2008 Woodie Awards
Mixing energy with with alcohol
Theresa Vosilla
Issue date: 4/6/06 Section: Features
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Red Bull might be the mixer of choice for those who love to party all night and believe that the popular drink will help keep them sober, but recent studies suggest that you might want to re-think that before ordering your next energized cocktail.
"People who drink red bull and vodka think that it gives them energy but I find that to be false. If you continue to drink anything that contains alcohol, you will get drunk. Being that red bull is an energy drink, it affects your body differently when mixed with liquor," said Monica Concha, junior, North Babylon, N.Y.
Twenty-six healthy young men who were about 23 years old, reported that they felt less drunk after consuming Red Bull mixed with vodka in a recent study conducted by Maria Lucia Souza-Formigoni, PhD, who works in the psychobiology department of Brazil's Federal University of Sao Paolo according to webmd.com.
Midday in a lab each of the men drank one drink per session and waited at least a week between the sessions. During these tests the men drank their drinks for 10-20 minutes.
The drinks that were given to them were; Red Bull, vodka, or Red Bull mixed with vodka. All of these drinks tasted and looked the same, preventing the men from telling the drinks apart.
The tests that were administered to the men were, Coordination, Visual reaction and Self-rated drunkenness. These tests were administered over the following 2.5 hours repeatedly. The overall goal of the tests and experiments was to find out if the men actually felt as drunk as they were, and to see if and how the results varied when the vodka and Red Bull were mixed and given to the men.
The study showed that the men were no more coordinated after they drank Red Bull and vodka then when they had vodka alone. Also, their breath-alcohol levels and visual reaction times were no better when Red Bull was mixed with the vodka.
The men's reports were different, they said they felt as if they were less drunk after they drank the Red Bull and vodka then they were when they had the vodka alone.
The researchers noted that they weren't sure if the caffeine or the other ingredients in energy drinks is what causes people to feel less drunk then they truly are.
"I only have energy drinks when I want to stay up and study but I know that a lot of people order Red Bull and vodka at the bar because they say it will not make them as tired as other drinks and they also don't feel as drunk," said Sara Lizzo, Rockland County, N.Y.
The dangers of Red Bull and vodka are the person's loss of ability to recognize loss of motor skills. This can lead to serious accidents and problems such as drunk driving, according to sun-sentinel.com
Mixing Red Bull and vodka is also dangerous because it combines a stimulant and a downer, caffeine and alcohol. Red Bull can also help enhance a hangover because the energy drink contains 80mg of caffeine, which dehydrates the body, while alcohol is also a diuretic.
"People who drink red bull and vodka think that it gives them energy but I find that to be false. If you continue to drink anything that contains alcohol, you will get drunk. Being that red bull is an energy drink, it affects your body differently when mixed with liquor," said Monica Concha, junior, North Babylon, N.Y.
Twenty-six healthy young men who were about 23 years old, reported that they felt less drunk after consuming Red Bull mixed with vodka in a recent study conducted by Maria Lucia Souza-Formigoni, PhD, who works in the psychobiology department of Brazil's Federal University of Sao Paolo according to webmd.com.
Midday in a lab each of the men drank one drink per session and waited at least a week between the sessions. During these tests the men drank their drinks for 10-20 minutes.
The drinks that were given to them were; Red Bull, vodka, or Red Bull mixed with vodka. All of these drinks tasted and looked the same, preventing the men from telling the drinks apart.
The tests that were administered to the men were, Coordination, Visual reaction and Self-rated drunkenness. These tests were administered over the following 2.5 hours repeatedly. The overall goal of the tests and experiments was to find out if the men actually felt as drunk as they were, and to see if and how the results varied when the vodka and Red Bull were mixed and given to the men.
The study showed that the men were no more coordinated after they drank Red Bull and vodka then when they had vodka alone. Also, their breath-alcohol levels and visual reaction times were no better when Red Bull was mixed with the vodka.
The men's reports were different, they said they felt as if they were less drunk after they drank the Red Bull and vodka then they were when they had the vodka alone.
The researchers noted that they weren't sure if the caffeine or the other ingredients in energy drinks is what causes people to feel less drunk then they truly are.
"I only have energy drinks when I want to stay up and study but I know that a lot of people order Red Bull and vodka at the bar because they say it will not make them as tired as other drinks and they also don't feel as drunk," said Sara Lizzo, Rockland County, N.Y.
The dangers of Red Bull and vodka are the person's loss of ability to recognize loss of motor skills. This can lead to serious accidents and problems such as drunk driving, according to sun-sentinel.com
Mixing Red Bull and vodka is also dangerous because it combines a stimulant and a downer, caffeine and alcohol. Red Bull can also help enhance a hangover because the energy drink contains 80mg of caffeine, which dehydrates the body, while alcohol is also a diuretic.