So you want to know how to stop drinking energy drinks, and you’ve probably tried giving them up before without success? You are already aware of how hard it is to quit. I see and hear of young adults, and even teenagers who are consuming these beverages on a daily basis, and quite frankly, it worries me.

Adolescents are reportedly the fastest-growing population of caffeine users in America. Research indicates 83 percent of teens drink caffeinated beverages regularly, and nearly 96 percent consume them occasionally. Caffeine isn’t the only substance in energy drinks that give consumers a jolt.

My husband will freely admits he had an energy drink addiction. That was before he went cold turkey on and quit energy drinks for the last time. (He discusses this in the podcast episode at the top of this post.)

In this episode we are having a casual conversation about the health issues it was causing for him, how he felt, and the strategy he used to get through the caffeine withdrawal symptoms.

Something we didn’t talk about in the podcast episode that I will mention is that he quit drinking soda twenty years ago. I introduced him to coffee when we met and he still drinks it, but not all day for energy. He drinks a cup in the morning and a few cups during the day. 

Coffee did not replace his consumption of energy drinks. In fact, he says he drinks less coffee now than when he was on energy drinks.

As my husband said when I asked him, a cup of coffee does not give you the same energy levels that the stimulants in energy drinks do. 

That is because energy drinks contain more than caffeine. In addition, people tend to chug energy drinks, whereas they’ll sip coffee. So the caffeine delivered from a cup of coffee is incremental rather than a blast.

Anyone who has tried to stop drinking energy drinks knows they contain addictive ingredients. Although most labels will boast “green tea,” “ginseng” or “B12” to give you an energy boost. That is not natural or healthy and it is akin to greenwashing on a health care level.

Some may contain guarana, caffeine, creatine, ginseng, taurine, and a variety of vitamins, protein, carbohydrates, amino acids, and minerals. B vitamins are known as energy supplements and many energy drinks contain B12 and others in excessive amounts.

When you overdose on most B vitamins the excess is excreted in the urine, however, it is important to note that B12 is a fat-soluble vitamin that is stored in the liver.

B12 is stored in substantial amounts, mainly in the liver, until it is needed by the body. If a person stops consuming the vitamin, the body’s stores of this vitamin usually take about 3 to 5 years to exhaust. Merck

Some energy drink companies are quick to point out that the caffeine content in energy drinks is less than that in coffee. In most cases, that is true.

 As I mentioned, energy drinks contain other harmful ingredients such as synthetic Taurine. In its natural form, Taurine is an amino acid produced by your body. It helps to regulate energy levels, your nervous system, heart beat and more. Added to energy drinks is another way to greenwash consumers.

For my husband, I suggested, he’d be better off to take the amino acid L-Theanine with a cup of his coffee to improve brain fog and increase focus than to drink an energy drink.

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