At Charles M. Russell high school caffeine is one of the most addictive and accessible drugs on today’s market, described by BetterHealth as a drug that stimulates your brain and nervous system. Their offspring ‘Energy Drinks’ contain high levels of this stimulant, found on shelves in every gas station or grocery store in the country, and has dominated every public high school across the nation, including CMR. Behind the fun flavors and unique names, each can unknowingly sell potential cancers, liver failure, high blood pressure, heart disease, insomnia and even muscle breakdown.
A high portion of high school kids are addicted to these drinks, a statistic from Medical Nutrition Therapy revealing that 96 percent of teenagers consume energy drinks, and 83 percent of those consume them regularly. A 2002 study in which 36 high school students who consume caffeine daily were each given outpatient evaluations for their caffeine addiction, finding that; ‘Of 36 subjects, 41.7 percent reported tolerance to caffeine, 77.8 percent described withdrawal symptoms after reduction of caffeine intake, 38.9 percent reported desire or unsuccessful attempts to control use, and 16.7 percent endorsed use despite knowledge of physical or psychological problems associated with caffeine.’
This statistic provides insight into the levels of addiction that students experience. The vending machines, DECA store, and The Rustler Roast sell hundreds of energy drinks to students daily, not including out-of-school purchases. The plague of students’ health declining rises more and more as energy drinks spread. Reports of liver failure, insomnia and accelerated heart rate have been found among CMR students. Robin Watts, CMR’s school nurse, has had her own experience with this issue.
“I can think of a couple visits I’ve had in the past where students had way too many energy drinks. I’m talking like five,” she said. “Their heart rates were really high with good reason because of how many they had.”
In light of these incidents, the question of why student caffeine addictions have risen is now on the table. Watts’ answer to this is simple. She said that the accessibility of these beverages, especially the fact they’re sold in school, may cause the sudden spike of consumption.
“It drives me nuts that they’re in the vending machines, even though they’re sugar free,” she said.
The DECA store and Rustler Roast provided numbers on how many energy drinks sell a day. The DECA store’s Linda Sullivan said she sells an average of 100 white and peach Monsters, and Rustler Roast sells about 65 Red Bulls and infusions each day, tallying to more than 800 weekly. The ease of purchasing them at school has become a key factor in their consumption. Even businesses sell these drinks. Sport gear brands and gym influencers market them as brand deals. It’s not only convenience that affects their popularity, but also their new found Internet fame.
The Prism Medical article ‘Unleashing the Buzz’ covered this topic of social norms, partnerships, appealing designs and themes, and influential ads that have become the biggest components of these beverages’ spread. Even the name ‘Energy Drink’ is among the marketing strategies. It’s a friendly name for an unfriendly product.
The energy drink craze may not last forever, similar to the nationwide issue of teens vaping. It is possible this addiction won’t last forever, as vaping has gone down around a million teens in the last year, though that doesn’t mean this is something to ignore. The creeping addiction in students is a worry and the long-term health effects will not disappear immediately. White Light Behavioral Health provides alternatives like herbal teas, coconut water, fruit juice and low sugar electrolyte drinks that are perfect replacements for energy drinks, and recommends slowly decreasing intake to prevent extreme withdrawals and hefty bodily effects.
