Small object, large subject

Personally, I have never become a fan of Red Bull energy drink. All of my friends remember this as a distinguishing characteristic of mine. Despite my dislike for Red Bull, I have a case in my house for my friends. Red Bull is the most popular energy drink in the world. In my group of friends, Red Bull is used most often for late night library sessions and long nights of drinking (yes, I am 21 years old). Every gas station, campus bookstore, bar and supermarket stocks up on these popular drinks for teenagers. A friend of mine drinks about five of them daily, and even more if he has homework or drinking to do. Despite health risks concerning the drink, American's need for boundless energy continues to make Red Bull more and more prevalent. 

Red Bull is also available in a Cola form and as an Energy Shot. Red Bull has made is convenient and cool to get up early and stay up late. Red Bull claims on the can the health benefits are: improves performance, especially during times of increased stress or strain, increases endurance, increases concentration and reaction speed, and stimulates the metabolism. The Cola form of Red Bull in some countries has even been found to have traces of Cocaine as of 2009. Red Bull is sold in a huge number of locations, including the Hofstra campus. A recent addition to most bars and resturants is Red Bull, which is often mixed with vodka or Jaegermeister, as in a "Jaeger Bomb". Although Red Bull is an incredibly popular as a mixer for alcohol, it has actually shown to be very dangerous to mix the two. The large amounts of caffiene also make it dangerous to consume large amounts over time, which is the case with my friend. Such large amounts of caffeine can have lead to cardiovascular problems. A full Red Bull recall was issued in Germany for fear of its effects. 

I have also observed that when poured out of the can, Red Bull energy drink appears to me to be some sort of radioactive cat urine. Despite this, my friends told me to buy a large amount of it for my 21st birthday party this past December. I did, and tried not to gag when my friends took shots chased with and mixed with Red Bull for the entire duration of my weekend blowout. Most everyone I know has used Red Bull as a source of energy in the past month. I personally prefer 5 hour energy, especially the mixed berry flavor. I too am not immune to the energy crisis in American youth. 

Obviously, Red Bull is filling a need of many Americans, and of people around the world. With so much information and constant activity, we need extra energy to stay at the top. In class, in the office, or at the nightclub, more energy means more productivity. This need for added energy is also seen in the increasing abuse of prescription drugs by students in order to maintain an edge in the classroom. Red Bull and other energy drinks will continue to profit in our fast-paced society beacuse we need them to keep up with it. Drink up!