Energy in a Can

I saw a kid the other day downing one of those energy drinks. I told him that he should not be drinking those things. I gave him all the reasons why. I even pointed to the small print that read, “This product is not for children.”

The boy shrugged his shoulders and said, “I drink them all the time.” I tried to tell him what these products actually do to the body. I referred him to the label and all the things that it said. I think what I said went in one ear and right out the other. And why should he listen to me?

There are about a dozen or so choices in the local store and these products are marketed in such a way that they look cool. If I didn’t know better, I might be tempted to try one. But I do know better.

Who needs an energy drink anyway? Maybe people who run marathons or ironmans. Not a regular kid who is hanging out after school. By the way, this kid goes to my school so I was hoping our discussion might actually get him thinking, but I think his brain had been turned off for the evening.

And this isn’t the only time I have seen school-age kids consuming these drinks. I think that these energy drinks should be no different than cigarettes. Stores should not be allowed to sell them to kids. I don’t think they should be sold at all. And yet they seem to have taken hold in our culture.

I see kids and adults drinking these things all the time. I have also seen adults mixing these drinks with alcohol. Alcohol is a depressant and those drinks are stimulants. That combination does really weird things to your heart.

I don’t know how these companies can manufacture products that they must know are not healthy. I don’t know why we let them advertise and make these things appealing to kids. I don’t know why we sell them.

Energy doesn’t come in a can. It comes from a healthy lifestyle. Make healthy food choices and get a good amount of exercise. This is the key to having energy. It works for me.


8 responses to “Energy in a Can”

  1. Hi Chase,

    That is sad to see, isn’t it?

    I remember one day I was in Costco and they were demo-ing a energy type drink that had caffeine in it. A young child walked up, and asked for a sample. The guy said “No, I can’t give this to you because it has caffeine”. The kid yelled to his mom and said “hey, can I have one of these?” The mom said “sure”, but the demo guy still wouldn’t give it to the kid. Finally the mom came up, took a sample and handed it to the kid.

    I was so proud of the sampler guy for holding his ground.

    You’re right, energy does come from a proper diet.

  2. Great story Barbara. Thanks for sharing it.

    I don’t understand the mom here. It’s like she was battling against the vendor. It doesn’t show the kid anything about respect. The vendor seems to be the only one that did the right thing here. It’s a good story that a lot of people coudl learn from.

  3. The engery drinks are a thing that should not be sold, I told a friend that those drinks are bad for your health. Do you think that she even listened to me? NO, she still drank it and she drinks them almost everyday. I have seen studies done on those drinks and never want to try them. I think there should be a limit on the ages for people to drink those things. But it all probably has to do with money they want to sell those things and make money they don’t care about the health of kids.

  4. Maybe the health concerns really need to be trumpeted by the general public before anything is done about it. If we kick up a fuss, maybe someone will hear and take action.

    It did take a really long time for health warnings to appear on cigarettes after all.

  5. Meh, scientifically they’re not that bad. Some of them are, some aren’t.

    I agree that kids shouldn’t be allowed to drink it though, I refused to sell it at the bar I work at to young kids. Children as young as 8 would try to buy them. Remember when kids used to just drink coke? heh

  6. I think they do end up needing them. After spending the whole night playing WoW, you still have to go to school (and sleep there). That’s of course silly and you can’t help but wonder where are the parents (perhaps getting wasted with their friends?)

    I hate their taste so playing The Elder Scrolls IV all night long had to be compensated with sleeping extra the following night or during weekends. 🙁

  7. Nobody needs energy perks or drugs. We just need to have a healthy lifestyle. That is truly what gives us energy.

    I also get energized off of comments. Keep ‘em coming. Thanks!

  8. Ha. Ha. Well, I suppose there’a our little dilemma: MMORPGs or healthy lifestyle? Guess what kids would prefer.

    (Or, better yet, some quality time alone with your PC and a one-player RTS game)