It’s an energy drink so powerful, just looking at it will get you pumped.

I always get excited when I come across a new energy drink, but when it’s by a company I have never heard of, that excitement is interwoven with suspicion and hesitancy. Though I am cautiously optimistic by nature, I am a scientist; I am trained to ask several questions before I form an opinion. All that hesitancy flies out the door when it comes to new flavors from a brand I know and trust. In this case, I didn’t even have to open the can to feel hyper.

The Energy Drink of the Month for March 2015 is a tie between Red Bull Total Zero Cherry and Orange Editions.

THREE REASONS TO GIVE RED BULL ANOTHER LOOK

ONE—Red Bull is Number One

One of the major reasons Red Bull deserves to be the energy drink of the month is that March is Caffeine Awareness Month. Did you know that Red Bull is the number one selling brand of energy drinks? Did you know that its caffeine content is less than the second and third top-selling brands? Compare Red Bull’s 80 milligrams per 8.4 ounce can with Monster’s 140-160mg/16oz and Rockstar’s 160-240mg/16oz. Two huge benefits Red Bull has over these other two brands are its smaller size and lower caffeine content. Together, these two details make Red Bull better options for those looking to keep their caffeine content in check. Though Monster’s zero sugar versions feature about 70mg per serving, the standard size features two servings per can. This packaging decision can make many consumers feel obligated to consume the whole thing, which can lead to caffeine over-consumption.

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TWO—Bull, meet Elephant (in the Room)

What do Red Bull and March have in common? They both involve heavy consumption of alcohol. Another reason Red Bull deserves to be Energy Drink of THIS particular month is that St. Patrick’s Day is associated with copious amounts of alcohol. The same can be said for Red Bull.

It’s hard to deny that drinks like Vodka Red Bull are partially responsible for Red Bull’s amazing sales figures. An excerpt from Caffeine Informer’s article “Alcohol and Energy Drinks: The Dangers of Mixing” summarizes why this combination is such a bad idea:

A study out of Wake Forest Medical Center has been looking into this energy drink mixed with alcohol fad in order to see what negative effects it has created. The study revealed the following;

• Students who drank the mix were likely to become more intoxicated and become intoxicated twice as often.
• Students were twice as likely to be injured on this concoction.
• They were twice as likely to ride with a drunken driver.
• They were also twice as likely to be taken advantage of sexually or take advantage of someone else.

The researchers believe that the high doses of caffeine mask your body’s natural ways of letting you know you’ve consumed too much alcohol, therefore, people tend to drink way more than they should.

Every good bartender knows giving caffeine to a drunk just makes them a wide-awake drunk, not any less impaired (or annoying). Your body has a built-in safety mechanism: when you’ve had too much to drink, you pass out. This is the body’s way of saying, “You’ve had ENOUGH!” When you throw caffeine in the mix, you bypass this safety mechanism and can literally drink yourself to death. Part of Caffeine Awareness Month is knowing when NOT to have caffeine.

For some, the strongest disincentive to combine alcohol and caffeine is that it impairs the reflexes as much as non-caffeinated alcohol would, but the caffeine masks the fun parts of being tipsy– the dizziness, the giggle-fits, the false sense of confidence, etc. In other words, combining caffeine and alcohol is a waste of alcohol (and caffeine!).

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THREE—Inspiration from Rags to Riches and Wi-ings

Though there are plenty of great stories behind other energy drink brands, the story behind Red Bull’s creator is one I relish. Chaleo Yoovidhya was born into poverty but died in March 2012 as the third-richest man in Thailand. As the co-creator of Red Bull, his rise to success brings new meaning to the slogan “Red Bull gives you wings”. As we approach “Bonus Season” and “Tax-Refund Season”, some people start thinking about their financial situation and how to change it. This month of financial re-calibration is a great time to think about the man who co-created Red Bull, and his escape from poverty.

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BOTTOM LINE

While Red Bull does not have the cleanest, most natural ingredient line like some of the other Energy Drink of the Month picks, Red Bull is the best pick for Caffeine Awareness Month. Its size and caffeine content make it a better option than some of the other popular energy drinks, as long as it is never, ever, EVER combined with alcohol.

— GreenEyedGuide

Related Reading and Other Links

• Green-Eyed Insight – 5 Ways Red Bull Beats the Competition
• Flugtags, Taurine and the Truth Behind the Slogan: Three Things You Didn’t Know About Red Bull
• Energy drinks plus alcohol pose public health threat
• Caffeine Content in Red Bull (all flavors and editions) — CaffeineInformer database
• Red Bull explains Taruine
• Red Bull Main Site

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For more caffeine and energy drink information, don’t forget to find your copy of

ARE YOU A MONSTER OR A ROCK STAR? A Guide to Energy Drinks – How They Work, Why They Work, How to Use Them Safely

Energy drinks explained: ingredients, safety tips, and consumption tricks.