The Combined Effects of Alcohol and Caffeine Associated With a Variety of Health Risk Behaviors
Combing caffeine with alcohol is becoming a growing popular trend for people who are going to have a long night of partying: as high as 54% of college students (Heinz, Wit, Lilje, Kassel, 2013). Although the partiers find this mixture to be helpful, researchers in this article find that there may be a correlation between caffeinated alcoholic beverages (CAB) and risky behavior (i.e. driving under the influence, unprotected sex, etc). This study was intended to outline the effects of caffeinated alcohol on affective, cognitive, and behavioral measures specifically in young drinkers. Heinz et al. (2013) would have participants that would be involved in one of the following: 1) no caffeine, no caffeine expectancy, 2) caffeine and caffeine expectancy, 3) no caffeine but caffeine expectancy, 4) caffeine but no caffeine expectancy. Using past evidence, it was hypothesized that caffeine will diminish the effect of alcohol on negative effects such as performance, sedation, intoxication, and it will increase stimulation and the desire to continue to drink further, imposing a greater risk on the health of the young drinker. Heinz et al. (2013) then compared the participants who receive only alcohol, and those who receive both caffeine and alcohol are hypothesized to show more risky and impulsive behavior. Finally, participants expecting only caffeine are hypothesized to show effects similar to the anticipating participants who consumed both caffeine and alcohol, however to a lesser degree. Based on previous correlational findings showing that consuming CAB is positively associated with the action of health-risk behaviors, Heinz et al. (2013) “hyp...
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...inspires me to do something similar, but to see how many college students are participating in this growing trend, and why. Why do they indulge in CAB? Is it for the taste? Or do they truly feel that because of the caffeine, they can party harder and longer? This study also mentioned that part of the 54% of college students, specifically medical students are a huge part of that statistic. I would also like to know why that is. Does consuming in CAB correlate with the amount of stress and exhaustion a college student has in their life? I plan to find out and compare my findings to Heinz et al.
Works Cited
Heinz, A. J., de Wit, H., Lilje, T. C., & Kassel, J. D. (2013). The combined effects of alcohol, caffeine, and expectancies on subjective experience, impulsivity, and risk-taking. Experimental And Clinical Psychopharmacology, 21(3), 222-234. doi:10.1037/a0032337
And now it has become a severe problem especially for college students (Forster at el.,2014:1; Hermens at el.,2012:4). The reason for this is that most social interactions now are beer-directed (López-Caneda et al.,2013:464). In this case, students are more likely to have risk-taking behaviours such as binge drinking (López-Caneda et al.,2013:464). As soon as they go into the bars and in a short time, they may get excited and take a large amount of alcohol which is known as binge drinking (López-Caneda et al.,2013:464).
Using fear, while not aggressively, Silveri highlights the fact that excessive alcohol consumption is the third leading leading cause of preventable death. The author discusses this topic in a way that seems to be to scare anybody she is trying to convince. A mother reading this could worry about her daughter, or a young man in college who drinks often could take his drinking habits far more seriously after reading something like that. Also, ending the article on an optimistic note, she allows the reader to have some hope. Silveri mentions the reduction of maladaptive alcohol use through better recognition of the negative tendencies that comes with alcohol abuse in adolescents. (Adolescent Brain Development and Underage Drinking in the United States: Identifying Risks of Alcohol Use in College
By this definition, and after knowing the effects of caffeine upon the human body, I have come to the conclusion that drinking caffeine is a sign of a lack of respect for oneself, and of an unappreciative attitude toward the life that each of us has been blessed with. Furthermore, it shows of either our inability, or unwillingness to learn to think clearly.
Zeigler, Donald. "The neurocognitive effects of alcohol on adolescents and college students." Preventive Medicine 40. (2004): 23 – 32. Web. 10 Apr. 2014. .
Drinking, by Hank Nuwer. Matrix: The Magazine for Leaders in Higher Education Sept. 2000 v1, i2: p84. Infotrac. Gale Group. UC Riverside Thomas Rivera Library, Riverside CA. 22 Jan. 2005. <http://library.ucr.edu>.
Caffeinate drinks and energy drinks are very common on amongst adolescents, and the consumption of alcohol is also a regular occurrence among adolescents (Rohsenow et. Al, 2014). At that age, they may consume caffeine or energy drinks to wake themselves up or stay up late when working on homework assignments. Which at times can be helpful when working on multiple assignments. When a person consumes a certain amount of alcohol, he or she begins to feel drowsy/tired. There is nothing wrong with having a drink on occasions, especially if you drink responsibly. Recently people have begun to mix caffeine with alcohol, resulting in Alcoholic Energy Drinks. People buy and consume these drinks to combat the drowsiness that comes with drinking, so if he or she is out partying, it won’t interrupt his or her drinking and the can consume more alcohol because they will not feel as tired as quickly as the normally would. Alcoholic Energy Drinks have been a trend in recent years, and this is especially true among college and high school students (Kponee, Siegel, & Jernigan, 2014). Do Alcoholic Energy Drinks represent responsible drinking? Should companies mix caffeine and alcohol and sell it in stores? To go even further, should the drinks be legal in the United States? Alcoholic Energy Drinks are harmful because they affect the person’s ability to judge his or her level of intoxication, it also influences people to drink more than he or she should because he or she feels less intoxicated, and because of those reasons, people who consume Alcoholic Energy Drinks are more likely to drive while intoxicated, among other dangerous risk-taking behaviors (Kponee, Siegel, & Jernigan, 2014). Because of the adverse effects, Alcoholic Energy Drinks should...
Scrutiny of caffeine and its effects has increased dramatically in the last 20 years, due in part to an increase in consumption of caffeine. In fact, coffee consumption among young adults rose to 3.2 cups per day in 2008 from 2.4 cups per day in 2005 (Rokerya 1). For instance, in a one hour period, on Richland College’s on-campus Starbucks, the author took note of how many customers arrived and purchased a cup of coffee. Between 8:00 and 9:00 AM, there were 51 customers, implying that – especially at college - many people are dependent on coffee in the mornings. However, the results from these studies are inconclusive and often somewhat contradictory – many studies (such as that by Tetsuya Ohara et al.) show that caffeine is a great boon to
“Beyond Hangovers: Understanding Alcohol's Impact Your Health.” Bethesda, MD: U.S. Dept. of Health and Human Services, National Institutes of Health, National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism, 2010. Print.
Does one drink caffeine? Caffeine is everywhere, it's in everything, it's apart of our daily lives. That’s what people doesn’t realizes; every soda drink, every cup of coffee, and every energy drink he or she gulps down before a thrilling game, all of that is caffeine. Caffeine is only completed when he or she get addicted. Caffeine can be an exceptional threat to the human body; energy drinks for example, it has enough caffeine to kill someone if he or she drinks enough. Energy drinks has been the number one drink high school students drink to stay awake in school; they even bring the drink in classrooms, and more than one energy drink. Soda has enough caffeine to destroy ones inner body. Soda is a everyday drink for some individuals, they
As America quickly become the most unhealthy nation with approximately sixty-eight percent of adults over twenty classified as overweight or obese, citizens still choose to not find out what they are consuming and how their eating choices can affect their bodies (United States, Behavioral Effects of Caffeine in Children). When examining health, aspects such as calories, weight, and fitness levels are all inspected. Other factors such as the everyday drug that up to ninety percent of people around the world consume in one form or another need to be addressed in an inspection of the national health (“Caffeine” Health Education). Caffeine is a central nervous system stimulant than modifies mood and can be found addictive (“Caffeine” Health Education). American’s average daily intake of caffeine is two hundred and eighty milligrams (“Caffeine” Alcohol and Tobacco). Many people consume much more than that; they are addicted. Caffeine is a drug common in our society that brings negatively affects the the consumer both mentally and physically and the true facts of the substance’s affects stay concealed such as how it affects the heart, brain, and other organs of adults, children, and animals alike.
According to a national survey conducted by the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism, “almost 60 percent of college students ages 18–22 drank alcohol in the past month, 1 and almost 2 out of 3 of them engaged in binge drinking during that same timeframe” (NIH). Binge drinking culture refers to the recent rise and normalization of college age students drinking excessively. The CDC describes binge drinking as “a pattern of drinking that brings a person’s blood alcohol level to 0.08grams within two hours” (CDC). For many young adults, college is one of the first times they will experience complete freedom. This freedom often leads to partying, which goes hand in hand with the consumption of alcohol. However, since the age at which
Binge or excessive drinking is the most serious problem affecting social life, health, and education on college campuses today. Binge or excessive drinking by college students has become a social phenomena in which college students do not acknowledge the health risks that are involved with their excessive drinking habits. Furthermore college students do not know enough about alcohol in general and what exactly it does to the body or they do not pay attention to the information given to them. There needs to be a complete saturation on the campus and surrounding areas, including businesses and the media, expressing how excessive drinking is not attractive and not socially accepted.
The following study will examine and provide research methods, results and conclusions about college students who consume caffeine energy drinks, alcohol or both to get an energy boost for one reason or another. Coffee which use to be the highlight of boosting energy and staying up late nights to complete homework assignments or study has taken a fall in the 20th century. The study will also point out the effects of the energy drinks and alcohol and the harm and health concerns that contribute to the students behaviors when consumed. The first study examines energy drinks and alcohol among college students and the fact that more students are consuming the product. The study is a web based questionnaire. The article “Caffeinated cocktails: energy drink consumption, high-risk drinking, and alcohol-related consequences among college students”, paints a good picture of the behaviors followed by drinking energy drinks and alcohol such as; heavy drinking, increased alcohol-related consequences, taken advantage of sexually, traveling with intoxicated drivers, getting injured or physically hurt, and those requiring medical attention. The second article “A survey of energy drink consumption patterns among college students” utilized a field research focus group of 32 to determine how much college students drink energy drinks including the benefits and the health issues. The energy drinks Red Bull, Amp, Monster, Rock Star, Rip It, Full Throttle, and Cocaine, just to name a few were created to give individuals a “Jolt” of energy with a combination of stimulants or “energy boosters” that include caffeine.
In the present society, people’s schedules tend to be extremely hectic due to either strenuous work schedules or keeping up with school and families. Due to this, numerous individuals do not obtain the recommended eight hours of sleep. On top of not getting enough sleep, they do not eat the proper foods to nourish their bodies. In return, they have a substantial lack of energy. Usually people who do not take care of themselves tend to eventually get more tired by mid-day and as their day goes on. A simple solution would be to go to bed earlier and eat better foods. However, our society has become very lazy, obese, and have started to take the easy way out over the years. Instead of eating better and trying to get more sleep, people drink energy drinks as an easy and fast way to get a boost of energy. Energy drinks have been around since the nineteen-sixties and have become increasingly more popular. There are hundreds of different brands of energy drinks that are sold in grocery stores and gas stations today, and worse than that billions of them are consumed every year. Even though multiple energy drinks are consumed every year, many people are uninformed about; what an energy drink is, what the benefits and non-benefits are, what different types of energy drinks there are, and how mixing them with alcohol can be seriously dangerous.
In 2008, over 80% of United StateS college students have had at least one alcoholic drink in a span of over two weeks (Johnston, O’Malley, Bachman, & Schulenberg, 2009). 40% of these college students binge drink, having four or more drinks. This exceeds the rate of other non-college peers. Research suggests