You’ve probably heard of Red Bull and vodka. It’s one of those popular energy drink and alcohol combos at the pub and many mix it right at home. One of the major ingredients in energy drinks is caffeine, which is also found in other popular drinks, like rum and Coke. Have you ever wondered how caffeine interacts with alcohol and if it matters?
Mixing Alcohol and Energy Drinks
Is it dangerous? Yes.
Does it matter? You be the judge…
The CDC has an entire heading on their Caffeine and Alcohol Fact Sheet dedicated to the dangers of mixing alcohol and energy drinks, which are highly caffeinated. Here are three of those facts:
- The depressant effects of alcohol are often masked by the caffeine found in energy drinks. Since caffeine doesn’t increase the rate at which your metabolism processes alcohol through the liver, it doesn’t reduce the risk of alcohol-attributable harm or breath alcohol concentrations.
- People who drink an alcohol and energy drink mixer are 3X’s more likely to binge on alcohol.
- People who consume this drink combo are 2Xs more likely to report sexual assault or abuse and riding with a drunk or intoxicated driver.
The Caffeine-Alcohol Effect
It’s real.
The Atlantic covered the caffeine-alcohol effect in detail in 2014, stating that 1 in 4 people in their early 20s mix an energy drink with alcohol. While energy drinks have a much higher amount of caffeine, any caffeinated beverage has the potential to mask the depressant effect of alcohol. The presence of the caffeine puts drinkers who consume two or more drinks at a greater risk of the sneak-up effect or when they don’t realize how the alcohol is impairing their senses until it suddenly hits them after they’ve drunk too much.
According to The Atlantic, energy drinks increased emergency room visits exponentially by those who drank them as they grew in popularity, doubling from 10,000 in 2007 to 20,000 in 2011, 2,600 of which involved alcoholic energy drinks. The impact on health grew so alarming that the FDA banned premixed alcohol energy drinks in 2010.
A sociologist from the University of Michigan, Megan Patrick, surveyed 500 students about their drinking habits. The results indicated that students who drank highly caffeinated beverages and alcohol were two to three times more likely to experience negative consequences, such as hangovers or passing out.
Interestingly, Patrick also found that caffeine and alcohol can have a negative effect on the body without even being in the same glass. Her research indicated that students who consumed an energy drink on the same day as alcohol, despite being consumed at different times of the day, were still more likely to experience negative consequences. In addition, they usually consumed 11% more alcohol than those who only drank alcohol.
Always Drink Responsibly
Research shows that caffeine does not play well with alcohol. It actively increases your risk of:
- Drinking too much to drive safely
- Binge drinking
- Being taken advantage of
- More intense hangovers
It might be smarter to stick to non-caffeinated alcoholic beverages. Jerry Nicholson will give expert opinion on it. At the very least, decrease the amount you drink if you order a caffeinated alcoholic beverage.