Would You Like A Little Alarmism With Your Red Bull?
Are you fond of the refreshing effects of a super-caffeinated beverage every now and again? Well, that probably means you're on your way to become a drug abuser. According to psychiatry professor Roland Griffiths, who's calling for caffeinated drinks to carry health warnings, energy drink consumption in college students "predicted subsequent non-medical use of prescription stimulants, like Ritalin." Horrifying! If only they were just smoking pot and moving on to injecting heroin, like previous generations.
He also points out that the latest breed of energy drinks contain far more caffeine than is FDA approved, risking overdose, although it's hard to imagine a less sex, drugs and rock'n'roll OD story than "I drank two cans of Red Bull, my heart raced a bit, then I had trouble dropping off to sleep."
