Underage drinkers likelier to use life-threatening caffeine and alcohol combo

Washington – A new research has found that college-age drinkers often combine caffeine and alcohol, which results in risky decision making and endangers lives.

Dr. Michael Siegel from the Boston University School of Public Health and his team asked 1,031 youths aged 13 to 20, who had at least one alcoholic drink in October, whether they consumed energy drinks that contained alcohol.

Researchers also asked the participants if they mixed caffeine and alcoholic drinks by themselves, Fox News reported.

The findings showed that just over half of the participants drank caffeine and alcohol together in October.

The researchers found that teens, who had started drinking between age 11 and 13, drank caffeinated alcoholic beverages than those who started later.

The team also found that young people who consumed energy drinks and shots mixed with alcohol were several times more likely to binge drink, get involved in fights and sustain alcohol-related injuries than those who did not.

The study is published in the journal Addictive Behaviors.