Are energy drinks the plague of the 21st century?

Maybe I'm naive but every time I hear on the news that yet another person has been stabbed or robbed or assaulted I can't help but wonder whether the assailant was high on multiple energy drinks. Being subject to lack-of-food mood swings myself, I truly believe that what you eat and drink affects your brain cells and hence your logic. 

It sounds too simple but what if I'm right? Energy drinks are a cocktail of chemicals and sugar, there is no nutritional value in them and many people use them as a substitute for water, food and even sleep. Let's face it, they don't contain anything that your body needs and, mostly in combination with alcohol, they lead you to think that you're invulnerable. 

Is this the 21st century's tobacco replacement? Manufacturers can argue that they don't force anyone to drink them and they don't encourage excess consumption but in today's instant gratification environment and limited parental guidance, how much easier is it to buy and chug a can of liquid than to shop and prepare a nutritious meal? With the recent fixation on the avoidance of obesity, perhaps some see it as an easy way to control calories!

The media are full of stories on how lifestyle dictates your state of health - the more able you are to afford good nutrition and healthcare, the longer you will live. Yet more and more people are prone to depression and lacking the will to live. Could this be a direct result of brain cells muddled by a lack of nutrition? Food for thought!