# Which is worse: Alcohol or Monster/Red Bull type drinks? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [March 10, 2017, 5:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-is-worse-alcohol-or-monster-red-bull-type-drinks/781880 "2017-03-10T17:02:26Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Grrr](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/grrr/32/146_2.png) [@Grrr](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Grrr)\ **Post date:** [March 10, 2017, 5:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-is-worse-alcohol-or-monster-red-bull-type-drinks/781880/1 "2017-03-10T17:02:26Z")
If you folks would kindly help me settle an argument. 🙂 So which is worse? 3 to 4 “Energy” drinks on a daily basis? Or Plowing through no more than a twelve pack on a single night in a given week? I’m thinking energy drinks have to be worse considering they are being consumed every day. (Not that drinking a 12 pack in a week is all that great either) ---
**Author:** ![running\_coach](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/running_coach/32/15836_2.png) [@running\_coach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/running_coach)\ **Post date:** [March 10, 2017, 5:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-is-worse-alcohol-or-monster-red-bull-type-drinks/781880/2 "2017-03-10T17:08:43Z")
energy drinks are just caffeine. have you seen how much coffee some people drink? Most energy drinks barely match a cup of coffee. A _six ounce_ cup of coffee. When you consider the mugs most people use, energy drinks are weak. ---
**Author:** ![DrFidelius](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/drfidelius/32/3447_2.png) [@DrFidelius](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrFidelius)\ **Post date:** [March 10, 2017, 5:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-is-worse-alcohol-or-monster-red-bull-type-drinks/781880/3 "2017-03-10T17:11:59Z")
Include sodas (or any of the other flavored sugar waters) in the poll and I may participate. ---
**Author:** ![DCnDC](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dcndc/32/2842_2.png) [@DCnDC](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DCnDC)\ **Post date:** [March 10, 2017, 5:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-is-worse-alcohol-or-monster-red-bull-type-drinks/781880/4 "2017-03-10T17:14:26Z")
A toxic dose of caffeine is over 10 grams/day. A 12 oz Red Bull contains 111mg of caffeine. 3-4 a day is nowhere near a harmful dose. Regular binge drinking is not good, but a single instance is very likely harmless. ---
**Author:** ![boffking](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/858c86/32.png) [@boffking](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/boffking)\ **Post date:** [March 10, 2017, 5:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-is-worse-alcohol-or-monster-red-bull-type-drinks/781880/5 "2017-03-10T17:15:43Z")
Caffeine isn’t much of an issue, but keep in mind that energy drinks often have more sugar than soda. ---
**Author:** ![Grrr](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/grrr/32/146_2.png) [@Grrr](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Grrr)\ **Post date:** [March 10, 2017, 5:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-is-worse-alcohol-or-monster-red-bull-type-drinks/781880/6 "2017-03-10T17:29:11Z")
> [@boffking](#): > > Caffeine isn’t much of an issue, but keep in mind that energy drinks often have more sugar than soda. Yeah, I really wasn’t taking caffeine into my consideration. (it seems like a non issue to me) I was thinking all that sugar intake has got to make it worse. ---
**Author:** ![quimper](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/q/7c8e57/32.png) [@quimper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/quimper)\ **Post date:** [March 10, 2017, 5:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-is-worse-alcohol-or-monster-red-bull-type-drinks/781880/7 "2017-03-10T17:37:18Z")
The 12 pack, esp if its binged in one night. Your liver only has limited amounts of Alcohol dehydrogenases (ADH) and Coenzyme A (COA) to neutralize the poisonous ethanol. Binging just damages the liver more. ---
**Author:** ![elbows](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/b3f665/32.png) [@elbows](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/elbows)\ **Post date:** [March 10, 2017, 5:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-is-worse-alcohol-or-monster-red-bull-type-drinks/781880/8 "2017-03-10T17:39:56Z")
They also usually contain an unregulated herbal ingredient that intensifies the effect of the caffeine. Also they are heavily promoted by skate/snowboard companies and the like, usually to teens. And 10yr olds can and do buy them as a result! Also, college kids routinely combine alcohol and monster drinks, I’m thinking that’s gotta be the worst of all. Hopelessly drunk and no hope of passing out! Yipes! ---
**Author:** ![somepumpkin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/7feea3/32.png) [@somepumpkin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/somepumpkin)\ **Post date:** [March 10, 2017, 6:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-is-worse-alcohol-or-monster-red-bull-type-drinks/781880/9 "2017-03-10T18:35:34Z")
From my limited research into NAFLD, one could reason that the constant battering of your liver with those sugar molecules is going to be worse than a 1-day 12-pack session. [http://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2016/01/13/sugar-destroys-liver-brain.aspx](http://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2016/01/13/sugar-destroys-liver-brain.aspx) _“Sugar acts as a chronic, dose-dependent liver toxin (poison) when consumed in excess, Dr. Lustig has stated.”_ > **[Surprising Things That Hurt Your Liver](https://www.webmd.com/hepatitis/ss/slideshow-surprising-liver-damage)** > > Alcohol and acetaminophen are well-known liver dangers, but what else can be harmful? WebMD says some of them may surprise you. _“Too much sugar isn’t just bad for your teeth. It can harm your liver, too. The organ uses one type of sugar, called fructose, to make fat. Too much refined sugar and high-fructose corn syrup causes a fatty buildup that can lead to liver disease. Some studies show that sugar can be as damaging to the liver as alcohol, even if you’re not overweight. It’s one more reason to limit foods with added sugars, such as soda, pastries, and candy.”_ Note, I did minimal research to support this post. And i don’t think there’s a lot of fructose in RedBull. In fact, the can at my desk says sucrose and glucose. I’m sure the organic chemists will be in here soon to quell my fears of RedBull. ---
**Author:** ![salinqmind](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/3ec8ea/32.png) [@salinqmind](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/salinqmind)\ **Post date:** [March 10, 2017, 7:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-is-worse-alcohol-or-monster-red-bull-type-drinks/781880/10 "2017-03-10T19:05:45Z")
I know a few hard working adults, 40 and up, even older, who rely on energy drinks when they plan to drive far, do manual labor, tear up the garden. They are also alcohol drinkers (not at the same time, for chrissake) - isn’t it BAD for older people to drink Red Bull? Doesn’t it make their blood platelets stick together or something? ---
**Author:** ![Azeotrope](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/0ea827/32.png) [@Azeotrope](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Azeotrope)\ **Post date:** [March 10, 2017, 7:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-is-worse-alcohol-or-monster-red-bull-type-drinks/781880/11 "2017-03-10T19:16:52Z")
That’s what I get for voting before I read the OP. Let’s all pretend there’s one less vote for energy drinks, and one more for 12 pack. ---
**Author:** ![The\_Other\_Waldo\_Pepper](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/the_other_waldo_pepper/32/12370_2.png) [@The\_Other\_Waldo\_Pepper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Other_Waldo_Pepper)\ **Post date:** [March 10, 2017, 7:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-is-worse-alcohol-or-monster-red-bull-type-drinks/781880/12 "2017-03-10T19:34:36Z")
> [@salinqmind](#): > > I know a few hard working adults, 40 and up, even older, who rely on energy drinks when they plan to drive far, do manual labor, tear up the garden. They are also alcohol drinkers (not at the same time, for chrissake) How about a rum-and-coke? Maybe an Irish coffee? ---
**Author:** ![Ludovic](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/7ab992/32.png) [@Ludovic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ludovic)\ **Post date:** [March 10, 2017, 7:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-is-worse-alcohol-or-monster-red-bull-type-drinks/781880/13 "2017-03-10T19:53:40Z")
I voted “energy drink” because the OP did not specify _medically_ worse. The 12 pack is definitely worse for your body: if it weren’t, certainly there’d be studies about coffee drinkers’ firmly shorted lifespans (even if that level of alcohol would not be as bad as smoking and probably also not as bad as bad diet/exercise). But I think that the quality of life would be worse with the energy drinks, being jittery and dependent on the daily fix. ---
**Author:** ![Ludovic](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/7ab992/32.png) [@Ludovic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ludovic)\ **Post date:** [March 10, 2017, 8:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-is-worse-alcohol-or-monster-red-bull-type-drinks/781880/14 "2017-03-10T20:04:02Z")
Actually upon thinking about it, personally, if I had to pick one that I was _forced_ to do and then magically not be dependent on caffeine if I picked the alcohol, I’d still pick the energy drinks because a 12 pack in a single night would mess me up to the point I wouldn’t be enjoying it, especially if it was only once a week. Take that down to around 10 and then I’d have to think about it since I still wouldn’t particularly enjoy myself but I feel a whole lot better without so much caffeine. If it were around 8 I’d take the drinks as long as it wasn’t beer. With beer I’d take the bad feeling of caffeine dependence and jitters since beer tastes horrible. ---
**Author:** ![kaylasdad99](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kaylasdad99/32/3398_2.png) [@kaylasdad99](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kaylasdad99)\ **Post date:** [March 11, 2017, 2:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-is-worse-alcohol-or-monster-red-bull-type-drinks/781880/15 "2017-03-11T02:06:39Z")
Never tried Monster. This is largely due to the fact that I put Red Bull into my mouth once and concluded that it is not only worse than alcohol, it is worse than _EVERYTHING_. And when I say EVERYTHING, I mean the Designated Hitter rule (which is the second worst thing in the history of history). ---
**Author:** ![SeaDragonTattoo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/df705f/32.png) [@SeaDragonTattoo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SeaDragonTattoo)\ **Post date:** [March 11, 2017, 2:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-is-worse-alcohol-or-monster-red-bull-type-drinks/781880/16 "2017-03-11T02:26:07Z")
I have yet to consume an energy drink that was more than a few calories. I didn’t take any sugar consumption into account in my vote since I forgot there were energy drinks that had it. Since I already drink 16-32 ounces of coffee a day, and since a 12 pack of any alcohol would not only incapacitate me that evening but make me miserable and possibly incapacitated the following day, I chose the alcohol as the less desirable habit. ---
**Author:** ![GuanoLad](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/guanolad/32/42_2.png) [@GuanoLad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GuanoLad)\ **Post date:** [March 11, 2017, 2:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-is-worse-alcohol-or-monster-red-bull-type-drinks/781880/17 "2017-03-11T02:27:19Z")
Energy drinks certainly smell worse. \*_I don’t drink alcohol or energy drinks._ ---
**Author:** ![MacTech](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/c0e974/32.png) [@MacTech](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MacTech)\ **Post date:** [March 11, 2017, 8:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-is-worse-alcohol-or-monster-red-bull-type-drinks/781880/18 "2017-03-11T20:52:16Z")
Instead of the typical Brawndo the Thirst Mutilator reference, I’d put in a plug for [Horton’s Metal Tube of Caffeinated Sparkling Chemicals](https://youtu.be/xdZttArhtn8) ---
**Author:** ![funnyscripts](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/46a35a/32.png) [@funnyscripts](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/funnyscripts)\ **Post date:** [March 12, 2017, 1:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-is-worse-alcohol-or-monster-red-bull-type-drinks/781880/19 "2017-03-12T13:24:59Z")
Energy drinks can kill ya with that sugar and increased heartrate ---
**Author:** ![guizot](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/guizot/32/3636_2.png) [@guizot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/guizot)\ **Post date:** [March 12, 2017, 4:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-is-worse-alcohol-or-monster-red-bull-type-drinks/781880/20 "2017-03-12T16:46:59Z")
> [@Ludovic](#): > > I voted “energy drink” because the OP did not specify _medically_ worse. The 12 pack is definitely worse for your body . . . I’m not sure how we can really disentangle “medically” worse from the “other” worse. It can make a difference in the age of the person. Research is indicating that episodic binge drinking by young people [may have long-term effects on the brain](https://pubs.niaaa.nih.gov/publications/arh284/205-212.htm). [QUOTE=National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism] Numerous studies have demonstrated that the effects of alcohol depend not only on the amount of alcohol consumed but also on the pattern of consumption. In general, drinking moderate alcohol amounts (one or two glasses of alcohol) almost every day appears to be less harmful than consuming the same total amount (that is, 7 to 14 glasses) on just one or two occasions per week—a pattern known as binge drinking or heavy episodic drinking. Heavy episodic drinking, which often is associated with hangover or mild withdrawal symptoms, is particularly common in adolescents and young adults, among whom this drinking pattern appears to be related to cognitive impairment. For example, in their 8-year followup study of adolescents with AUDs (see the earlier section, “Effects on Neuropsychological Performance”), Tapert and colleagues (2002a) found that having more hangover or alcohol withdrawal symptoms (which indicates a pattern of heavy episodic drinking) predicted poorer visuospatial functioning in young adulthood. This relationship was observed even after controlling for visuospatial functioning at the beginning of the study, AOD use, and practice effects from the previous administration of the neuropsychological tests. Other studies, both in humans and in animal models, also have associated heavy episodic drinking patterns, as opposed to daily drinking patterns, with detrimental effects on cognitive functioning. These analyses also found that adolescents or young adults who are heavy episodic drinkers may be more sensitive to alcohol’s harmful effects on neurocognition than those who drink less or in a more consistent pattern. Weissenborn and Duka (2003) studied 95 participants ages 18 to 34, categorizing them as nonepisodic drinkers or heavy episodic drinkers, which are defined as men who consume five drinks or more per occasion and women who consume four drinks or more. Half of the participants from each group were given alcohol (the equivalent of about four to five drinks), and the others received a placebo. When all participants were subsequently tested on memory acquisition, motor functioning, spatial working memory, pattern recognition, and spatial recognition tasks—in the presence and absence of alcohol—the heavy episodic drinkers performed significantly worse than the nonepisodic drinkers on the spatial-working-memory and pattern recognition tasks. These findings support the hypothesis that a pattern of heavy episodic drinking can be particularly harmful to cognitive functioning. [/quote] [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-is-worse-alcohol-or-monster-red-bull-type-drinks/781880.md?page=2)