"Abusive alcohol use among adolescents is a dangerous behaviour that can lead to injury, chronic alcohol use and abuse, and even death," said first author Jennifer Emond from Norris Cotton Cancer Centre at Dartmouth School of Medicine. She added, "The mixed use of alcohol and energy drinks may signal the development of abusive drinking behaviour among adolescents," Edmond pointed out.
Energy drinks alone are also known to be extremely dangerous. A 2014 study said that a certain energy drink has as many as 13 teaspoons of sugar and the equivalent caffeine of two cups of coffee! Now let's see what happens when you mix energy drinks with alcohol?
In 2014, an Australian study that was published in 'Alcoholism: Clinical and Experimental Research' found that mixing vodka with energy drinks makes you want to drink more. Another weird fact the study revealed was that people who consumed energy drinks had lower breath alcohol concentration - so in a way, energy drinks mask the smell of alcohol. Researchers believe that this could have had something to do with the high sugar content and carbs that the drink has.
(What Happens When You Mix Energy Drinks with Alcohol?)
The team at Dartmouth School of Medicine looked at a sample of 3,342 adolescents and young adults aged 15-23 years old recruited across the US. Around 9.7 percent of adolescents aged 15-17 years old had consumed an energy drink mixed with alcohol. Such teens are also found to develop a tendency not only for binge drinking, but also tend to fall prey to alcohol use disorder.
Edomond concluded by saying, "Given that this is a sensitive issue, it's possible that clinicians, parents, and educators might open dialogues about alcohol use with adolescents by starting the discussion on the topic of energy drinks."With inputs from IANS