# Energy Drinks: I'm addicted (srsly)



## kazzie (Mar 31, 2014)

Okay so,
When something makes me feel good, I keep it around. But, most things that make me feel good are harmless: puppies, granola bars, friendships, smiles and cheese & broccoli rice.

But, lately, I've been noticing that every morning, I think about whether or not I will get an energy drink for work. I'm a fan of Guru, not sure if it's available anywhere else. Basically, it tastes like heaven on a unicorn in your mouth. 

If I don't have one, I feel bummed out about it. Now, I hardly ever go a day without one. It also makes me crash around 3 PM...when I need to get shit done.

I work on a computer from 8ish until 6ish. Energy dranks = bad. 

Anyone else struggling with this? WHAT SHOULD I DO?


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## Mik3D23 (Mar 31, 2014)

I used to be the same way. Before that, it was mountain dew. After a long enough period of drinking energy drinks like crazy, then not drinking any, then back to energy drinks and so on, they slowly started just making me feel like total crap. Eventually, I began to not even be able to finish drinking one; not sure if I got turned off of the taste or if it was just my body saying to quit being a dumbass, but I haven't had any in 2 months or so. I've become a coffee drinker, even though I just about hate coffee, and I usually only have it in the mornings now. 

My advice would be go cold turkey. Just about anything is better for you than 99% of energy drinks. You're better off taking caffeine pills if you're physically addicted to caffeine (I.E. you get horrible headaches/feel like shit when you don't have any for a day). But, that's not necessarily a good thing either, I found I used to end up taking more caffeine when I had caffeine pills than when I was drinking energy drinks.

P.S. energy drinks are also a total ripoff/scam, your wallet will be very happy with you if you cut them out


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## MikeH (Mar 31, 2014)

Well, I used to be a Red Bull fiend. But the only energy supplement I use now is pre-workout. I started by switching to Xyience Xenergy drinks. They're sugar free and taste good as hell. They look like this.






Eventually, I just started looking for an alternative to that. Found Vitamin Water Energy. The orange-yellow colored one. It's not got a lot of energy supplements in it, but I just like the taste. You just have to find another drink to get fixated on. Preferably one that's healthy, or at least not too bad. Energy drinks are terrible things.


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## RustInPeace (Apr 2, 2014)

I used to have to have a monster almost daily when I went to college. I couldnt make it through some of the classes without. But since then, I tried going cold turkey which lasted only about 3 weeks, then I switched to Redbulls which have less caffeine and sugar. Also, I will only buy maybe 2 a week tops. I think when I started getting better sleep I felt less need for them.


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## Dommak89 (Apr 11, 2014)

I'm not sure how to deal with your addiction itself. But if its the caffein you need, try black tea. Hell of a lot healthier and still a good energy source.


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## TRENCHLORD (Apr 11, 2014)

Get off the juice Kaz!!!
That stuff is poison.

I go plain Columbian coffee. Nice and strong.
Either 3-4 cups in the morning on most days, or 32oz. pre-workout a couple times/wk..

You just can't get any buzz if you nail it everyday throughout.
Same with EDs I'm sure, but those have all the typical unpronouncable additives just like soda.


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## teelguitars (Apr 11, 2014)

Oh man, I was drinking two Rockstars a day for about a year and then quit. I had the shakes for four days! Bad stuff!


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## crg123 (Apr 11, 2014)

I had to do crazy hours for architecture school for my masters and I used to do this awful thing when I knew I had to stay up more then one day in a row, just to make sure I'd be able to stay up as late as necessary. Basically I'd get three energy drinks and down them one after the other on my 5 minute walk from the store to studio.... How I'm not dead ?..ill never know. Good thing I only did this like three times. It was like 30 minutes of my body freaking out and 6 hours of total concentration. Now that I'm in the working world a red eye (coffee with a shot of espresso) every morning is my vice. Still can't believe I did that... Was such an idiot.


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## cwhitey2 (Apr 11, 2014)

My energy drink is 

If I don't have at least a 24oz in the morning...stay the fack away from me...

The kid I work with has to own stock in Monster...I went by his desk one day and he literally had a collection of about 50 cans...that was only for one month 

That much cannot be healthy for you.


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## warpedsoul (Apr 11, 2014)

I was a huge Monster drinker. I could drink 3 16oz cans a day if I wanted. Never felt like it did anything for me though. I would normally only drink the blue logo cans, or the Absolute Zeros, or the Recovery to try to limit the amount o calories and sugars, but the Coffee flavors are damn delicious. The new protein series isn't bad either. But I quit cold turkey 2 weeks ago. Quit coffee as well. I've been getting headaches lately, but trying to stay strong. If I cave on anything, I'll cave on the coffee.

Now I want a Monster. ****!


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## MaxOfMetal (Apr 11, 2014)

Let me start out by saying that I'm pro-eat-whatever-the-fu_c_k-you-want to the highest degree. I eat high octane bullshit like fast food, buffets, and enough alcoholic beverages than you can shake a stick at. I'm in a glass house on this. 

Though, energy drinks are absolutely terrible, and I'm not talking about how they affect your health. They simply do not do what they say, which is give you energy. They trick your body into being not as tired for a very short amount of time, but don't actually give you energy. 

If you guys are getting tired, you need to start eating. Even if you're not hungry. 

I work in manufacturing and have adapted to a 60+ hour weeks at times. There are intervals where I work over 18 hours straight. My average day is roughly 10 hours. When I first started I relied on energy drinks and regular caffeinated beverages to help me through the day. It was rough on my body, and my wallet (Monsters and Redbulls ain't cheap). A few weeks in I noticed a lot of the old timers would put in the long hours without any coffee or soda or energy drinks. I asked them how they did it (these guys were in their late 50's to mid 60's) and they laughed, but told me the secret: eat. 

I take a lunch box bigger than some carry-on luggage to work. Packed with carbs, calories, and protein. Energy drinks treat the symptom, not the cause. Eating properly will also help you through the sugar and other chemical withdrawal.


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## Uncreative123 (Apr 11, 2014)

I'd like to know why anyone thinks energy drinks (sugar-free/low/nocarb) are any worse than diet pop, or crystal light, or "vitamin" water or sparkling flavored water (like Ice which is becoming huge now). 

It's all the same shit. Regular energy drinks are just as full of sugary piss water as gatorade or V8 Splash or any other perceived healthy fruit drink. I usually have about two sugar free energy drinks a day. The white and blue Monster's are amazing. Rockstar just came out with some new ones- the Peach Mango absolute zero is phenomenal. When I'm running around working til 6 a.m. I usually have two or three through the night. I've had upwards of 5 or 6 when I completely forgot to bring other stuff to drink. It's just caffeine. Caffeine is the least of the garbage in it. When you build a tolerance to caffeine (which isn't good) it doesn't affect you the same way it does as a caffeine intolerant person. (Think about some people that can drink a case of beer and barely be buzzed) But anyway the macros breaking down to : 0, 0, 0, works pretty damn well for me. I've yet to hear of any trainers to come out against sugar-free energy drinks.


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## warpedsoul (Apr 11, 2014)

Uncreative123 said:


> I'd like to know why anyone thinks energy drinks (sugar-free/low/nocarb) are any worse than diet pop, or crystal light, or "vitamin" water or sparkling flavored water (like Ice which is becoming huge now).
> 
> It's all the same shit. Regular energy drinks are just as full of sugary piss water as gatorade or V8 Splash or any other perceived healthy fruit drink. I usually have about two sugar free energy drinks a day. The white and blue Monster's are amazing. Rockstar just came out with some new ones- the Peach Mango absolute zero is phenomenal. When I'm running around working til 6 a.m. I usually have two or three through the night. I've had upwards of 5 or 6 when I completely forgot to bring other stuff to drink. It's just caffeine. Caffeine is the least of the garbage in it. When you build a tolerance to caffeine (which isn't good) it doesn't affect you the same way it does as a caffeine intolerant person. (Think about some people that can drink a case of beer and barely be buzzed) But anyway the macros breaking down to : 0, 0, 0, works pretty damn well for me. I've yet to hear of any trainers to come out against sugar-free energy drinks.



Artificial sweetner is about as bad as actual sugar.


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## Mik3D23 (Apr 11, 2014)

Uncreative123 said:


> I'd like to know why anyone thinks energy drinks (sugar-free/low/nocarb) are any worse than diet pop, or crystal light, or "vitamin" water or sparkling flavored water (like Ice which is becoming huge now).
> 
> It's all the same shit. Regular energy drinks are just as full of sugary piss water as gatorade or V8 Splash or any other perceived healthy fruit drink. I usually have about two sugar free energy drinks a day. The white and blue Monster's are amazing. Rockstar just came out with some new ones- the Peach Mango absolute zero is phenomenal. When I'm running around working til 6 a.m. I usually have two or three through the night. I've had upwards of 5 or 6 when I completely forgot to bring other stuff to drink. It's just caffeine. Caffeine is the least of the garbage in it. When you build a tolerance to caffeine (which isn't good) it doesn't affect you the same way it does as a caffeine intolerant person. (Think about some people that can drink a case of beer and barely be buzzed) But anyway the macros breaking down to : 0, 0, 0, works pretty damn well for me. I've yet to hear of any trainers to come out against sugar-free energy drinks.



Caffeine is probably the best thing about energy drinks. On top of way more sugar than people should be drinking in a day, they've got tons of other shit loaded in them. Also, I don't perceive gatorade or v8 splash as healthy, v8 splash is basically soda with 5% fruit juice. Same with other supermarket "juices"


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## TRENCHLORD (Apr 12, 2014)

Like anything else, EDs in moderation won't hurt anything, unless the person already had some heart or seizure issues.
Most people I know who drink them end up basically depending on them day-long daily just to feel normal. (might be a lot in their head, but still makes them do it)

Myself, I just try to limit the things that have all those long crazy-name ingredients.
Most boxed, canned, bagged, frozen-entrée ect.. , they almost all fall into this.
I do eat that stuff, but I also try to go without it sometimes and then go easy on it when other options aren't really convenient, like obviously when traveling without prepared grubs.

Drinks are generally much less filling than solids so it's easier to consume greater amounts without realizing the gluttony .

Some of the artificial sweeteners actually build up in the body over time, for whatever reasons we don't flush them very well. (has something to do with wood-alcohol IIRC)
If I were going to drink a lot of artificial sweetened drinks I'd probably try to switch them up so it wasn't all the same sweetener-type all the time.
Most brands probably use aspartame like the pop-pushers.


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## Michael T (Apr 12, 2014)

I'm hooked on caramel macchiatos from the cafe down the street. I get a large with extra espresso every morning. It shakes the cobwebs outta my brain so I function at full speed asap.

Other than that I drink water 95% of the day. But I "need" my espresso in the morning.


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## Fat-Elf (Apr 12, 2014)

I've been sort of addicted to this stuff ever since I was 14-15yo. Sometimes I have periods of time I'm not really into them but then there's times like last spring when I had 2 every day for a month and had to quit as one morning I woke up in the most horrible chest pain.  

Now in the army, they're a must to make me get through the day. It also feels great when you have slept for 4 hours, be tired as fvck the whole day and finally get to drink one of these and get hyperactive as fvck.  Though, normally I don't feel anything drinking these if I have got enough sleep.


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## asher (Apr 13, 2014)

Michael T said:


> I'm hooked on caramel macchiatos from the cafe down the street. I get a large with extra espresso every morning. It shakes the cobwebs outta my brain so I function at full speed asap.
> 
> Other than that I drink water 95% of the day. But I "need" my espresso in the morning.



Yeah there are 3 really awesome local coffee shops right by where I work. They all also have pretty tasty bagel/pastry options, so one of those and some variety of latte/espresso creation is breakfast. Because then I get to sleep a little longer 

The caffeine is nice but they're also just damn tasty.


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## Oreo_Death (Apr 14, 2014)

I used to drink a lot of Monsters back in the day. Now I only usually have it when I have that Jagermeister to go along with it 

I drink coffee now. I'm pretty sure I just drank monster because it tasted good, and started because I thought it would help with energy. But yeah like it was said before, energy drinks are a scam. I had a Redline from a GNC store a few years ago. It says only drink half the can but I was stupid and drank it all. Half of my face went numb and tingly and I didnt even feel energized. Weird stuff.


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## Matthew (May 7, 2014)

I usually have one of these every day. I've tried to stop several times, but keep going back.


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## theycallmetc (May 10, 2014)

It's a total cliché, but you already know the answer. Work out, eat better (not just quality of the food, but make sure you're eating enough) and try to figure out your sleep patterns. If you feel like crashing in the afternoon take a short nap (shorter than 30 minutes), or if you have the time, you can go for a full sleep cycle (about 90 minutes). Also, if you're depending so much on caffeine make sure you drink enough water...caffeine dehydrates you quite a bit. Add all that crap in an energy drink and the effect's worse. When I'm cramming I usually have a glass of water per cup of coffee, and I'm constantly sipping water anyways. Sometimes when I'm super tired I'll pop down and do some push ups or run up and down the stairs and that'll kick me back up.


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## kazzie (Jun 18, 2014)

LOL SUP,

one week no energy dranks.


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## HeHasTheJazzHands (Jun 18, 2014)

Matthew said:


>



Even though I cut out soda from my diet for a few months now, I can't help but drink one of these at least once a month. Unlike most energy drinks, they taste really, REALLY good.


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## Metaldestroyerdennis (Jun 22, 2014)

Fack. I need to quit. I was at like 3-5 16 oz monster or 2 20 oz red bulls and I'm down to one drink a day but it's hard. Not because I'm addicted- near pay day they go bye bye, but because I drink when I'm bored and my drink of choice is energy. I also should be working out daily...


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## ghost_of_karelia (Jun 22, 2014)

During my first year of college in 2012-13 my best mate and I went on a bit of an energy drink binge due to a variety of contributing factors, not least of which was the 6am wakeups throughout the week and a high proportion of strenuous activity while studying different forms of dance - we just couldn't get through the week without some kind of boost. 

For the first few months it wasn't too bad, a cheap 35p 330ml drink from the corner shop every morning, but it began to get pretty bad. For shows (we did about 3 "show weeks" which involved about 8 days of 6am-9pm techs, dress runs and performances) we would consume as many as 7 energy drinks per day, and then got into the nasty habit of mixing them out of boredom being the idiotic 16 year olds we were, putting all kinds of crap into a coffee cup and wolfing it down.

Needless to say after getting chest pains, the jitters and a completely messed up sleep cycle I gradually tried to cut down, before just stopping the intake completely and switching to coca cola to help with the withdrawal. I also started drinking a lot more water, and feel a hell of a lot better.

Moral of the story is, don't ever be a 16 year old. It's a bad life choice and you should feel bad for doing it.


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## ZeroTolerance94 (Jun 22, 2014)

There was a period in highschool I'd get an energy drink in the morning before school, and after only a couple weeks it stopped working, and I realized I was tired in class even with my energy drink, so I started looking for energy drinks with the highest caffeine content. Nothing worked.

So I started taking NoDoz caffeine tablets in the morning, it was cheaper, and actually worked.

See the thing with caffeine tolerance, is it happens VERY ....ing quickly. 6 months into the school year I was taking over 800mg of caffeine in the morning to wake up, then another 400mg after 1st period, and another 400mg after lunch. I never thought anything of it, but it worked, and if it didn't, I'd take more.

Well, fast forward a couple months, and one morning my heart was racing, and it was skipping beats and all kinds of crazy shit. I felt dizzy and everything around me was spinning and blacking out, (kinda like when you get up too quickly, but imagine that feeling for minutes) I was sitting in a chair in a classroom with a heart rate over 180. I fell out of my chair and the teacher called 911. I ended up being taken by ambulance to the hospital, everyone thought I was having a heart attack. They broke the "attack" in the ambulance and I was fine. Nobody knew what it was, except me, and I didn't tell anyone.

Well, I go to see a cardiologist, and find out I had a severe ventricular tachycardia attack. 

Let me tell you man, quit the ....ing energy drinks, and caffeine. It can really hurt you if you get as addicted to caffeine as I was.


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## rectifryer (Jun 22, 2014)

My coffee habit lols at your energy drink soiree.


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## ilyti (Jul 11, 2014)

cwhitey2 said:


> The kid I work with has to own stock in Monster...I went by his desk one day and he literally had a collection of about 50 cans...that was only for one month .


I have a theory about Monster Energy Drink as a company. Their marketing somehow attracts the dumbest people possible. They have celebrities endorse their drink! I can't think of any other energy drink company that does that. It makes consumers (and the celebrity reps) so brand loyal, they proudly wear Monster Energy Drink hats, shirts, jackets, even tattoos! (I'm looking at you, Ripper Owens. ) Or even like your coworker, they display the tons of cans they have consumed. They are literally _proud _of it! WHY THOUGH??


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## thatguyupthere (Jul 24, 2014)

Dude, one word. Start drinking *tea*. not the powder shit because you might as well call it kool-aid. Start stocking tea at work or home or wherever. Celestial seasonings has a great selection and it will give you something to sip on frequently. You can brew it as strong as you want too.

Believe me, I quit drinking anything soda or carbonated and only stick to (unsweetened) tea and it was really easy. Also, stay away from the tea that has high fructose corn syrup in it.


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## Kobalt (Nov 16, 2014)

kazzie said:


> Okay so,
> When something makes me feel good, I keep it around. But, most things that make me feel good are harmless: puppies, granola bars, friendships, smiles and cheese & broccoli rice.
> 
> But, lately, I've been noticing that every morning, I think about whether or not I will get an energy drink for work. I'm a fan of Guru, not sure if it's available anywhere else. Basically, it tastes like heaven on a unicorn in your mouth.
> ...


Yup. I have one every single day, on a percentage of perhaps 95% in the past two years. On rare occasions I'll have a second one.

Do I want to get out of the addiction, though? Nope! 

Albeit being an expensive habit, I don't "abuse" of it, and don't have any other bad habits like actual coffee, or soda, or alcohol (I don't drink anything else besides water, and Perrier once in a while), so in my mind it's like giving myself a treat a day! 

Monster and guitar, best thing ever.


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## Fat-Elf (Nov 16, 2014)

KingVee said:


> Monster and guitar, best thing ever.



Seconded.


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## Defi (Nov 16, 2014)

Too much caffeine these days makes me feel like I'm going to die.

I used to drink 10 cups of coffee a day though (cups as in the measured amount on the coffee maker), but that was when working construction.

Now even green tea is a bit much, .... caffeine. Makes tinnitus worse too.


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## Cloudy (Nov 17, 2014)

NOS use to be my go2 but as of recently I've toned down my obsessive caffeine intake. 

Man I can't imagine not being able to drink green tea without it flaring tinnitus lol.


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## asher (Nov 17, 2014)

Cloudy said:


> NOS use to be my go2 but as of recently I've toned down my obsessive caffeine intake.
> 
> Man I can't imagine not being able to drink green tea without it flaring tinnitus lol.



Yeah, me too. I've actually replaced the afternoon coffee/cappucino/espresso with green tea to downsize and uphealth


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## Cloudy (Nov 17, 2014)

asher said:


> Yeah, me too. I've actually replaced the afternoon coffee/cappucino/espresso with green tea to downsize and uphealth



Ive cut down to tea as well, trying to transition back to strictly water but I dont have high hopes for myself


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## asher (Nov 17, 2014)

Cloudy said:


> Ive cut down to tea as well, trying to transition back to strictly water but I dont have high hopes for myself



Haha. I'm constantly drinking water too. Eventually I want to downsize the morning 16oz to some aeropressed grinds since the office keeps a stock, but the damn stuff is too tasty. Plus I need to figure out a good breakfast I can make here at mornings.

I'll save a bunch of money too and probably cut some unnecessary dairy out.


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## Cloudy (Nov 17, 2014)

asher said:


> Haha. I'm constantly drinking water too. Eventually I want to downsize the morning 16oz to some aeropressed grinds since the office keeps a stock, but the damn stuff is too tasty. Plus I need to figure out a good breakfast I can make here at mornings.
> 
> I'll save a bunch of money too and probably cut some unnecessary dairy out.



You dont know how much you spend on coffee/tea/energy drinks until you stop. That 5$~ a day at Tim Hortons really adds up


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## Philligan (Nov 17, 2014)

This thread was an interesting read. I've got probably a moderate caffeine addiction right now. I drink coffee just because I love the taste, and when I was working at Home Depot I liked having that warm drink on the way to work in the morning. After having a coffee or two a day consistently for about a year, I notice it now when I don't have one. That wouldn't be a huge deal (for the last couple years I'd just make sure I went a day or two every week without one), but I've been really busy the past few months, working full time around school - I'm putting in about 65 hours a week right now between work and class. I've got either work or class first thing in the morning every day of the week right now, so it's hard to choose a time to detox. I know I'm probably gonna have a full day or two of feeling shitty and groggy while I get used to not having something caffeinated, and being so busy and worn out all the time, there aren't many days that I feel like going through that. 

To make matters worse, I love energy drinks. So much. There's the odd one I'm not crazy about, but I love the taste of most of them, especially Rockstar and Redbull. Seriously, if they made a caffeine free energy drink with zero or low calories, I'd be the first one in line to buy it. But as it is, sometimes if I'm having a bad day or am just really burnt out, I'll grab one of those as a pick-me-up, too. 

It kind of scares me, because I think about how I feel if I miss my morning coffee after having one for two weeks straight, but then I think about the old people who have been drinking coffee every day for thirty or forty years or more. Between that and being older, the detox would probably do some serious damage, if not kill you. I have a buddy who needs at least a couple XLs to get him through the day, so I know I'll at least be able to safely kick it after a couple days of feeling shitty, then switch to decaf once in a while.

I've got less than three weeks of classes left, and I'll have my first day off in almost three months. The plan is to cold turkey it for a couple days then, so we'll see how it goes.


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## Kobalt (Nov 18, 2014)

Philligan said:


> Seriously, if they made a caffeine free energy drink with zero or low calories, I'd be the first one in line to buy it.


YES!!!! Totally agree, a lot of my addiction to them is due to the taste, they are like nothing else in my opinion.


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## The Q (Nov 18, 2014)

I drink coffee and energy drinks rarely; usually 4-6 e.d & coffee cups in total every month. The effect of caffeine on me is weird - it appears to work but I've never lost sleep over it, even when I consumed 4 espresso shots in the evening one day.

It does upset my stomach kinda though, coffee more so than energy drinks (because I like my coffee straight; no milk or sugar) and this is the primary reason I avoid it. On the other hand, compared to my co-workers and friends, I find it *very *hard to start my day though if I don't sleep a solid 8 hours.


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## Asrial (Nov 18, 2014)

I want to chime in on this.

In high school, I had an addiction with energy drinks. Not a big one, but it wasn't uncommon for me to go to the candy shop in between lectures and grab a Rockstar, the purple fruity one. It was my lifesaver on long days, and my reward on short.
Nowadays, since I moved from home and started college, I'm sticking to Monster Rehabs (lemonade), and even then, it's only once in a while (twice a month), since they cost 4$ a pop for me and are unhealthy as fok. Okay, rehabs are less awful, but still.
Since then, I've also lost 10 pounds and my grades are rising. I'm able to be more focused in the labs and while practicing.

Where I'm trying to go with this anecdote is: I've never felt better since I dropped the energy drinks! A pint of caffeinated sugar might be delicious, but it's taking up 25% of daily recommended calories and the buzz doesn't last long. Haven't kicked caffeine altogether, as I love my morning latte, but definitely doing better.


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## Philligan (Nov 18, 2014)

The Q said:


> I find it *very *hard to start my day though if I don't sleep a solid 8 hours.


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