Caffeine and alcohol just don't mix!

Recession is still biting, but already, the feverish tempo of the holiday festivities is picking up. More eating, more parties, more drinking. But hold it! We already know that the smart thing to do is to limit alcohol intake, but what about the chasers and mixes? Some interesting information came out recently on mixing alcohol and caffeine.

The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) cracked down on four companies recently that add caffeine to their malt alcoholic beverages by sending them warning letters about this practice. Caffeine, in this case, is identified as an 'unsafe food additive' by the FDA.

Public-health concern

"(The) FDA does not find support for the claim that the addition of caffeine to these alcoholic beverages is 'generally recognised as safe,' which is the legal standard, (but) to the contrary, there is evidence that the combinations of caffeine and alcohol in these products pose a public-health concern," said the FDA's principal deputy commissioner in a news release.

Many caffeine/alcohol/energy drinks concoctions are available on the Jamaican market. Some of them are popular on the teenagers' party circuit; others are touted as enhancers to men's sexual performance. So start reading the labels.

After reviewing various studies, the FDA said that caffeine tends to "mask some of the sensory cues individuals might normally rely on to determine their level of intoxication". In other words, people taking these concoctions tend to drink more, and the concoctions impair the drinker's judgement more than just taking alcohol alone, leading him or her to more risky behaviours.

Binge drinking

The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention indicates that:

Drinkers who consume alcohol mixed with energy drinks are three times more likely to binge-drink (based on breath alcohol levels) than drinkers who do not report mixing alcohol with energy drinks.

Drinkers who consume alcohol with energy drinks are about twice as likely as drinkers who do not report mixing alcohol with energy drinks to report being taken advantage of sexually, to report taking advantage of someone else sexually, and to report riding with a driver who was under the influence of alcohol.

Energy drink market

Scientists are not exactly sure how the body processes this caffeine-alcohol combination, but in this growing 'energy drink' market where small cans are being packed with high volumes of caffeine and alcohol, (a stimulant and a depressant, respectively), the effect is not thought to be good.

The stimulant caffeine is the dose of adrenaline rush in these concoctions. It increases blood pressure, gets the heart rate going, in some cases causing palpitations and irregular heart beat, agitation, jitters, headaches, and abnormal breathing. The depressant alcohol slows down brain function and clouds thinking, talking, and walking.

Enjoy the season but never let now your guard.

Eulalee Thompson is health editor and a professional counsellor; email: eulalee.thompson@gleanerjm.com.