This is why you should never mix energy drinks with alcohol

Toronto: Do you love to mix your alcohol with highly caffeinated energy drinks? If yes, then stop mixing these two drinks as it might harm you.

A new study has found that alcohol mixing with energy drinks could increase the risk of falls and injury as compared to drinking alcohol only.

Alcohol mixed with energy drinks is used either as premixed drinks sold in liquor stores or by combining the two beverages by hand.

The lead author Audra Roemer from the University of Victoria in Canada said, "The stimulant effects of caffeine mask the result that most people get when they drink".

The study has classified the injuries as unintentional -- such as falls or motor vehicle accidents, and intentional -- such as fights or other physical violence.

In addition, the researchers also looked at whether risk-taking or sensation-seeking tendencies play a role in injuries associated with alcohol mixed with energy drinks use.

People who have these traits might prefer the awake-drunk state that one gets from mixing alcohol and energy drinks, Roemer said adding "this could be a population that's at even higher risk for injuries," he noted.

Roemer said, "Usually when you're drinking alcohol, you get tired and you go home. Energy drinks mask that, so people may underestimate how intoxicated they are, end up staying out later, consume more alcohol and engage in risky behaviour and more hazardous drinking practices".

The study is detailed in the Journal of Studies on Alcohol and Drugs.

(With IANS inputs)