Energy And Anti Energy Drinks

Energy drink (ED) consumption among young people has become a concern in the United States and a range of health and behavioral consequences has been associated with the use of these drinks (Oteri, Salvo, Caputi, & Calapai, 2007; Lyadurai & Chung, 2007; Laquale, 2007; and Miller, 2008). When consuming high volumes of energy drinks, or mixing them with alcohol, negative consequences such as dehydration, supraventricular tachycardia, seizures, insomnia, anxiety, car wrecks, injury, and death have occurred (Nagajothi, et al., 2008; Reissig, Strain, & Griffiths, 2009). More recently, anti-energy drinks such as drank, Purple Stuff and Sippin Syrup have entered the market, aggressively targeting young people (Noonoo, 2008). Unfortunately, there is a dearth of information about energy drink consumption and even less known about anti-energy drinks. In response, this study employed a survey and qualitative interviews with 186 participants. Fifty-two percent of participants were current ED consumers but only eleven percent were AED consumers. Data analysis showed that ED use is prevalent but that problematic use is relatively small pertaining to only 17% of participants. Furthermore, individuals who consumed alcohol six or more days out of a month were four times more likely to consume EDs. Thematic analysis revealed that ED use is generational and that males tend to purposely binge on ED/alcohol combinations. In the future, larger studies such as the National Survey on Drug Use and Health Behaviors need to include ED use in their measure so that a clearer picture of national trends is obtained.