Mixing Alcohol and Energy Drinks: Is It Safe?

Mixing alcohol and energy drinks like Red Bull is it safe?  I was in a convenient store and over heard a couple of people talking about drinking at a bar.  They were drinking Red Bull and alcohol.  They were talking about how awesome it made them feel and the buzz they would get. 

Working in the medical field it did not sound like a safe combination to me.  This is what I found out about it.

Mixing energy drinks like Red Bull, Full Throttle, Rock Star, and Monster with alcohol poses different health risk.  It can hinder your respiration’s, and your cardiovascular system.  It can cause impaired judgment, short of breath, dizziness, and disorientation.  The most common side effect is rapid heart rate.  If you have heart problems already it puts you at a greater risk and can be life threatening. 

The reason people like to do mix the two is you get drunk without the drunk and have a lot of energy.  When the two are mixed the energy drink counters the depressive effects of alcohol and making a person’s perception of the unpleasant side effects like drowsiness, feelings of un-coordination and intoxication less.  It will make you dance all night long.

The down side to all of this is you may feel more alert and energized but your motor skills and reflexes are just as impaired as if you were just drinking regular alcohol. 

This was proved over in Brazil through a study that was done on motor skills.  Half the group was given straight alcohol and the others were given Red Bull and alcohol.  The ones that were given the mixture said it made them feel more alert and energized.  When they studied everyone’s motor skills they were the same. They all preformed badly.

One of the major concerns with this is you feel less intoxicated so you drink more.  That puts you at higher risk for alcohol poisoning.  It also puts everyone else at risk if you get behind the wheel of a car because you do not feel drunk but you really are.

ALCOHOL

Alcohol is classified as a depressant.  It slows down the central nervous system and causes a decrease in motor coordination, reaction time and intellectual performance.  High doses of alcohol slow down the respiration drastically and can cause coma or death.