Zombies!

Present day zombie apocalypse movies are in large surplus. Not a day goes by that another movie about the undead is released, with yet another far fetched disease as the origin. So why not me? I can come up with a crazy hair brained scheme just as outlandish and far fetched as the next guy. So what can I possibly contrive that will be highly unrealistic, yet somewhat believable? One human addiction could possibly cause an outbreak of epic proportions: energy drinks. Before you stop reading this just hear me out. It is estimated that over 100 million people consume energy drinks per year, and that number is vastly growing. Also growing is the number of chemicals and supplements these drinks are comprised of. I know, chemical overdose and infection of the masses causing flesh eating undead monsters, cliche right? Maybe. Let's analyze a bit. There is a lot of speculation as to what (if any) side effects there are. Here are side effects of some common ingredients found in EG's, per energyfiend.com:

Caffeine

Caffeine can be disguised as guarana, green tea extract, and coffee extract. Caffeine can produce the following side effects;
Dizziness, irritability, nausea, nervousness, jitters.
Allergic reactions can include; rash, hives, itching, difficulty breathing, tightness in the chest, swelling of the (mouth, face, lips, or tongue), diarrhea, shakiness, trouble sleeping, vomiting.
Headache and severe fatigue from withdrawal.
Breast shrinkage in females.

Sugar

Most energy drinks are high in sugar in the form of high fructose corn syrup and/or cane sugar. Some use creative names to make their version of sugar seem healthier, like “natural cane juice” or they’ll call it “glucose”. High sugar drinks are linked to the obesity epidemic and the rapid increase of type 2 diabetes. The sugar in energy drinks causes insulin spikes which later result in a “crash like” feeling.

B Vitamins

More than 35mg of Niacin (B3) can cause flushing of the skin. Intake of 3000mg or more can result in liver toxicity.
More than 100mg of B6 can cause sensory nerve problems, skin lesions.

Ginseng

nausea, diarrhea, headaches, nose bleed, high blood pressure, low blood pressure, and breast pain.

Ginkgo Biloba

nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, headaches, dizziness, heart palpitations, and restlessness.

L-Carnitine

vomiting, nausea, headache, diarrhea, stuffy nose, restlessness and sleeping difficulty.

Quite a list. Most side effects are only seen when over consumed,but let's be honest, we are in a world of over consumption. This will be our downfall. Most people consume from 1-5 EG's per day, and those are conservative numbers. While in the middle of an energy drink binge, one can stay awake for multiple days, With some of the effects being noticed almost immediately. Once insomnia kicks in with some of these other side effects, it is game over. Insomnia is linked to many health and Psychiatric issues,from thedailybeast.com:

hallucinations
irritability
exhaustion
double vision
spike in body temp
Being prone to illness or INFECTION.


Wearing a snuggie and crying alone on a dirty sofa were also reported,in one case(not me). If used casually energy drinks can provide a much needed dose of caffeine, used in excess they get a little scary. With human nature steering our once high regarded race to over use and abuse every thing presented to us, it is a only a matter of time before tragedy strikes. The EG companies will start experimenting with different chemicals and concoctions to create the perfect energy supplement, and boom, we will drink 10 a day to stay awake. The masses will have consumed large amounts of conflicting chemicals mixed with their alchohol and A.D.D medications, and somehow we will have created a mixture to create zombies. OR!!! Drinking tons of drinks to stay awake to work work work our lives away to pay our over inflated mortgage and car payments, we will stay awake too long and while our immune systems are vulnerable due to the exhaustion and insomnia, disease will strike. Humans will turn into emotionless flesh eating zombies. So what is the moral of this story? If you answered with: "don't drink energy drinks", you are wrong. Energy drinks are delicious. The moral is, I can now officially write movies. My ideas aren't any worse than these guys making millions selling this other zombie crap.(plus, imagine the marketing opportunities in this flick, red bull would pay me millions). So while the possibility that a delicious source of caffeine would turn us all into the walking dead is slim to none,you can't say I didn't try.