5 Tips to Help you Quit Energy Drinks

At times in my life, I have been heavily addicted to energy drinks, particularly V. Friends and relatives of mine have gone through similar or still are.

As someone who grew up in a strict religion, doesn’t even drink coffee and rarely alcohol, this addiction bugged me.

Energy drinks are highly addictive and offer no nutritional value. They age you, deplete your body and can contribute to or increase various health issues. Yet, so many of us are addicted.

Because of what they do to our body, you will feel withdrawals when you quit. Headaches, nausea and tiredness are common but it passes.

Stick with it, hydrate, take a painkiller for the headache and rest if needed. Within a few days, you should feel better than before.

Here are some things I did to kick the habit.

Image of can of Red Bull energy drink on desk with Mac computer and phone. Text reads how to quit energy drinks.

Disclosure: this post may contain affiliate links to products and services I use.

1. Reward Yourself Financially

Every day I don’t get an energy drink, I transfer the cost of it to a separate bank account for a specific reward. I use the price of convenience cans e.g. $2.40 to $3 and transfer that even though when I was drinking them I bought them on sale and in bulk packs.

The money adds up (faster than I care to admit) and will be used for something I want just for me such as a rowing machine. Having that clear goal and reward for myself helps keep me motivated.

It can help to have a separate bank account for this. Here are a few options:

$20 from ubank

I joined ubank to try them out about 2 years ago. They are a few free online-only bank which offers $20 when you sign up with the code S7VL6WF here after you use your card for the third time.

$8 From Up Instantly!

I’ve been using Up for over a year now, including overseas and they are great. No fees, easy customer service and the option for multiple savings accounts.

Sign up for a new account to get the $8 bonus. Join free here (also, they don’t charge a monthly fee or anything so you won’t be out of pocket!)

2. Swap the Drink

I am not suggesting you simply drink water as that will not work. Nor will simply cutting them out because the habit is also about a little break, a little something sweet etc. Not just the drink.

Instead, consider dissolvable vitamins. Berocca or similar can give a boost with flavour or other multivitamins. They work out much cheaper but still give a taste and some energy.

Graduate from energy drinks to iced coffee or something if you need. I found cutting them out and using the vitamins or similar worked better than anything else though.

3. Stay Hydrated

In general, our energy slumps when we are dehydrated. Too often, if you are addicted to energy drinks, instead of having water or anything to hydrate, you reach for the energy drinks which are not as good.

Aim to drink 2L of water a day. Have a large glass of water first thing then again each time you want an energy drink or have something to eat. You’ll get to 2L in no time.

4. Fuel Your Body

Eating nutritious food will help you stay energised. More often than not, those I know would be having surgary or carby snacks to accommodate those energy drinks instead of healthy food.

Plan your meals, ensure you’re getting adequte protein, fats and carbs, not just sugar carbs. That chocolate bar or pastry might give you a hit now but it won’t carry you through the day.

Food is fuel, fuel your body with food you enjoy that also gives you long term energy.

5. Changed my Sleep Habits

Ever since I was young, I’ve had bad sleep habits. These got worse after kids and came with a great excuse, because no one expects parents to be getting good sleep, right?

Yeah, except my kids HAVE typically been good sleepers. So that was not a real excuse most of the time.

My sleep issues and insomnia stem from anxiety usually. With kids, sleeping it off the next day wasn’t typically an option.

There are too many times I’ve gone 48 hours without sleep and even though I had therapy to help with many things, sleep issues continued.

While my anxiety isn’t completely gone, my sleep has improved drastically despite it.

How I Changed my Sleep Habits

It takes time and patience, also, some people simply are night owls and that’s ok. But if you’re addicted to energy drinks then I am guessing your sleep patterns aren’t doing you any favours.

To change my habits, I overhauled my evening routine. On nights I do my routine, I sleep significantly better.

Switch off devices except for my music 1 to 2 hours before bed. During this time I write out my to do list for tomorrow, shower, read, journal, meditate and wind down. My kids are used to going to sleep to meditation music.

Sometimes I’ll use essential oils to aid with sleep, especially when I was first changing my habits. Now, I don’t do that so much.

A comfortable mattress, quality sheets and pillows make a significant difference to the quality of sleep. As does ensuring the room temperature is cool enough to sleep well. These items don’t need to be expensive, especially if bought on sale.

Hydrate and eat well during the day. I try to drink most of my water for the day before 6pm so I am not up all night going to the bathroom.

Being hydrated and eating well had a huge impact on my quality of sleep.

Ear plugs and face mask if you need them. Having kids, I don’t use ear plugs but have at times used a mask when the room was too bright.