Not shocking survey finds alcoholic energy drinks dangerous.

Last Updated on Tuesday, 30 November 1999 00:00 Tuesday, 19 April 2011 12:34

By: fanatic

A study carried out by Northern Kentucky University has come up with the not so unfamiliar conclusion of telling us something we already know. The shocking results of the study - combining energy drinks and alcohol is more dangerous than drinking alcohol alone - is sure to surprise absolutely nobody.

The study carried out on 56 students involved giving some of them an alcoholic beverage, others an energy drink, a third group got alcohol with an energy drink while the losers in the fourth group received a placebo. All drinks were made to look and taste like alcoholic energy drinks so the students had no idea what they were getting. After finishing their drinks, they were then tested to see how fast they could execute tasks and to rate their feelings.

The alcohol only group should impaired control. The alcoholic energy drink group were also impaired, but crucially thought themselves less impaired than others. This would leave them more open to taking risks like driving. The study said that drinking alcohol alone during an evening produces a response of feeling tired, sleepy and generally slow and unresponsive. That is the body's cue that maybe it's time to stop and hit the sack for the night. But throwing an energy drink into the mix cancels the body's warning signal out. So you're drunk, wide awake, hyper and cannot assess risk because you are underestimating the effects of the alcohol on you.

"I'm most concerned about impaired driving," said author Cecile Marczinski. "Typically, a lot of people's judgement is not good even at the best of times when they're drinking alcohol. It's really that sleepy feeling that cues people it's time to go home. This might extend the whole party experience longer than it should."

It's important to realise that the caffeine does not 'sober' you up, merely cancels out the body's feelings of tiredness and stupor. You're still as drunk as a skunk.

"The disconnect between what you feel and how you act is what is the problem here. Stimulation may not be a good thing when you're drinking because you may drink longer, decide to stay at a party where you're drinking longer, and drink far more than you originally intended," she added.