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Subscribe to RSSA new federal government survey suggests the number of people seeking emergency treatment after consuming energy drinks has doubled nationwide during the past four years, the same period in which the supercharged drinks have surged in popularity in convenience stores, bars and on college campuses.
From 2007 to 2011, the government estimates the number of emergency room visits involving the neon-labeled beverages shot up from about 10,000 to more than 20,000. Most of those cases involved teens or young adults, according to a survey of the nation's hospitals released late last week by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration.
The report doesn't specify which symptoms brought people to the emergency room but calls energy drink consumption a "rising public health problem" that can cause insomnia, nervousness, headache, fast heartbeat and seizures that are severe enough to require emergency care.
Several emergency physicians said they had seen a clear uptick in the number of patients suffering from irregular heartbeats, anxiety and heart attacks who said they had recently downed an energy drink.
More than half of the patients considered in the survey who wound up in the emergency room told doctors they had downed only energy drinks. In 2011, about 42 percent of the cases involved energy drinks in combination with alcohol or drugs, such as the stimulants Adderall or Ritalin.
"A lot of people don't realize the strength of these things. I had someone come in recently who had drunk three energy drinks in an hour, which is the equivalent of 15 cups of coffee," said Howard Mell, an emergency physician in the suburbs of Cleveland, who serves as a spokesman for the American College of Emergency Physicians. "Essentially he gave himself a stress test and thankfully he passed. But if he had a weak heart or suffered from coronary disease and didn't know it, this could have precipitated very bad things."
Concerns over energy drinks have intensified following reports last fall of 18 deaths possibly tied to the drinks - including a 14-year-old Maryland girl who died after drinking two large cans of Monster Energy drinks. Monster does not believe its products were responsible for the death.
Two senators are calling for the Food and Drug Administration to investigate safety concerns about energy drinks and their ingredients.
The energy drink industry says its drinks are safe and there is no evidence linking its products to the adverse reactions.
Late last year, the FDA asked the U.S. Health and Human Services Department to update the figures its substance abuse research arm compiles about emergency room visits tied to energy drinks.
The SAMHSA survey was based on responses from about 230 hospitals each year, a representative sample of about 5 percent of emergency departments nationwide. The agency uses those responses to estimate the number of energy drink-related emergency department visits nationwide.
The more than 20,000 cases estimated for 2011 represent a small portion of the annual 136 million emergency room visits tracked by Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
The FDA said it was considering the findings and pressing for more details as it undertakes a broad review of the safety of energy drinks and related ingredients this spring.
"We will examine this additional information ... as a part of our ongoing investigation into potential safety issues surrounding the use of energy-drink products," FDA spokeswoman Shelly Burgess said in a statement.
Beverage manufacturers fired back at the survey, saying the statistics were misleading and taken out of context.
"This report does not share information about the overall health of those who may have consumed energy drinks, or what symptoms brought them to the ER in the first place," the American Beverage Association said in a statement. "There is no basis by which to understand the overall caffeine intake of any of these individuals - from all sources."
Energy drinks remain a small part of the carbonated soft drinks market, representing only 3.3 percent of sales volume, according to the industry tracker Beverage Digest. Even as soda consumption has flagged in recent years, energy drinks sales are growing rapidly.
In 2011, sales volume for energy drinks rose by almost 17 percent, with the top three companies - Monster, Red Bull and Rockstar - each logging double-digit gains, Beverage Digest found. The drinks are often marketed at sporting events that are popular among younger people such as surfing and skateboarding.
From 2007 to 2011, the most recent year for which data was available, people from 18 to 25 were the most common age group seeking emergency treatment for energy drink-related reactions, the report found.
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This crap is bad for you for sure.
I used to drink a redbull before workouts and basketball games. My heart would sometimes race afterwards. So no more of that for me.
Most of these energy drinks contain no more caffeine per serving than a good cup of coffee. You can not hold the manufacturers responsible for the adverse health effects of teens drinking 12 servings in a matter of a few hours and more than you can hold coffee companies responsible for the adverse health effects of someone drinking a dozen cups of coffee in a few hours. I have read other, more complete, articles about this issue and most of the teens who are showing up in emergency rooms because of their over-consumption of these energy drinks have been found to have underlying health issues that contributed to the problems. I do not think there is anything inherently dangerous about these energy drinks. They are perfectly safe to drink so long as you do so in moderation. You can not hold companies responsible when people abuse their products. We do not hold liquor, beer, or wine manufacturers responsible or try and make changes to their products every time some teen ends up in the ER with alcohol poisoning due to over-consumption. This same logic needs to be applied to these energy drinks. The manufacturers should not be held responsible or forced to change their product because a certain number of teens misuse the product by consuming quantities far beyond what is safe or healthy. These drinks have no more caffeine per serving than a strong cup of coffee and are not inherently dangerous to consume. Leave the manufacturers alone and tell parents to start educating their kids about the health risks of drinking too much caffeine the same way they should be educating them about the dangers of consuming too much alcohol, or many other things for that matter.
"'A lot of people don't realize the strength of these things. I had someone come in recently who had drunk three energy drinks in an hour, which is the equivalent of 15 cups of coffee,' said Howard Mell, an emergency physician in the suburbs of Cleveland, who serves as a spokesman for the American College of Emergency Physicians."
15/3=5
Maybe he is making this number up? I don't drink these energy drinks, so I don't know the caffeine content. Where do you get your numbers JS? I am not saying you are wrong, but your statment does conflict with Dr. Mell's.
JS in SD:
I don't see 20,000 people in the ER for drinking coffee. As for your comparsion of these drinks to alcohol, it is flawed "logic." Alcohol is regulated; teens cannot buy it legally. They can, however, buy these drinks legally. Also, the dangers of alcohol are widely known; no so with energy drinks. And the whole "per serving" issue is nonsense; nobody opens a can of anything only to drink 1/4 of the can.
These drinks need to be regulated, the dangers need to be publicized. "Not for sale to anyone under 21, ID required"... and warning labels, just like alcohol.
I agree the fault falls on the parents, not the manufacturers. But how is the family supposed to sue and get rich then? The parents of the deceased will say, "No amount of money could bring Johnny back." Yet when their lawyer asks for damages there will be an EXACT figure on the document. Story should read, "Idiot parents have idiot childrden who die from lack of self control and the parents who refused to teach those children self control get rich off said child's death."
Cory,
Parents are a small part of the problem. There are parents out there who do allow their kids to drink these things without reading the labels of what is in them. If parents read the labels, it clearly states (at least on the Monster brands) "drinks are not recommended for children, pregnant women or people sensitive to caffeine."
The other part of the problem is that most parents may not be aware that their kids are purchasing these if they are available at schools or if the kids stop at a quick stop on the way to school or a friend's house. I agree with the idea that ID should be required in purchasing the drinks that was mentioned by Sum. These honestly shouldn't be consumed by kids.
I agree children should not drink energy beverages. I do no drink energy beverages either. I disagree with the idea that the manufacturer is to blame. To regulate an energy drink, in my opinion, is giving more Americans another reason to not be held accountable for lack of guidence and/ or judgement. IT IS ALWAYS SOMEONE ELSE'S FAULT.
I will also agree that these products SHOULD NOT be in our schools.
"I will also agree that these products SHOULD NOT be in our schools."
That is called regulation.
used to drink 2x a night in undergrad during finals week, and often had mixed drinks with them (redbull vodka, jager bomb, etc etc). Now I just get terrible anxiety and can't even take a sip of coffee.
But that is to be set in place by the schools themselves. No government funds spent, none. And if a school allows those products to be sold, send your kids to another school. No attorney general involvement. Same as in your household, we can "regulate" products in our lives ourselves. We do not need more government to do everything for us. They accomplish very little now and get paid alot to do so. Civilian petitons go a long way, trust me. Stop relying on elected idiots, (I'm sorry, officials) to solve your kids problems. Handle it.
I love Red Bull.
We better ban Red Bull!! It is dangerous and evil and out to get you (the actual drink that is, not the company and its employees duh, that wouldn't make any sense if the people were evil, the drink is evil) and people shouldn't be able to make their own decisions to not drink it if it causes them problems. We need stricter energy drink control to protect us from this evil drink. Energy drink=EVIL! Ban Red Bull, think of the children!
I rarely, if ever, consume energy drinks anymore -- they're far too high in sugar, but that's besides the point. The point is that people need to stop blaming industries for their lack of self control. Stop blaming the fast food industry because you, of your own volition, consciously over ordered and then over consumed the recommended amount of calories. Stop blaming the energy drink industry cause people don't know how caffeine works, splurge, and then end up in the ER. Stop blaming the industry cause your dumb behind doesn't understand that the body is a system: you get out of it what you put in.
OK, the warning is out there. If people don't have enough sense to not use something harmful, that is their choice. Not really governments place to micro-manage peoples lives. They want to legalize pot. Like that is not harmful in any manner? Pot: yes... energy drink: no. Politicians have gone mad listening to too many idiots.
JS - A lot of these drinks contain MORE caffeine than a cup of coffee. Also, the size of the cans is getting larger for most brands, with a typical can having 2-4 servings. People don't look at these serving sizes, as with most packages, they just consume the entire can and assume it's one serving. While people should be held accountable for their actions, the manufacturers should be, too. You can't place the blame only on one party.
I do hope you realize how absolutely retarded you sound. Might be time to grow up.
It's not the energy drinks that are the problem, it's the user. Like in so many other examples, if I drank 15 cups of coffee in an hour, or took 20 sleeping pills, etc... then I would get sick or dry as well. These drinks are clearly marked for content and effect. I drink 3 or 4 a week that are sugar-free and have antioxidants in them that are actually good for me. I hope the scatter shot approach of legislation ruins this product for those that use it with common sense.
Hey folks, on the debate about which drink has more caffeine, look here:
http://www.energyfiend.com/the-caffeine-database
Based on that, most of you are incorrect on which has more. HOWEVER some of you have made a valid point in which you said that no one is just going to drink 1/4 of a can. So while the energy drinks may have less caffeine per serving, there are more servings consumed at that time.
I meant I hope legislation doesn't ruin it for those that use energy drinks responsibly.
Hmmm, truth is, Energy Drinks are not touted as "harmful or dangerous to one's health" unless you are pregnant or have a sensitivity to caffeine. I for one, never had an energy drink nor have my kids to my knowledge except maybe having tried it once or twice and not liked it much as they told me. They are older now, 25 yr. old dtr. and 18 yr. old son in college), however, as a parent who talks to my kids and is very aware I have discussed the dangers of the "energy drink" craze with them in the past and they would rather have a good cup of Starbucks coffee or Dunkin' Donuts Ice Coffee for a quick pick me up than an energy drink. On the other hand, I disagree with you on marijuana. Pot is probably less dangerous or harmful to a person in good health if smoked in moderation than an energy drink. I myself, don't smoke it, however, my kids do, my partner does, my boss who is an attorney, even smokes on ocassion to relax at nite, and I can tell you it's less harmful than alcohol as well. The studies they've done on alcohol recently showing that even 2 or 3 drinks a day or binge drinking on weekends (especially for women) is almost as bad as smoking cigerattes for a person's health, and at times even worse. Go figure, that's legal too!!! Smoking pot has not proven to be half as bad for you as alcohol or energy drinks.
@Chris - Thanks for posting the link, that is where I did my research. I sent the link out privately to a few because the link did not want to paste properly for me. Unfortunately too many people on here spouted off calling me wrong without even bothering to check the facts. And of course the sheep are all too willing to believe these people because they state their uninformed opinions as if they are certain facts. Most energy drinks have less caffeine per serving than a cup of coffee. The one thing I applaud many of the manufacturers for is that their products come in resealable containers when the container is more than one serving to try and encourage people not to drink the entire container at once. You can not stop people from being stupid and not reading the information provided for them on the packaging nor can you blame the manufacturer for that fact.
I'm a regular energy drink consumer, but I limit myself to a max of two in one day. Unfortunately, virtually everyone I know drinks far, far more than that. I think that excessive use of these products is the norm.
I'm sure our government will move to ban energy drinks next. If people want to be stupid and drink this @!$%#, I say let them. I have the same stance on drug use.
Anytime, JS.
People need to learn how to read labels and learn MODERATION.
I like 5hr Energy on occassion if I'm really dragging, but I always split it into halves or even thirds. It's just caffeine, vitamins, amino acids and a little bit of sweetner... nothing that is inherently bad for you, if you employ MODERATION.
If you react badly to these products, DON'T USE THEM.
On the other hand, the label probably should be modified... If I'm not mistaken, the 5HR Energy label says no more than two bottles in a 24 hr period. I personally would never take two bottles in one day, I would say no more than 1. Two really seems excessive to me. They have a higher stregth kind - I don't buy it. The regular kind is potent enough!
We need "energy drink control."
No way, this is just Darwinism in action. We need population control and the best way to do that is increased consumption of energy drinks and arming the mentally ill.
You would think so if your fourteen-year-old daughter dropped dead after drinking one. Guaranteed.
But I would bet that you don't have kids?
I have two young daughters, and I do not allow them to drink any caffinated beverages. That does not mean that they will not drink it when I am not around. Therefore, I make an effort to explain the harmfull effects in detail to them. Accountability is lacking in today's society.
Somehow I doubt that any healthy 14yr old would die simply from having one of these energy drinks.
Having just one, no. But most healthy 14-17 yr olds, that do drink energy drinks, have more than that. They will have one in the morning before school, one during break if they are feeling a crash from the first, and then one after school if they are involved with sports or extra curricular activities.
Of course State, that's my point. I'm just saying that no healthy 14yr old will die from drinking one.
It's all moderation. Just like anything else.
If I go to the gym after work, I will have a 5hr energy an hour before. It keeps me going.
If I go before work, I just drink a couple of full glasses of water for hydration and have coffee after my workout, when I eat my breakfast.
But for me it's just the one.
LOL, I think it might be the cheap Popov Vodka the college students drown this "mixer" in, get a clue please. I know the ER Nurses are smart and recognize this factor immediately.
I knew a guy who downed a 5-hour enrgy drink before he worked out, he died during his workout. He was young (30) and healthy. No alcohol was involved.
LOL!
Nice try freebird, "he was young and healthy" but sure like Big Macs and Bacon. Most people who die like this in a gym have clogged arteries. Don't blame the drink for the fat.
triple cheese, double sauce, triple patty, extra lettus, special orders don't up settus, Arrrhhhh, my chest, make it stop......
Most, but not all. Maybe he did have clogged arteries and maybe he would have lived if he hadn't had the energy drink. Who knows? But facts are facts: he had the energy drink, worked out (weightlifting), then died.
I'm 56yrs old, and have a 5hr energy before I work out. No side affects so far.
It's all about Moderation. I can't believe one 5hr energy would kill someone. Especially a 30yr old There must have been some other underlying issue.
High school athletes drop dead from undiagnosed hear defects...can't make blanket assumptions...
Key word is "Undiagnosed". The cause is there. Just that no one knew at the time.
with over half the country's population sitting on their ass doing nothing except collecting govt handouts, why is it we need energy drinks?
Half, huh? Is that some more Republican "facts"? Is that you Romney? I know you thought you were going to win the election, but posting as "Uncle Henry" on nbcnews is a low.
My Grandma collelcts a gov't check, what do you have to say about her?
Uncle Henry,you have the BEST and certainly true comment of the day!!! It's going to be 80% in the next 4 years.
Pay people a living wage... otherwise, cough up your money to pay for the food stamps.
Jobs pay what the job is determined to be worth, NOT what a person is considered to be worth.
The percentage will grow because as we baby boomers RETIRE, we will collect the government checks we PAID FOR. If you have a problem with that, move to a country like China and hope your children care enough to take of you when you get old. But for now you can just stop mom and dad's checks and have them live you so you can take care of them without Social Security or medicare. That will help to drop the percentages.
As for the energy drinks, either package them in one serving containers or regulate them. You give a kid a can and they will consume the entire thing without reading the label. How many of you read the labels when you were in Jr. high and high school? Yes, parents can regulate their child's ability to access these things if we regulate it the same way we do alcohol. These beverages are all over the schools and available to kids in vending machines and from friends.
here comes the ban...
So is Cuomo going to ban energy drinks in New York now? What's next, showing your ID before you take a pee?
I drink 5 hour once in awhile, sometimes it gives me a stomach and guess what, I stop. Simple as that.
I hydrate myself so I never run into these problems others claim.
I have never had problems from Hydroxy cut ORIGINAL and I have had great results from other supplements.
I just wish I knew where the US Government thinks they have the authority to ban, police, imprison and regulate the hell out of it's citizens.
It's gotten to the point where we are nit-picked on a daily bases from energy drinks to cutting down a tree on our own property.
Someone forget to mention that we pay their salaries to defend the country, maintain the highways and not to tell me what I can put into my body as long as I don't threaten another citizen.
"I drink 5 hour once in awhile, sometimes it gives me a stomach..."
That's pretty serious. How many stomachs do you have now? You should probably get that checked out.
You do understand the difference between "banned" and "regulated," right? You do understand the difference between a "decision" and an "informed decision," right? How would you like to buy an OTC medication that had no dosing information, no warning labels, no nothing... just a plain bottle emblazoned with an ad offering to cure your headache, no other information given? Well, why should an energy drink be able to pack the juice with a potentially fatal amount of caffeine and sell it to a minor, or even an adult, no questions asked? Get real.
Sum Succubus - You do understand the difference between accepting some accountability for your life and having the government regulate every risk you face, right?
joemike404, everyone has some accountability. We do, and the companies that sell us products do. The government exists to keep us safe, to "govern". Regulating this kind of crap is in the job description. For a sucessful government, that means keeping the general population from killing themselves and others. So if you want to leave and go live in some third world country that could care less what is in your beverages because most of the population is dying from Aids/Starvation/Warfare etc. anyway, then feel free to. Some of us Americans like the fact that the government looks out for us.
"We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable rights, that among these rights are Life, Liberty and the Pursuit of Happiness. That to secure these rights governments are instituted among men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed." Declaration of Independence, 1776
Government does not exist to keep us safe other than to provide for the common defense.
Great...now the government is going to waste ten of millions investigating energy drinks.
Is the problem "energy drinks" or the "failure" of the US education system to impart common sense and basic science in grade school? It is time to let Darwin run the United States. Let the stupid people die out!
Common sense should be imparted by the parents; then again, there is both the solution, and the problem...
What is also not stated is how many of these drinks the individual consumes in a period of time as well as a combination of other caffeine drinks one has with the energy drinks. People with health issues shouldn't be drinking this stuff and those who don't have a health issue, need to know that these drinks are to be consumed in moderation.
I have been drinking the Monster energy drinks since they first came out. I use to drink 2-3 in one day when I had planned to be doing a lot of activity. I found out I would get jittery and feel my heart pickup pace. Since then I have limited it to one energy drink and I nurse the thing over the course of the day while at work. No ill effects since making the change. It comes down to people understanding that they can't just down these things in under 10 minutes and then have another in a 2 to 3 hour period for those who are drinking them mulitple times a day. Considering that the report isn't being detailed about the health issues of those admitted to the ER or how many of the energy drinks, it's hard to say if the energy drink industry is to blame. Not to mention that kids should be allowed to drink these at all since their absorption of the drink is different than an adult's.
I forgot a word in there. So here is the fixed sentence:
"Not to mention that kids should not be allowed to drink these at all since their absorption of the drink is different than an adult's."
Stop using common sense...! ;-)
I CAN'T! It's such a terrible habit I have developed. I am such a horrible person for it XD
We need to ban these high capacity energy drinks! Pass a law against all internet sales of these drinks and call for a national registry of energy drink users.
Sound ridiculous? Whatdaya bet this is Bloomberg's next "Coctos Society"?
No, but your guns should be banned. Definitely. And it's coming soon. Very soon. And I'm all in favor of it.
No succubus, its really not.
I used to work in an Emergency Room and I saw plenty of young people come in after drinking those things. They would complain of heart palpitations, dizziness, some were even in A-Fib. Many had no underlying condition that would have contributed to this. Part of the problem is that the energy drink makers are inconsistent with the amount of caffeine in their products. One lot may have a safe level of caffeine, while the next lot has two or three times that amount. Then of course there are the partyers who mix energy drinks with alcohol or lord knows what else.
While I don't think that there should be an outright ban on these things, I do think a little regulation is called for. If you go buy a bottle of Vodka, you can read the alcohol content right on the bottle, you should be able to do the same with a can of Red Bull or Monster. You should know exactly what you are putting in to your body. Also I think maybe the sale should be restricted to people over 18. But once those two conditions are met, if you are an adult I see no reason why you shouldn't be able to poison yourself, cigarettes are still legal, after all.
Monster does have the content labeled:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:MonsterENSup.jpg
As well as a label stating children, pregnant women and people sensitive to caffeine should not drink this beverage.
I don't know if Red Bull does.
I work for an Energy Drink Mfg. We test every batch of Energy drink produced for caffeine levels to make sure they meet our specifications prior to product be released for distribution. We require all of our bottlers to have specialized testing equipment specifically for that purpose. Do caffeine levels vary from Brand to brand, yes. But being familiar with the other name brands, I can assure you they also test to make sure the caffeine levels are within their specifications.
For those of you calling for regulation of drinks containing caffeine, I have to assume you want this to apply to coffee houses also. As far as I know there is no regulation or testing done on the amount of caffeine in your daily Starbucks!
Remember " A government big enough to give you everything you want, is strong enough to take everything you have". Thomas Jefferson
People are abusing these drinks. If they followed the recommendations, there would be less visits to the hospital plain and simple.
Aboslutely, they are exactly like alcohol.
Energy drinks are by no means exactly like alcohol. But like any other consumable product must be taken as directed..Most people totally ignore the labels....I agree with Brad-785513
Really people...lets talk about the real reasond why the ER visits are up...it's most likely due to the medication these people are taking in conjunction with the energy drings, than the energy drinks themselves....
Clearly, energy drinks need to be banned. I mean, it's not like alcoholic beverages and nicotine cause a far greater blight on society. But hey, lets focus on energy drinks because that's what's popular these days.
Kind of like how if anyone in the US as much as discharges a firearm in the air, it somehow winds up in the national media now.
Who is calling for energy drinks to be banned? Or is this just a red herring?
Only during New Year's celebrations and 4th of July. There really are no other national holidays in the U.S. that people will fire their guns into the air where you have a large number of reports coming in of people getting hit with bullets from the sky.
The only people who are pushing the drinks to get banned are those who are ignorant and fail to look at the labels of these drinks that do state who shouldn't have them and what is contained in the drinks. Instead of people accepting that they had a lapse in judgement, they prefer to blame company that followed regulations in having the label list what is in the drink and how much each content is in it.
Someone mentioned earlier a comparison of energy drinks and alcohol. Both are poison if there is excessive drinking of the two. In most cases of both drinks, you drink too much you can guarantee being placed in the ER because you essentially poisoned yourself.
A lot of these people who ended up in the ER do not understand that these energy drinks are to be had in moderation and kids don't understand that these drinks are not meant for them to have. People are so quick to point the blame at the manufacturing companies instead of understanding that it is the individual's responsibility to know how much they can take based on what is on the label. Children don't have that capability and so parents are to be responsible in knowing if their kids are accessing this with or without their permission. Parents need a larger role in their kids education as to why they can't have this stuff while retail stores should start a policy that ID is required in order to get energy drinks. This will cut down on kids and teenagers getting these drinks and over-consuming them. After that, you are left with those adults who should be educated enough to understand their own limits of consuming a product if they land themselves in the ER.
There are some parents who are calling for the ban after their child has gotten sick or died from drinking these products.
"...while retail stores should start a policy that ID is required in order to get energy drinks."
So you are suggesting a background check before the sale of any energy drinks? That goes against the Constitution.
Bob Freebird is correct. THIS IS A DIVERSION TO TAKE OUR MINDS OFF OF THE BLATANT UNDERMINING OF OUR CONSTITUTION BY OUR 'FUHRER'! Fcuk energy drinks! What about my 2nd amendment right to protect myself and mine when someone hopped up on these 'evil' energy drinks comes busting/creeping into my house. For being so young of a nation, we sure didn't waste time inserting our collective heads up our bungholes. My comfort is knowing that I was not a part of this madness that has occurred over the past 4 years and which will CONTINUE to occur for another 4. I voted (and will continue to vote) INDEPENDENT. I have the hope that one day, the people of this country will become able to DEMAND that our government become accountable to its people instead of the 'world view'. We must answer to OURSELVES first before we cower to the opinions and judgments of other nations, some of which owe the very sanctity of their very culture to the U.S. Still, we apologize, we give HUUUUGE sums of money(bribes), we cajole and court the world stage like a 67 year old millionaire with a 22 year old starlet. WHEN and HOW will we ever be able to truly bring change to this nation, good solid change?
Bob Freebird
Yes Freebird....that is exactly what I am saying. /sarcasm
It all comes down to personal responsibility which no one wants hear today. Today it's always someone elses fault when you do something wrong.
It's the Meanie Big Corporations fault that you are hooked on Mcd's or Starbucks or candy bars and are obese. It's the drug companies fault when you are hooked on legal drugs. It's the banks fault you maxed out your credit cards, or bought a house you didn't have snow balls chance in hell of paying for and now are in foreclosure.
People need to start taking responsibility for their own actions. I know this isn't popular in our "Sue the rich guy" world, but we will never recover from the mess we are in now with out it.
If a case for patient dumping could be made, this reason would top the list.
We should ban them all now - by executive order if need be. It's FOR THE CHILDREN! OH PLEASE SOMEBODY THINK OF THE CHILDREN!!!
ROFL! Joe, I see where you're coming from and I TOTALLY AGREE with you.
Need to buy CASE UPON CASE of these things b/c soon they will be outlawed, as well. Their value will skyrocket while the stock circles the drain...
Like the people who bought up all the stock of Twinkies in the stores before they stopped selling them.
These kids down drink after drink, not knowing that they're only for every once in awhile, and ONE drink only, and we wonder why they're sick?
These kids are IDIOTS that obviously cannot be trusted with their own health. My dad drinks energy drinks every once in awhile, I hardly ever see him with one. Why can't these kids learn some self control?
Because they are kids.
Because, in general, kids don't understand self control. Why do you see many of them throw tantrums or rebel when a parent tells them no? And many of these kids don't learn self control until later when they've almost killed themselves binge drinking at college parties.
Then they should be banned from kids with no brains.
True, they're kids, but the parents should do some parenting. Chances are, these parents are also quite stupid and shouldn't have even had kids to begin with. This is why procreation should not be a right - but something you have to earn by having a high enough IQ.
"Then they should be banned from kids with no brains." -JGARAY56
Why, we sell firearms to adults with no brains.
"This is why procreation should not be a right - but something you have to earn by having a high enough IQ." -thisguy-3398482
Great, someone else calling for more government control. What's next, saying "firearm ownership should not be a right - but something you have to earn by having a high enough IQ.""
First off, PLEASE leave firearms out of it. The last thing needed is a gun debate on an energy drink article.
And the "because they are kids" argument? I don't buy that for one SECOND. I drank energy drinks when I was younger, but never ended up in the hospital? Why? Because I practiced self control. So don't tell me that kids are incapable of self control.
Like I said, these kids are obviously IDIOTS who CANNOT BE TRUSTED with their own health.
"Like I said, these kids are obviously IDIOTS who CANNOT BE TRUSTED with their own health."
We should just let them kill themselves then. A little culling the herd never hurt anything; just makes the herd stronger.
Bob, that's harsh, but I still agree with you. It's the cleansing of the gene pool.
My cousin of 45 years old died of a stroke from smoking and drinking Red Bull everyday for breakfast. Her high blood pressure and not taking her medication didn't help but also adding too much caffeine. Don't drink these drinks. They're no good for ones health. The company of course is going to deny it since all they care about is the bottom line.
Your cousin smoked, had high blood pressure and didn't take her meds and you're blaming Red Bull for her death?
Sorry, that is just plain foolishness.
I agree with Janine.
It sounds more like the Red Bull was the match to the fuse of health issues your cousin had. Even if your cousin didn't have a Red Bull, they still could have died from high blood pressure if stress became too much while failing to take their medication.
how does one smoke a red bull energy drink?
@#%$@#$!!!! Just another thing for Congress to ban. Heck, they're trying to ban sodas, guns, lard, now energy drinks. They've already banned my incandescent light bulbs.
I'm so mad. I could just spit.
Spitting is unsanitary...we oughta ban it.....
New petition to the White House!!! =P
Yeah I'd like to know when the last person died from an Incandescent light bulb.
ROFL about the light bulb comment!
Great... now because people are so stupid, the government will step in and put laws in place on energy drinks. What's wrong with survival of the fittest? If you're too stupid to consume something in dangerous quantities and such, then you got what you deserve. Our fascination with creating safety nets for stupid people is only dumbing down our population. Go see Idiocracy - it's actually quite accurate.
Good movie.....yet scary how close to the truth it is on many things.
Now, what corrupt Republican corporate sells this $hit! Just nothing more but their UNCONTROLLED CAPITALISTIC GREED of which there is NO END IN SIGHT!
LET'S TAKE THEM OUT, ONCE & FOREVER!!!
Now, what corrupt Republican corporate sells this $hit! Just nothing more but their UNCONTROLLED CAPITALISTIC GREED of which there is NO END IN SIGHT!
LET'S TAKE THEM OUT, ONCE & FOREVER!!!
sounds like you need to start an occupy 7-11 movement. good luck with that hippie.
This should NOT be about controlling or regulating. This SHOULD be about personal responsibility. I buy a Monster a couple of times per week when the coffee just isn't cutting it. I'm fine. It doesn't make me feel weird (that comes naturally...) or jittery. If you don't like them or the way they make you feel, DON'T BUY THEM!
SUM SUCCUBUS - Why do you feel it's the governments job to tell us if and when we can have one of these. Guns? Obviously we know where you stand. BUT, did you realize that 107 nations have far higher murder rates than the US? Bermuda's rate is nearly 4 times higher than ours. AND ALL of these nations have 100% GUN CONTROL. Please explain this to me...
Liberals...
Country
Homicide Rate by Guns
% of US
United States
3.2
-
Switzerland
0.77
24.1%
Italy
0.71
22.2%
Belgium
0.68
21.3%
Canada
0.51
15.9%
Ireland
0.48
15.0%
Sweden
0.41
12.8%
Netherlands
0.33
10.3%
Greece
0.26
8.1%
Spain
0.2
6.3%
Germany
0.19
5.9%
New Zealand
0.16
5.0%
Australia
0.14
4.4%
Isreal
0.09
2.8%
England
0.07
2.2%
France
0.06
1.9%
Japan
0.01
0.3%
I think it is a bit more complicated than just gun control (which all these countries have to a much greater degree than the US). To be clear, I own several firearms and think it would be fun to shoot an M249 SAW. Maybe I should have gone to West Point, after all.
I did a lot of stupid things in my youth and I am still here to tell about it. Could it be that when government butts into education and lowers the passing standard it is also lowering the kids abilities to think? It is the same thing as banning guns. Guns don't shoot themselves and energy drinks don't kill people.My solution Up the education standard in America and ban politicians. I would like to see how many of our politicians would do well on a game show called 'Are You Smarter Than A Fifth Grader'.
I know some young people that use the energy drinks before a night of consuming alcohol. They told me they could drink more alcohol that way and still function. Great combination.