inquiringmind Posted February 14, 2013 Posted February 14, 2013 Would it be violating the Word of Wisdom to have one of these high caffeine energy drinks (if you didn't get enough sleep, and had to drive)?I think I remember being told that the WOW doesn't really have anything to do with caffeine, only coffee or tea (and alcohol, of course), but I'm not sure.Is that true?
bu11fr0g Posted February 14, 2013 Posted February 14, 2013 Bad ideato drive sleep deprived with a lot of caffeine. Kust because something isnt forbidden doesnt mean it is a good idea. High energy drinks are really bad on a lot of levels. 3
rodheadlee Posted February 14, 2013 Posted February 14, 2013 What do you think? I think if it happens every day, it's a habit or an addiction. If it happens once in a while it's fine. I think if you read what Christ says about the letter of the law vs spirit of the law in the NT Gospels you will have your answer.
Saints Alive Posted February 14, 2013 Posted February 14, 2013 No! Energy drinks are NOT against the WoW. Caffeine is not prohibited in any form (other than coffee and tea) either. I would not recommend driving tired but if you want to drink an energy drink you will still make it to the CK. 1
Tacenda Posted February 14, 2013 Posted February 14, 2013 (edited) I've heard they can help wake you up and enable you to drive a little further but beware that when that energetic boost wears off, you can crash, figuratively and maybe literally! Edited February 14, 2013 by Tacenda 2
ERayR Posted February 14, 2013 Posted February 14, 2013 I've heard they can help wake you up and enable you to drive a little further but beware that when that energetic boost wares off, you can crash, figuratively and maybe literally!I haven't done much research on them because I do not use them. That said I have seen some information that indicates their use can cause some long term health problems. So while not against the word of wisdom I would not use them.
sweetpotatoh Posted February 14, 2013 Posted February 14, 2013 I quit drinking energy drinks a couple of months ago. I heard a talk, by a doctor, who argued that caffeinated drinks are bad for your body. He used an extreme example to illustrate his point, a lady in her golden years had her life cut short due to the regular consumption of said drinks. I won't bore you with the details. After considering the talk and my need to constantly drink caffeinated drinks I gave them up. I have found that my appetite is much smaller. And I am less tired. I know plenty of people who consider energy drinks to be against the wow. I know some who don't. What I know is that they are not for me.
semlogo Posted February 14, 2013 Posted February 14, 2013 I think we already have enough rules to follow without adding new ones on our own 1
Storm Rider Posted February 14, 2013 Posted February 14, 2013 Would it be violating the Word of Wisdom to have one of these high caffeine energy drinks (if you didn't get enough sleep, and had to drive)?I think I remember being told that the WOW doesn't really have anything to do with caffeine, only coffee or tea (and alcohol, of course), but I'm not sure.Is that true?Caffeine has nothing to do with the Word of Wisdom and never has anything to do with the Word of Wisdom. What you read in the 89th Section is all there is to the WofW; there is nothing more and nothing less. If you think there are other health reasons not to drink one of these types of drinks, no problem. However, those health reasons have nothing to do with WofW. 1
ERayR Posted February 14, 2013 Posted February 14, 2013 Caffeine has nothing to do with the Word of Wisdom and never has anything to do with the Word of Wisdom. What you read in the 89th Section is all there is to the WofW; there is nothing more and nothing less. If you think there are other health reasons not to drink one of these types of drinks, no problem. However, those health reasons have nothing to do with WofW.Did you miss the with wisdom part?
Saints Alive Posted February 14, 2013 Posted February 14, 2013 Did you miss the with wisdom part?As in you can use caffeine, just use it wisely. If you are a 13 y/o with a heart condition you probably shouldn't drink two 24 oz energy drinks in a 24hr period. If on the other hand, you are a healthy adult, one or two servings of an energy drink probably wont affect your health much, if at all.
ERayR Posted February 14, 2013 Posted February 14, 2013 As in you can use caffeine, just use it wisely. If you are a 13 y/o with a heart condition you probably shouldn't drink two 24 oz energy drinks in a 24hr period. If on the other hand, you are a healthy adult, one or two servings of an energy drink probably wont affect your health much, if at all.Can't disagree but it is the mounting number of reports such as this that indicate energy drinks are dangerous to more than a 13 y/o with a heart condition.http://www.doctoroz.com/videos/dangers-energy-drinks
Saints Alive Posted February 14, 2013 Posted February 14, 2013 (edited) Doctor Oz is a quack, he needs to stay in his specialty as a surgeon and not lecture the world on things outside his expertise.He is looking at the concentrated small bottle energy shots(like 5-hour energy), not traditional energy drinks (like red bull). Its really comparing apples and oranges. Edited February 14, 2013 by Saints Alive
ERayR Posted February 14, 2013 Posted February 14, 2013 Doctor Oz is a quack, he needs to stay in his specialty as a surgeon and not lecture the world on things outside his expertise.He is looking at the concentrated small bottle energy shots(like 5-hour energy), not traditional energy drinks (like red bull). Its really comparing apples and oranges.Didn't mean to step on your toes.
Saints Alive Posted February 14, 2013 Posted February 14, 2013 Didn't mean to step on your toes. I'm not offended, I just don't like Dr. Oz.
Bill “Papa” Lee Posted February 14, 2013 Posted February 14, 2013 No! Energy drinks are NOT against the WoW. Caffeine is not prohibited in any form (other than coffee and tea) either. I would not recommend driving tired but if you want to drink an energy drink you will still make it to the CK.President GBH said otherwise in Mike Wallace interview.
BCSpace Posted February 14, 2013 Posted February 14, 2013 (edited) The WoW specifically has those 5 items you should ingest and everything else you have to decide for yourself. However, there are instances where a Bishop or SP might judge you are not keeping the WoW as of course, they have the right to judge. Here is an example of such an instance:http://atlanta.cbslo...oca-cola-habit/There was a missionary, in my zone and not ever my companion, who drank liters of Jolt Cola everyday. Had the same symptoms as the woman in the article above who died. Nothing worked for him, including a rotating posse of burly missionaries to hold him down for 72 hours of cold turkey treatment, and he had to be sent home.For the record, I was raised as if caffeine were a violation of the WoW. We have decided to raise our children the same way except we explain that while it's not on the list of forbidden WoW items, we have decided it is the health law for our family and the same goes for energy drinks. I do ingest say a Dr Pepper or a Sunkist when I'm driving long distances and have been open with our children about that; caffeine may have a legitimate use but I'm sure it's not for regular consumption.There is admonition against energy drinks in LDS doctrine (an Ensign article). IIRC there is still admonition against caffeine in the BoM Institute Manual somewhere.I know a Stake President who keeps a small fridge full of Mountain Dew in his clerk's office and is constantly consuming it especially after difficult interviews. I have told him that in my opinion, he is breaking the WoW and setting a bad example for all who know of it. He agrees, at least in my presence, but can't seem to help it. It's not the Mountain Dew per se, it's the fact that he MUST have one in a predictable fashion, not unlike a coffee drinker.IMHO, caffeinated pop/soft/energy drinks are a gateway drug we have to be careful with. Not that drinkers of such are always turning to harder drugs, but that, in my anecdotal opinion, they seem much more likely to break the WoW in terms of the 5 forbidden items. Edited February 14, 2013 by BCSpace
Moon Quaker Posted February 14, 2013 Posted February 14, 2013 (edited) [Dr. Oz] is looking at the concentrated small bottle energy shots(like 5-hour energy), not traditional energy drinks (like red bull). Its really comparing apples and oranges.Caffeine is caffeine. It's not concentrated energy shots, per se, that are the problem. One 200-mg caffeine pill has more caffeine than a single 5-Hour Energy shot (the last I checked, caffeine pills have been around for a long time without there being a caffeine-induced "epidemic.") Shots or Red Bull? The bottom line is, if you consume too much, you'll have problems. Edited February 14, 2013 by Moon Quaker
Saints Alive Posted February 14, 2013 Posted February 14, 2013 The WoW specifically has those 5 items you should ingest and everything else you have to decide for yourself. However, there are instances where a Bishop or SP might judge you are not keeping the WoW as of course, they have the right to judge. Here is an example of such an instance:http://atlanta.cbslo...oca-cola-habit/There was a missionary, in my zone and not ever my companion, who drank liters of Jolt Cola everyday. Had the same symptoms as the woman in the article above who died. Nothing worked for him, including a rotating posse of burly missionaries to hold him down for 72 hours of cold turkey treatment, and he had to be sent home.For the record, I was raised as if caffeine were a violation of the WoW. We have decided to raise our children the same way except we explain that while it's not on the list of forbidden WoW items, we have decided it is the health law for our family and the same goes for energy drinks. I do ingest say a Dr Pepper or a Sunkist when I'm driving long distances and have been open with our children about that; caffeine may have a legitimate use but I'm sure it's not for regular consumption.There is admonition against energy drinks in LDS doctrine (an Ensign article). IIRC there is still admonition against caffeine in the BoM Institute Manual somewhere.I know a Stake President who keeps a small fridge full of Mountain Dew in his clerk's office and is constantly consuming it especially after difficult interviews. I have told him that in my opinion, he is breaking the WoW and setting a bad example for all who know of it. It's not the Mountain Dew per se, it's the fact that he MUST have one in a predictable fashion, not unlike a coffee drinker.IMHO, caffeinated pop/soft/energy drinks are a gateway drug we have to be careful with. Not that drinkers of such are always turning to harder drugs, but that, in my anecdotal opinion, they seem much more likely to break the WoW in terms of the 5 forbidden items.Oh dear!!! Where to start? A SP who drinks "sins of the devil" mountain dew, and you who talks out of both sides of your mouth, your children cant have a Dr. Pepper, but you can if you are driving far enough. I think you and your SP need your temple recommends taken away. (this is sarcastic, for the sarcasm impaired)
BCSpace Posted February 14, 2013 Posted February 14, 2013 (edited) Oh dear!!! Where to start? A SP who drinks "sins of the devil" mountain dew, and you who talks out of both sides of your mouth, your children cant have a Dr. Pepper, but you can if you are driving far enough. I think you and your SP need your temple recommends taken away. (this is sarcastic, for the sarcasm impaired)And so can they, if they are driving far enough. But do tell, how am I talking out of both sides of my mouth? I went back and highlighted the phrase that should preclude that possibility. Edited February 14, 2013 by BCSpace
thesometimesaint Posted February 14, 2013 Posted February 14, 2013 The occasional "energy drink" won't hurt most people, unless there is some kind of allergy or underlying health concern. Taken to excess or to the point of psychological addiction or dependency is another matter.
Calm Posted February 14, 2013 Posted February 14, 2013 (edited) I would agree, tss. One should be extra careful about using it as a aid for driving. Remember a car is a deadly weapon as well as a wonderful tool. If the driving is necessary, say for a long drive across country where you can't stop much, make sure you give enough time for it to kick in and work...I believe the advice for caffeine is 20-30 minutes. And keep close awareness of how it is affecting you, it is not something I would try out first time on a drive because some people (like me) get too jittery and it interferes with awareness rather than increasing it as it usually does. If you use it frequently, it will likely have much less positive effect.If the driving isn't necessary or can be interrupted, then better to be cautious and deal with the lack of sleep with a good nap or something. Take along a good eyemask, pull over into a safe place, put on the mask and take a nap to break up the drive or don't do the drive at all until a better time.Most dangerous time to be on the road is at 3 AM due to the likelihood of falling asleep at the wheel, btw. Even microsleeps (where the brain is asleep even if you don't close your eyes) can be deadly in a moving car. Caffeine can help, but it won't completely remove the debilitating effects of sleep deprivation.http://www.umm.edu/sleep/drowsy_driving.htm Edited February 14, 2013 by calmoriah
BCSpace Posted February 14, 2013 Posted February 14, 2013 Taken to excess or to the point of psychological addiction or dependency is another matter.That is what I am referring to. But I am also confident that if you raise your children caffeine free, you will likely see a big difference. At the very least, they will be better health wise, especially mentally (focusing on tasks and patience etc.), then they would otherwise be. It's just something I've noticed and there seems to be a correlation.
Sethbag Posted February 14, 2013 Posted February 14, 2013 (edited) Drinking no caffeine is obviously not going to hurt you. Drinking 10 liters of Coke a day will, apparently, actually kill you. I would argue that drinking caffeine or not is neither right nor wrong but rather a personal choice, that comes with some benefits and some risks, like most everything we do. If you do decide to partake of caffeine, I would suggest you approach closer to the "none" side of the spectrum than the "10 liters a day" side.By the way, caffeine can grant a remarkable boost to a person, however the magnitude of that boost goes down the more caffeine a person is used to consuming. If you want to preserve the potential of caffeine to deliver that boost, it's a good idea to abstain in general. Then you can use it when you need it. As for me personally, since I take some caffeine nearly every day the effect of a given dose of it is far smaller than it would be if my body weren't used to it.In some Army training I attended this past summer, one Private was dropping 3-5 of those "5 hour energy" drinks per day, and I'm convinced it was screwing him up badly. Edited February 14, 2013 by Sethbag
Bill “Papa” Lee Posted February 14, 2013 Posted February 14, 2013 The occasional "energy drink" won't hurt most people, unless there is some kind of allergy or underlying health concern. Taken to excess or to the point of psychological addiction or dependency is another matter.TSS have you noticed as have I how no other topic (thread) grows so quickly...it is a topic I will not even discuss with my grown children. Everyone takes quick offense.
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