Alcohol mixed with energy drinks “potentially fatal”

Drinking caffeinated energy drinks mixed with alcohol is potentially fatal and is linked to risky sexual behaviour, according to two new studies.

In Australia it was reported that energy drinks amplify alcohol’s effects, leading to “wide awake drunkenness”. The Australian Medical Association is calling for tighter controls on caffeinated drinks.

While researchers from the University of Buffalo in New York surveyed 648 students and found that a third of students had drunk caffeine with alcohol and those students were more likely to have casual sex.

“Those risks are higher if you don’t know your partner and his/her sexual history very well, and they’re higher if you’re drunk, because you’re more likely to miss the often subtle cues that tell you this encounter is a bad idea.”

The amount of caffeine in some energy drinks exceeds 500mg – the same as six cups of coffee.

Caffeine masks the depressant effects of alcohol so you’re less likely to feel intoxicated and more likely to drink more.

Amy Pennay, a researcher at the Turning Point Alcohol and Drug Centre in Melbourne, said researchers are aware that people who drink alcohol and energy drinks engage in more risky behaviour.