Imagine that it is New Years Eve and that guy who you have been crushing on takes you aside for the infamous midnight kiss. All of the sudden, the events of the evening seem to blur away, including the 10th JÃ ¤ger Bomb you downed right before the clock struck 12. It immediately becomes apparent that midnight kiss may not have been the only thing that took your breath away that night.
The trend of mixing energy drinks and alcohol has become increasingly popular among today's youth, yet most of them don't understand the risks.
Alcohol is a drug,"" UW-Madison nutritional science professor Susan Smith said. ""It reduces activity in the brain, it impairs cardiac function, it impairs the ability of the heart to get energy from burning fat the way it should and it can lead to a heart attack.""
According to ABC, some major concerns when mixing Red Bull and JÃ ¤germeister include, but are not limited to, cardiovascular risks, shortness of breath, rapid heartbeat, impaired judgment and dizziness. Energy drinks also dehydrate the body, so the more one drinks, the more it weakens the body's defenses.
Negative side-effects of JÃ ¤ger Bombs
It also has been proven that the combination results in a worse hangover. Alcohol and caffeine are both diuretics and the combination results in a ""wide-awake drunk."" Various studies have found that people who mix energy drinks and vodka are more likely to get into an auto accident because they believe themselves to be unimpaired.
""A stimulant causes a person to falsely report their driving ability, so they think they are a better driver than they really are,"" Smith said. ""Caffeine itself in high concentrations kills your reaction time. It makes you more distractible and jittery and impairs your ability to understand risks.""
When compared to consuming alcohol by itself, the combination of alcohol and energy drinks such as Red Bull considerably reduces a person's perception of headache, weakness, dry mouth and impairment of motor coordination. This is because caffeine acts as a stimulant, numbing the perception of pain.
Many people mix these two dangerous drinks because they think the high amount of caffeine counteracts the effects of alcohol, but they may be very wrong.
""Your blood alcohol level stays exactly the same, so it's a false sense [of alertness],"" Smith said. ""It's a cheat, it's a fake.""
Those seeking an energy boost can achieve this caffeine high from drinking a can of Coke, a cup of coffee or tea. This natural high can also be attained from exercising, and the effect lasts significantly longer, sometimes for days without damaging your body. Yet, advertisers often do not stress the healthy alternatives to their products.
""I [have] yet to see anything regarding the health issues in newspapers or magazines,"" said Eric Suemnicht, assistant general manager of the Nitty Gritty. ""It's hard to believe it's true, and you'd think there would be a pending lawsuit. It's hard to see it without factual proof.""
How much caffeine is too much?
According to the American Dietetic Association, a moderate amount of caffeine for the average adult is 200-300 milligrams per day. An 8-ounce can of Red Bull contains 80 mg of caffeine. Comparatively, a 12-ounce can of Coke has 34 mg, a cup of coffee has about 80 mg and a cup of tea has only 35 mg.
By these numbers, drinking a 32-ounce can of Monster will easily lead to a caffeine intake of over 300 mg. The problem is that people don't stop at one drink; they keep going and going until they eventually develop a tolerance for caffeine.
""Your body can become immune to or dependent on the caffeine,"" UW-Madison nutritional science professor Susan Nitzke said. ""To get the stimulant effect, which you might call the caffeine buzz, you might need more and more coffee or energy drinks.""
Even with so many negative effects, some still find an appeal in mixing. In fact, according to Suemnicht, about 25 percent of the shots sold at the Nitty are energy related. Some say it is the taste, while for others it is the resultant hyper feeling. Still others say it keeps you drunk longer.
""Separate, both of the parts taste crappy, but together, they somehow taste good,"" UW-Madison sophomore Ben Siebers said. ""You don't notice the effects nearly as much because the effects of the alcohol are negated by the boost of the energy drink.""
The dangers of false advertising
In addition to the flavor appeal of mixing energy drinks with alcohol and other drugs, advertising companies are trying to market a product that is trendy and fun. But many are not aware of false advertising.
""You can't believe everything that the ads tell you,"" Nitzke said. ""People have to try harder not to be gullible to promotions that make a product seem like its fun or trendy or what the cool people are doing.""
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration have not categorized energy drinks and thus do not strictly regulate them. This poses a problem for the consumer because companies can create and market their product without FDA approval, even if there are risks involved. Companies can do this because energy drinks are considered dietary supplements, even though they contain very little beneficial nutrients. In fact, each JÃ ¤ger Bomb contains about 200 calories, according to Suemnicht.
""They are not here to keep you healthy; they are here to make money,"" Smith said. ""They are trying to market it as a healthy thing and are aiming for the person who isn't eating well. They think an energy drink compensates for the fries they ate earlier that day. It causes a person to deplete their energy faster and [it] is a false sense of effort.""
With mixed drinks such as JÃ ¤ger Bombs in such high demand, businesses have to cater more to customer interest. But customer interest also means looking out for customers' safety.
""Our policy is to not over-serve people,"" Suemnicht said. ""We have to protect the best interest of the business. Being a birthday place, we hammer it home with our bartenders that they have to ask 'where is this drink going?' You're trained to just watch people.""
