noise!

****ing n00b

I'm glad those things never appealed to me. I thought the two I tried were not good at all.

Are you sure? Naked hot chick giving you the come hither look OR a RedBull? Pick one...

Same here. I was driving back from Rapid City, SD to Billings one night years ago and I started getting tired. I still had 130 miles to go so I stopped into a convenience store in Sheridan. WY. I grabbed some 20 ounce energy drink and sucked it down. It kept me awake (kind of) but it felt like my heart was going to explode, I was sweating, and just felt really off. When I got home I was beat but couldn't fall asleep. That was my one and only time I had and energy drink, never again. I have one cup of coffee every morning after I workout and call it good.

That's a big NO. Not ever going there. As I've said, I like the taste of them. I don't even drink them for the energy purposes that they're supposed to have. Those little "shot" bottles they sell never appealed to me.

This is probably how normal people are supposed to react to energy drinks. The addicts don't notice a thing from tolerance build up.

The sugar free Red Bull is the only energy drink that sped up my heart rate and made me feel uneasy.

Those things are legal speed in a can.