Alcohol mixed with caffeinated drinks increases the urge to drink more, a new research reveals.
In order find out the effects of the caffeinated drinks and alcohol, Australian researchers recruited 75 men and women aged between 18 and 30. The participants did not have a history of alcohol or drug addiction.
Around half of those were given cocktails made of vodka, fruit juice and Red Bull Silver Edition. Participants in the second group received a cocktail of vodka, juice and soda water. The respondents did not know which drink they got.
The participants were interviewed about their feelings before and after they had their cocktails.
Respondents from both groups reported feeling almost the same level of stimulation from their cocktail drinks. However, those in the cocktail-energy drink reported higher satisfaction with their drink compared to those in the other group. Researchers found that these participants also said they wanted to drink more.
"Based on our study, we can't be certain whether it was the caffeine or the sugary additives that made the energy drink and vodka cocktail more appealing than drinking alcohol alone," said study lead author Rebecca McKetin, a fellow with the Center for Research on Aging, Health and Well-being at the Australian National University in Canberra, reports HealthDay.
"We normally think of alcohol as a depressant, but it also has a stimulant effect, and it is this stimulant effect that is most strongly related to how much we like alcohol, and whether we want to keep drinking," McKetin said. "Caffeine, being a stimulant, tends to bring out the stimulant effects of alcohol intoxication. It may be this that causes energy drinks to increase the desire to keep drinking alcohol."
Researchers warned that the results of the study were solely based on self-report and did not actually observe which participants physically went for another drink.
The study was published in Alcoholism: Clinical and Experimental Research.
