Can I become addicted to energy drinks?

By Mel Rose

First of all, what is an energy drink and why is it so popular? An energy drink consists of stimulant compounds which in other words, are drugs that increase your brain activity and nervous system.

The reason it has become so popular over the years is that people are replacing food with energy drinks. We get our natural energy from food but when you have had a busy day, running low on energy, we turn to energy drinks.

Society has been brainwashed into thinking energy drinks are the ‘quick and easy’ way for a fast boost of energy. But, the question is, ‘am I addicted to energy drinks?’

In today’s society, energy drinks and teenagers have become known to mix, that’s exactly what happened to me. My first encounter with tasting an energy drink was back in high school in the year 2010 Let’s just say that since tasting ‘Orange Lucozade’ I’ve become hooked on it. Over the past decade, I can admit that I believe I’m addicted to Lucozade for the wrong reasons. I rely on this energy drink to get me through the day.

If you’ve been following my mental health journey throughout the years, you’ll know I suffer from ‘Bulimia Nervosa’ which is a type of eating disorder. I’ve replaced my intake of food with Lucozade (which I know is not healthy at all) but this is when I’ve realised I’m addicted.

In the long run, energy drinks can cause health problems, some of which are:

• Disrupted sleep patterns. This has affected my sleeping pattern and if I don’t take my medication, then I would be living off 3-4 hours of sleep per day.

• Psychiatric conditions such as anxiety and phobias. I believe that my anxiety has risen since consistently drinking energy drinks. I’m more alert and jumpy than I was before-I jump at the tiniest of things, when before I used to brush it off.

• Heart arrhythmias. This is when the heartbeat is irregular or in other words, ‘When the heart skips a beat’.

• Increases heart rate and blood pressure. I’ve concluded that my seizures are related to this in some way. Whenever I’m in the ambulance they take my blood pressure and it’s always high.

• Muscle twitching. When I’m sitting down, I’ve noticed that I would have random muscle twitches. At first, I thought nothing of it. But as I’ve done more research into it I know the cause of them now- too much caffeine can make you more alert and have weird spasms in parts of your body.

Those are just some of the negative causes that energy drinks can do to your brain and body. Reading more about it has opened my eyes and educated me more about the dangers of energy drinks. Some alternative drinks that I found helpful and replaceable were;

• Blue Powerade (It’s full of flavour and that’s what got me addicted to Lucozade)

• Lucozade Sport (This is a non-fizzy type of Lucozade which helps when it’s hot!)

• Flavoured Water (I’m still trying this one out as it’s very different to an energy drink, but it’s healthier so I better get drinking!)

I would consider myself addicted to energy drinks and it’s hard to break the cycle of intake.

​Would you consider it an addiction like smoking or drugs?