There is nothing worse than being tired, right? No one wants to be tired on a Friday night or with a long drive ahead. There are few remedies for being tired — sleep, coffee or energy drinks.
During a stroll through the University Student Union hallways, I noticed the Red Bull girls handing out samples. I was tempted to run over and ask for one, but then I remembered the nervous shaking that I get when I drink them. So instead, I got some coffee. Some energy drinks can be equal to up to 10 cups of coffee. I guess that explains the nervous shaking — caffeine overload.
I am not against energy drinks. There are times when a massive energy boost is necessary, like getting through a 12-hour day at school or pulling an all-nighter. My big concern, however, is when drinking energy drinks crosses over to more dangerous territory — mixing energy drinks and alcohol.
Energy drinks are stimulants and alcohol is a depressant, and when combined the health implications are vast.
Combining alcohol and energy drinks “produces a false sense of sobriety,” said Mary Claire O’Brien of the department of emergency medicine at Wake Forest University. “You feel less drunk when you drink an energy drink with alcohol.”
Consider the implications of this; there will be more of a likelihood of drunk driving and people will be more likely to engage in risky sexual behavior, which could lead to unwanted consequences.
Of course, there are people who will point out that mixing alcohol and energy drinks will reduce the severity of a hangover. Dealing with a nasty hangover can discourage someone from drinking for a few days and no one wants that, right?
Interestingly enough, John Timbrell, a professor of biochemical toxicology at the University of London, believes there is reason to think that mixing alcohol and energy drinks could help minimize liver damage.
I believe that young adults are thrown into a drinking vortex; it starts in middle- and high school with beer, moving next to mixed fruity drinks and perhaps ending with wine. Through the drinking process, many learn their limits and, by knowing their limits, have greater control over their safety. They will know when they have had enough.
New college students, though, are drinking these mixed drinks and suffering the consequences. According to the Center for Science in the Public Interest, almost 25 percent of college students reported mixing alcohol with energy drinks, and 15 percent mixed alcohol with energy drinks to be able to drink more and feel less inebriated.
Because feeling less drunk than you actually are is a common symptom of mixing alcohol and energy drinks, new drinkers that haven’t identified their limits might drink to the point of blacking out, perhaps bringing about serious medical conditions.
Students need to be aware of the dangers associated with combining alcohol and energy drinks. The immediate results may be fun, but the consequences far outweigh the benefits.
Monique McCollum is a senior communications major and a contributing writer for the Daily Forty-Niner.