It’s a cruel combo. If you consume energy drinks with alcohol, you’re probably drunker than you think.
Kids of college and university age will often use energy drinks such as Red Bull with alcohol to boost their buzz. A study in Florida has found that adding caffeine to alcohol increases the risk of being very drunk and deciding to drive.
Researchers from the University of Florida did interviews with more than 800 randomly selected young people leaving bars late at night. The participants were asked what they had been drinking and also whether they intended to drive home. Their breath alcohol levels were tested. The study found that those who drank energy drinks mixed with alcohol had a threefold increased risk of leaving a bar highly intoxicated.
More ominously, they were four times more likely to intend to drive that night than those who only drank alcohol. It’s estimated that 28 per cent of college-age drinkers use energy drinks.
“When caffeine is mixed with alcohol it overcomes the sedating effects of alcohol and people may perceive that they are less intoxicated than they really are,” said the study’s lead researcher Dennis Thombs, an associate professor in the UF College of Public Health. “This may lead people to drink more or make uninformed judgments about whether they are safe to drive.”
