Overpriced, Overhyped: The Energy Drink Your Liver Can’t Stand

You are exhaust, reaching for that energy drink on longer shift, picking up a teammate’s slack. Your body wants a shortcut, although it comes at a price: the jitters, the crash, and the cash. You deserve steady power that protects your liver and your paycheck; there’s a smarter way to get the same focus with less risk and less cost. Here are some simple upgrades you can use today.

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Not rich enough in money, and not rich enough in health. 

Overpriced, Overhyped - Energy Drink

I’ll be blunt: as a mason, I’m not rich enough to consume energy drinks—not rich enough in money, and not rich enough in health. 

Here’s why. Energy drinks sell a “secret blend” that’s supposed to beat plain caffeine. A new trial tested that claim head-to-head: Contestant 1: an energy drink with 200 mg caffeine + a bunch of things i cannot pronounce: L-tyrosine, Alpha-GPC, L-theanine, and Huperzine-A vs. Contestant 2: drink with the same 200 mg caffeine and none of the extras. They measured attention, mood, handgrip strength, and push-up performance in trained adults. Result: no differences. The extra ingredients in the energy drink didn’t add performance beyond caffeine alone—basically what you’d get from about two cups of coffee. Why pay premium price for the same effect? (PubMed)  Plus those energy drinks make my piss smell terrible, which is just the body getting rid of the extras. So at the end of the day energy drinks are a marketing stunt, selling you a bill of good that you will just piss out. 

What about the risk side of energy drinks? Another case study show excessive energy-drink intake can slam the liver hard—in extreme cases acute liver failure requiring transplant. That’s not a scare tactic; that’s documented medicine. On long, hot, stacked shifts, “one more can” isn’t a strategy. (PubMed)

4 daily habits to rely less on “external” energy

Habit 1 — Hydrate like a fire hose 

• Pre-shift preload: 300–500 ml water before gloves go on.

• On shift: steady sips, ~500–750 ml per hard hour; add a pinch of salt on sweaty jobs.

• Your Gauge: pale-yellow urine is what you want. If it goes darker then Budweiser beer than drink more water. 

  
  

  Hard Result: fewer headaches, steadier focus, less “I need a can.”

  
  

Habit 2 — Fuel the shift, not the crash

• Breakfast: protein + fiber + carbs (eggs + oats; yogurt + fruit + nuts).

• Mid-shift: small, steady snacks (banana + peanut butter; jerky + apple; tuna + crackers).

• Skip sugar bombs; they spike then dump.

  
  

  Result: smoother energy, fewer jitters.

  
  

Habit 3 — Sunlight, movement, breath resets

• Every 90–120 minutes get  2–3 minutes of daylight or a bright window.

• 60–90 seconds easy movement: 

  • brisk walk

  • shoulder rolls

  • hip hinges

• 10 slow nasal breaths, long exhales.

  
  

  Result: natural wake-ups without stimulant tax.

  
  

Habit 4 — Guard sleep like your paycheck

• Caffeine cut-off: ~8 hours before pillow time (night crews: count back).

• Dark, cool, quiet: blackout shade/eye mask + earplugs or white noise (fan or noise generator).

• Short wind-down before bed: warm shower, 3–5 minutes of stretch, read but not on a screen. 

  
  

Result: deeper sleep, better mood, stronger grip.

7-Day “No Can” Challenge

7 day no can challenge - dyad force flex crew

7-Day “No Can” Challenge: swap energy drinks for coffee or tea, water, and the habits above. Track focus, sleep, mood, and dollars saved. Report back to the Flex Crew—because when you choose tools that work, Your Hands Will Set You Free. 

We don’t chase buzz; we build steady power—on the slab, on the rig, on the floor, on the line. Protect your liver, protect your paycheck, protect the Crew.

Author: Joel George

Editor: Olivia Arvela

Sources

• Pereira F. Do Energy Drinks Offer More Than Caffeine for Mental and Physical Tasks? Int J Exerc Sci. 2024 — caffeine-matched trial found no performance advantage for added ingredients (L-tyrosine, Alpha-GPC, L-theanine, Huperzine-A). (PubMed)

  
  

• Jesse BD, et al. Acute Liver Failure and Liver Transplant After Excessive Energy Drink Consumption. Prim Care Companion CNS Disord. 2024. (PubMed)