We've all seen these 5-Hour Energy Commercials. It's supposed to help people stay awake whenever they need that extra push of strength. This little shot of energy has as much caffeine as a premium cup of coffee. What would happen if someone took more than the daily recommended amount (which is two bottles)? Can this actually be an addicting thing? Coffee drinkers usually have a cup every morning before they begin their days. Some usually drink more than one cup a day. Could these 5-Hour Energy Shots have a larger effect than a regular cup of coffee? Is this something that should be purchased by someone who is suffering from ADD or ADHD? Since this drink is considered a dietary supplement, should it be banned from anyone under the age of 18?
Prompt 7-
ReplyDeleteI think it is interesting to think about 5-Hour Energy as a substance that can be abused. As someone who has only used them a handful of times, it is hard for me to imagine becoming "addicted" to them. But, if people begin to rely on these drinks to wake up, get through work, etc., it is possible to abuse them. Interestingly, the comments on the video disprove almost everything the video is claiming. Commentators say they fall asleep after drinking it, if you drink it slow nothing happens, and drinking 2-3 gives a "high" feeling. This advertisement is doing the best it can to advertise why people may feel the need to drink 5-Hour Energy, but the comments speak for themselves that the product cannot back up its claims.
Comment - I can not picture a good way to regulate purchasing 5-Hour Energy for those with ADD/ADHD; any person could just lie and say they do not have ADD/ADHD to obtain the drink. However, yes I do think it would be wise to ban the drinks for those under 18. Caffeine is in hundreds of natural and artificial foods/drinks, one less item on the shelves would not be life-changing for those who are in dire need of caffeine.
I agree with you that the comments make the product sound like a joke. People seem to have varying opinions on the product but many people said it was well below their expectations. I also agree that regulating it for people with ADD/ADHD would be very hard and most likely impossible. Stores would not ban selling the drink to people with ADD/ADHD because it would cut off some of their market making their profitability go down and that is the only reason they are selling this drink. I do not agree though that it should be banned from people under the age of 18. As you said caffeine is in hundreds of products right now on the market so why would this one be banned and not all the others? You can't ban one product without banning them all because that would be very unfair to the people that have a big portion of their market cut off. Also people against 5 hour energy do not have a case because all of the ingredients in it are legal for all ages.
DeleteI agree with Sam that if you ban one product you would then have to ban a lot of them. I know of one product called Jolt that I tried and it had so much caffeine and other additives in it that it was banned from the United States. These high caffeine beverages need to be better studied to understand if we are hurting are bodies in the long-term by drinking them constantly. After all these beverages haven't been on the market for an extremely long period of time, so we do not know all fo the potential dangers that we are putting ourselves at risk for.
DeleteI too think these drinks should be banned for those under the age of 18 because many teenagers will have no idea of the negative effects that come from taking too many stimulants. The ingredients are sort of ridiculous, its is mainly way too much Vitamin B and an "energy blend" which is always questionable since the company is not listing out the exact amounts of each ingredient in the blend. The fact that they don't give exact amounts of the ingredients raises a red flag for me. I think it could be dangerous for people to consume more than 1 and that 1 would definitely have a larger effect than a cup of coffee since the 5 hour energy contains some amount of caffeine. Also, it shouldn't be purchased by someone suffering from ADD/ADHD. There are better solutions to that problem than taking too many vitamins and a questionable amount of stims.
ReplyDeletePrompt 6- The 5 hour energy commercial is for people that need extra energy to get through the day but the commercial may go too far. 5 hour energy says that every day is a 5 hour energy day and that users should take it everyday. This can be very harmful because the ingredients in 5 hour energy should not be consumed on a daily basis. It has many stimulants that can be harmful if taken for a long period of time. 5 hour energy is good to pick you up on a day here and there where you did not get enough sleep but using it every day to just get through the day is a bad idea even though the commercial is trying to persuade you to. The makers of 5 hour energy are not concerned about their customers' health, they just want a big profit. 5 hour energy can have a bad influence on people with mental disorders so I agree that people with ADD/ADHD should not take it but regulating that would be a very difficult task. Having said all that I do not agree that it should be illegal for people under 18 to buy it. The drink does contain many stimulants but they are all legal stimulants so it would be crazy to make it an 18+ only drink. They would have no grounds to make it 18+ because people could get each of the ingredients on their own and make the same exact drink without breaking any law. I do think that it is a bad idea for teenagers to drink excessive amounts of 5 hour energy but to ban it from them is a little over the top.
ReplyDeleteEveryone has a great point to this topic and many feel that this drink is a fraud. I've never tried a 5-Hour Energy Drink but I have had other energy drinks and they have no effect what-so-ever. Everyone is right, it's hard to regulate this drink from those who have ADD or ADHD. Everyone's medical history would have to be available at every store that sold these products. Sam also brings up a good point towards banning these drinks from people under the age of 18. There are many drinks that include caffeine and if these were banned from people under 18, their revenue would definitely fall hard.
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ReplyDeleteI believe that somebody could become addicted to the 5 hour energy supplements. After all 5 hour energy mainly consists of caffeine and other ingredients that make your body speed up. Science has proven that it is really dangerous to drink multiple of these and people should take not of these warnings. People can become addicted to caffeine. Just think of people that have to have their morning coffee or people that are constantly drinking Mountain Dew. They are unable to function if they do not get their daily amount of caffeine. Their brain just can't go on without it. However, given these dangers it would be a little irrational to just ban minors from buying this product. A 5 hr energy now and again would not hurt anyone because sometimes you just need a boost.
Prompt 7
ReplyDeleteIt seems as if the majority of the comments feel as if 5 hour energy drinks may be harmful and addicting. All of us know the "2 o'clock" feeling that this commercial uses to attract its audience. The clip tells the audience exactly what they should do, and even tells them to only use the energy shot one time a day. The post most definitely changes the knowledge and ideas of those with the "2 o'clock" feeling, especially those who regularly drink coffee. Many users of coffee may begin to test out the shot. Not only is it easier to keep on you all day, but it is also a lot less to drink to provide the same effect. As for the consumption of the 5 hour energy shot with those with ADD/ ADHD, I believe the argument is the same as if the substance were coffee. Both of these stimulants will definitely alter ones actions, most likely in the same way. I believe this post does its job by attracting many individuals out there working the normal 8 hour days.
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ReplyDeletePrompt 7
ReplyDeleteThis prompt does a great job of grabbing the attention of the average business worker. At times, most people need an extra little kick in order to increase their productivity or even just stay awake. Many people in the workplace can agree with this. However, ny appealing to the common workers' grogginess, by using statements such as "Take one five hour energy, and see what the rest of your day feels like. Sure won't feel like 2:30 anymore," the advertisement gets the potential consumer to overlook the fact that the FDA has yet to approve the statement of the ad. Potentially having harmful side effects, this "energy shot" could have a hidden, malevolent side that possibly has yet to appear.
I think that this commercial does a great job selling their product. By leaving it up to the audience to just try it, experience it for themselves, is a implicit persuasive means as it allows for the consumer to feel as though their purchase was their own great idea. By contrasting the spokesperson's energy and charisma with the groggy workers, the commercial is claiming that life without 5-hour energy is much more, well, tired. If one took more than the daily recommended shot, I believe it would be comparable to someone taking more than the daily recommended dose of vitamins, or over-the-counter medication. We as consumers are responsible for reading labels and following instructions. It is not up to the manufacturers to monitor if we're abusing their product. Cigarette packs are branded with a large Surgeon General Warning which advises to not use their product at all. How hypocritical is that?
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