Mixing alcohol with caffeine: Heavy episodic drinking, driving while intoxicated, and alcohol-related consequences among youth

This study examines the association of consumption of alcohol mixed with energy (AME) drinks and other drinking behavior among youth, aged 14-20. Data are from a 2007 telephone survey of 5,639 youth in 68 communities across 5 states.

Among ever drinkers, 12% (359) reported drinking AME drinks at least once in the past 30 days. The most common reasons for consuming alcohol mixed with energy drinks were hiding flavor of the alcohol (75%), followed by drinking more (25%), not getting a hangover (16%), not looking as drunk (14%), and staying awake longer (14%).

In multivariate analyses of ever-drinkers (N=3207), older youth were more likely to consume AME drinks after adjusting for gender and race (Odd Ratio (OR) =1.24, p < 0.00001). Consuming AME drinks was strongly associated with heavy drinking (OR=6.52, p < 0.00001), driving while intoxicated (OR=3.77, p < 0.00001), drinking-related violent consequences (OR=3.91, p < 0.00001), and drinking-related non-violent consequences (OR=7.73, p < 0.00001) after adjusting for age, gender, and race.

Consuming AME drinks is a rapidly increasing practice among youth. These data suggest that older youth are more likely to consume AME drinks and the most common reason for consuming alcohol mixed with energy drinks is to hide the flavor of alcohol. Youth who drink AME drinks are at a higher risk for problematic drinking behavior and drinking-related consequences, compared to youth who drink alcohol without energy drinks. Implications for policy and interventions are discussed.