UNIVERSITY OF FLORIDA STUDY SUGGESTS ENERGY DRINKS MIXED WITH ALCOHOL INCREASES INTOXICATION

In a press release from the University of Florida dated February 10, 2010, the University announced a new study on energy drinks, funded by the UF Office of the President, and conducted by a UF researcher that will be published in the April issue of the journal Addictive Behavior.   In a 2008 study of randomly-selected, college-aged adults exiting bars in a college bar district, patrons who consumed energy drinks mixed with alcohol had a threefold increased risk of leaving a bar highly intoxicated and were four times more likely to intend to drive after drinking than bar patrons who drank alcohol only.

According to the press release, the study’s lead researcher, an associate professor in the UF College of Public Health and Health Professions’ department of behavioral science and community health had this to say about the findings, “Previous laboratory research suggests that 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….This may lead people to drink more or make uninformed judgments about whether they are safe to drive.” According to the press release, experts believe that among college drinkers, as many as 28 percent consume alcohol mixed with energy drinks in a typical month.