AN energy drink addict suffered a huge heart attack in a pub after drinking two litres of the high caffeine-laced beverages.

UK man Martin Bowling, 28, became so hooked on the drinks he was spending £75 ($156) a week to fuel his habit over seven years.

But the insurance worker, from Essex, collapsed at a pub after eight energy drinks and was rushed to hospital.

Doctors told him he had suffered a cardiac arrest because of ultra-high caffeine levels in his blood stream.

Martin said: “I feel lucky and extremely thankful to be alive. There were no warning signs. I don’t even know if it hurt.

“I just remember hitting the floor and waking up in hospital. Now I see those drinks as death in a can.

“I was later told a stranger brought me back to life and I have never had the chance to thank them.”

Martin has now warned how the relatively low price of energy drinks and easy access to them had made it all the easier for people to become addicted.

He added: “I’d been drinking them for about seven years and it was like I’d become mentally addicted.

“Sometimes, I could find myself in arguments if I hadn’t had one. The amount I was drinking had slowly increased since started when I was 21.

“I would wake up and think of an energy drink then go to sleep after an energy drink — they helped me sleep.

“Even when doctors told me high caffeine levels were the cause, I still wanted a can. It was ridiculous.

In the UK, a can of energy drink can cost as little as 75 cents.

Martin suffered the attack on June 1 in The Bull pub, Romford, while watching a boxing match.

He was taken to the nearby Queen’s Hospital and treated by a chest expert in London.

Victoria Taylor, the British Heart Foundation’s senior dietitian, said: “While drinking moderate amounts of caffeine shouldn’t have an impact on your heart health, some people can be more sensitive to its effects.

How safe are energy drinks for teens? As the energy drink industry rapidly grows, so do concerns over the possible health risks for teenagers who consume the highly caffeinated drinks.

“Children and young people are particularly vulnerable and can have an exaggerated response to caffeine, as they will be less used to it.

“Avoiding energy drinks is sensible to help to limit their consumption of caffeine.”

Gavin Partington, of the British Soft Drinks Assocation, added: “A 250 ml can of energy drink typically contains about the same amount of caffeine as a cup of coffee.

“Energy drinks producers provide caffeine content on all labelling and recommend consumption in moderation.

“Like all food and beverages energy drinks should be consumed as part of a balanced and varied diet and healthy lifestyle.”

- This article originally appeared in The Sun