Combining alcohol and caffeine is a widespread behavior of college students who choose to drink, with energy drinks being a common “mixer” for various alcoholic products. In 2010 the FDA outlawed the sale of alcoholic energy drinks, but that ban, nonetheless, cannot serve to damper the practice of mixing the two substances in bars, homes, etc. The physiology concerning this combination varies considerably from individual to individual, but it has been generally proposed that caffeine may either mask alcohol’s depressant effects or lead people to believe their intoxication will be attenuated. The purpose of this two-part study was to investigate the effects that alcohol mixed energy drink (AmED) consumption has on risk-taking behavior, as well as attempting to characterize the intentions and beliefs of students who partake in the behavior.
The sample for the first part of the study was composed of 422 students from universities in the state of New York (N=422, 58.8% female) who responded to a survey containing the following measures: the Alcohol Expectancy Questionnaire (AEQ); demographic questionnaire; Alcohol, abstinence and self-efficacy scale (AASE-C, measuring how and when individuals choose not to drink); and the National Survey of Drinking and Driving, 2001. Students were grouped according to whether or not they consume AmED, and statistical modeling compared the groups and their resulting survey scores. The second part of the study consisted of 37 students from the same universities (N=37) who participated in a focus group that discussed the motivations and intentions of using AmED. These participants were deemed eligible by having reported prior AmED use and having access to a car.
Results from the first part of the study found 21.8% of participants had used AmED in the past, with males and younger students (<21 years of age) being more likely to use AmED than other groups. Recent AmED users were found to be much more likely to drive after binge drinking, ride with an intoxicated driver, or drive when they knowingly could not do so safely (p<0.05 for each variable mentioned). Higher alcohol expectancies also strengthened the variables related to risk-taking behavior in recent AmED users. Results of the second part of the study indicated that students consumed AmED (most notably Red BullÔ and vodka) for the taste enhancement, fatigue reduction, and increased drinking stamina. When drunk driving was discussed, most students expressed disapproval but explained that justifications for the behavior include it being cheap (as opposed to ridesharing) and convenient.
Takeaway: combing alcohol and energy drinks poses a unique threat to the health and public safety of college students. Interventions should seek ways in which to divert the behavior, and campus education programs must discuss the increased harms that this combination can pose for students who choose to drink.
Graczyk AM, Leone LA, Orom H, et al. Alcohol mixed energy drink usage and risk-taking among college students in Western New York State. Journal of American College Health. 2020;0(0):1-14. doi:10.1080/07448481.2020.1817036