Energy Drinks and Alcohol-related Risk Among Young Adults

Overview

Journal Subst Abus

Publisher Sage Publications

Specialties Medical Education
Psychiatry

Date 2017 Jun 17

PMID 28622099

Citations 6

Authors

Celeste M Caviness

Bradley J Anderson

Michael D Stein

Affiliations

Soon will be listed here.

Abstract

Background: Energy drink consumption, with or without concurrent alcohol use, is common among young adults. This study sought to clarify risk for negative alcohol outcomes related to the timing of energy drink use.

Methods: The authors interviewed a community sample of 481 young adults, aged 18-25, who drank alcohol in the last month. Past-30-day energy drink use was operationalized as no-use, use without concurrent alcohol, and concurrent use of energy drinks with alcohol ("within a couple of hours"). Negative alcohol outcomes included past-30-day binge drinking, past-30-day alcohol use disorder, and drinking-related consequences.

Results: Just over half (50.5%) reported no use of energy drinks,18.3% reported using energy drinks without concurrent alcohol use, and 31.2% reported concurrent use of energy drinks and alcohol. Relative to those who reported concurrent use of energy drinks with alcohol, and controlling for background characteristics and frequency of alcohol consumption, those who didn't use energy drinks and those who used without concurrent alcohol use had significantly lower binge drinking, negative consequences, and rates of alcohol use disorder (P < .05 for all outcomes). There were no significant differences between the no-use and energy drink without concurrent alcohol groups on any alcohol-related measure (P > .10 for all outcomes).

Conclusions: Concurrent energy drink and alcohol use is associated with increased risk for negative alcohol consequences in young adults. Clinicians providing care to young adults could consider asking patients about concurrent energy drink and alcohol use as a way to begin a conversation about risky alcohol consumption while addressing 2 substances commonly used by this population.

Citing Articles

Energy drinks in Tamale: Understanding youth perceptions, consumption patterns, and related factors.

Kobik W, Aryee P PLoS One. 2024; 19(4):e0289391.

PMID: 38669248 PMC: 11051681. DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0289391.

Reducing Unhealthy Normative Behavior: The Case of Sports and Energy Drinks.

Hennessy M, Bleakley A, Ellithorpe M, Maloney E, Jordan A, Stevens R Health Educ Behav. 2021; 50(3):394-405.

PMID: 34772291 PMC: 10205043. DOI: 10.1177/10901981211055468.

Interaction of Energy Drinks with Prescription Medication and Drugs of Abuse.

Hladun O, Papaseit E, Martin S, Barriocanal A, Poyatos L, Farre M Pharmaceutics. 2021; 13(10).

PMID: 34683828 PMC: 8541613. DOI: 10.3390/pharmaceutics13101532.

Anxiety-like behavior and whole-body cortisol responses to components of energy drinks in zebrafish ().

Alia A, Petrunich-Rutherford M PeerJ. 2019; 7:e7546.

PMID: 31497403 PMC: 6707341. DOI: 10.7717/peerj.7546.

Emerging Adults' Discussion of Substance Use and Sexual Behavior with Providers.

E Blevins C, Anderson B, Caviness C, Herman D, Stein M J Health Commun. 2019; 24(2):121-128.

PMID: 30806172 PMC: 6459691. DOI: 10.1080/10810730.2019.1583700.

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