# What do you drink on duty?



## Chimpie (Jul 19, 2014)

What do you drink while on duty? 

Coffee in the mornings? Caffeine to keep you going throughout the shift?

Or you do you try and stay healthy and drink water or juice?


Back in the day I used to drink a lot of Mt. Dew, but I don't think I could stomach it anymore.


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## FiremanMike (Jul 19, 2014)

1-2 cups of coffee in the morning, then pretty much water for the rest of the day..


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## TransportJockey (Jul 19, 2014)

Water and the red Monster Zeros


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## chaz90 (Jul 19, 2014)

Morning coffee, then ride out the rest of the day with water or an occasional Powerade. I revert back to coffee on the unusual occasions where I'm up all night at work.


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## gonefishing (Jul 19, 2014)

2 cups Coffee, water, Gatorade, a coke.


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## DesertMedic66 (Jul 19, 2014)

Whiskey


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## EMDispatch (Jul 19, 2014)

Water mostly, sometimes with crystal light in it for flavor. On night shift I'll down a 2 liter of diet Mt. Dew or similar, I just can't do coffee.


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## Angel (Jul 19, 2014)

water, blue gatorade (or red if theres no blue)...soda or juice if i want something sweet...
i drink hot chocolate as my caffeine substitute


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## STXmedic (Jul 19, 2014)

Damnit. Desert beat me to it.


For an actual response so that Chimpie doesn't ban me  Coffee in the morning, then water or green tea throughout the day. I'll have the occasional energy drink (the same ones that TJ mentioned), but I've cut back considerably. I used to do two or three per shift, but apparently my liver wasn't liking them as much as I was...


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## DesertMedic66 (Jul 19, 2014)

STXmedic said:


> Damnit. Desert beat me to it.



Nothing better then straight whiskey while running on drunk patients haha


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## STXmedic (Jul 19, 2014)

DesertEMT66 said:


> Nothing better then straight whiskey while running on drunk patients haha



Just like lighting up a cigarette after telling your patient they couldn't have one


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## Tigger (Jul 19, 2014)

I go to the same coffee stand every morning on my way up to work. From then on pretty much water only unless more coffee is needed.

And a chocolate milk post workout.


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## titmouse (Jul 19, 2014)

Water and ALF made hooch. LOL


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## adamNYC (Jul 19, 2014)

Problem with coffees, energy drinks, and sodas, etc. Is the sugar and anything else that's bad in there. I'll admit I can't resist the occasional cup of coffee, but for a caffeine source, there's caffeine pills PRN, and adding electrolyte tablets to water gives you exactly what you need (electrolytes) without all the sugar. Look up "Nuun Active Hydration, Electrolyte Enhanced Drink Tablets" on amazon. Good stuff.


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## chaz90 (Jul 19, 2014)

Yeah, I don't think I'd get quite the same enjoyment out of sucking on a caffeine tablet as I do out of a cup of good coffee.


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## adamNYC (Jul 19, 2014)

Don't get me wrong when I'm home I do love taking the time to grind and brew via french press or moka pot


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## STXmedic (Jul 19, 2014)

adamNYC said:


> Problem with coffees, energy drinks, and sodas, etc. Is the sugar and anything else that's bad in there. I'll admit I can't resist the occasional cup of coffee, but for a caffeine source, there's caffeine pills PRN, and adding electrolyte tablets to water gives you exactly what you need (electrolytes) without all the sugar. Look up "Nuun Active Hydration, Electrolyte Enhanced Drink Tablets" on amazon. Good stuff.



I love Nuun, and use them during every one of my runs (especially the new Nuun Energy one). But Nuun has far more electrolytes than drinks like Gatorade. If you aren't actively expending those electrolytes, you're likely taking in far more than you need.


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## Fire51 (Jul 19, 2014)

I have a bad habit for diet coke! I grew up with it being the only thing to drink besides water. I do like juice occasionally, but not much of a coffee drinker. I have never cared for hot drinks, I don't know why. Even as a kid I didn't like hot coco. So maybe iced coffee but even at that I don't care for it. I do drink Gatorade & I like raspberry flavor so a ice cold rasbarry ice tea is good once in a while.


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## TransportJockey (Jul 19, 2014)

I also have an obsession with chai when I can find it. I usually bring a tub of chai powder mix to texas when I come to work too.


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## NomadicMedic (Jul 19, 2014)

I keep a bunch of K-cups in my locker at work for coffee replenishment..


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## 9D4 (Jul 19, 2014)

I had a really bad habit of energy drinks for a while. To the point that in one month I had over 100 bucks of receipts. 
Quit drinking them. Had the worst headache for days, but now my wallet feels better.
I still drink them but my limit is two daily. The rest is normally water and this super good cherry limeade mix that I get at Sprouts.


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## Kevinf (Jul 19, 2014)

Sobe Lifewater (strawberry-dragonfruit flavor)... 88¢ for a 600ml bottle at Giant. 0 calories (sweetened with truvia, a natural sweetener) and no sugar so you don't get cotton mouth or tooth decay after drinking them. In short, they are flavored water with a few vitamins, and not this 600% RDA of niacin or vitamin C nonsense, they have about what you'd get from a typical serving of something healthy. Tasty.


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## Chris07 (Jul 20, 2014)

My drink of choice is water. Water water and more water. I'm not a coffee drinker at all. If I need a little pick me up I'm a fan of the Mountain Dew Kickstart drinks. (Only the cherry flavor)

If there's one thing I've learned during my time so far as an undergrad, it's that the caffine in coffee and energy drinks have little effect on me. I've tried to pull all nighters while studying...but unfotunately I can down a bunch of coffee or a giant can of monster and still be asleep within 30 minutes.


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## MrJones (Jul 20, 2014)

Coffee and/or Diet Coke.


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## MonkeyArrow (Jul 20, 2014)

Water and gatorade. Hate coffee, except for an occasional mocha frappucino from Starbucks. 

BTW did you know that you can buy pure caffeine powder online? A nurse that I work with just bought a kilo of it for $25


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## DesertMedic66 (Jul 20, 2014)

MonkeyArrow said:


> Water and gatorade. Hate coffee, except for an occasional mocha frappucino from Starbucks.
> 
> BTW did you know that you can buy pure caffeine powder online? A nurse that I work with just bought a kilo of it for $25



http://www.cleveland.com/metro/index.ssf/2014/07/fda_warns_against_use_of_caffe.html


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## wanderingmedic (Jul 20, 2014)

Water, and occasionally a coke.



MonkeyArrow said:


> BTW did you know that you can buy pure caffeine powder online? A nurse that I work with just bought a kilo of it for $25



It looks like that is some pretty nasty stuff.


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## TransportJockey (Jul 20, 2014)

azemtb255 said:


> Water, and occasionally a coke.
> 
> 
> 
> It looks like that is some pretty nasty stuff.


I still want some lol... I can always just give myself some adenosine


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## STXmedic (Jul 20, 2014)

I am a caffeine addict, and have joked about wanting the intravenous caffeine citrate... But the powdered caffeine just seems like a bad idea to me for some reason...


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## chaz90 (Jul 20, 2014)

People can barely be trusted around energy drinks, let alone the pure chemical powdered form of caffeine. Honestly, it's almost surprising there haven't been more problems with it. Perhaps it could be marketed more safely it it were somewhat diluted.


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## TheLocalMedic (Jul 20, 2014)

I prefer to drink the tears of my enemies.  Plenty of salt and electrolytes!


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## FltMedicRob (Jul 22, 2014)

Water, sometimes Gatorade, and in the mornings Coffee.


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## MonkeyArrow (Jul 22, 2014)

chaz90 said:


> People can barely be trusted around energy drinks, let alone the pure chemical powdered form of caffeine. Honestly, it's almost surprising there haven't been more problems with it. *Perhaps it could be marketed more safely it it were somewhat diluted*.



Wouldn't that just be the aforementioned coffee and/or energy drinks?


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## DesertMedic66 (Jul 22, 2014)

MonkeyArrow said:


> Wouldn't that just be the aforementioned coffee and/or energy drinks?



Just cut it with baking power or baking soda


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## rmabrey (Jul 22, 2014)

Water.


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