Teens Who Drink Alcohol And Energy Drink Mix Are Likely To Develop Abusive Alcohol Drinking Habits, Study Says

Mixing energy drinks with alcohol is a popular practice among college students, and a new study wants to show what effect this cocktail has among the adolescent population. The study was conducted by researchers at Dartmouth's Norris Cotton Cancer Center, led by James Sargent. Published in the Journal of Paediatrics, the study investigates the effects of the deadly cocktail that teenagers like to consume. Researchers found that teens who like to drink the mix are more likely to develop drinking disorders.

The study looked at a sample of 3,342 participants from United States aged between 15 and 23. The results show that 9.7 percent of young people aged 15 to 17 had drunk alcohol-energy drink mix. Data analysis on the group shows that these young people are not only predisposed to binge drinking but also to developing alcohol disorder.

"Abusive alcohol use among adolescents is a dangerous behaviour that can lead to injury, chronic alcohol use and abuse, and even death," said study author Jennifer Emond in a report from NDTV Food. She also added that consumption of the mixed drink will lead to the development of abusive drinking habits in teenagers.

In a separate report, there is also the concern on premixed alcoholic energy drinks, and according to The National Council on Alcoholism and Drug Dependence, or NCADD, these beverages contain caffeine and other stimulants. Drinking these beverages has become a trend but packs a lot of risks. NCADD reports that these premixed beverages contain high levels of alcohol; some can have 12 percent alcohol content, much higher than a typical 5 percent level found in a can of beer.

"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," concluded Emond.

Previous studies have already been conducted to show the link between drinking alcohol with energy drinks and the negative effects while consuming or binge drinking these beverages. However, the previous studies only involved participants from the college undergraduates group.

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