In case you’ve been wondering as to why some club-goers experience short-term memory loss or worse, inability to control temper caused by drunken thoughts, fret no more. ‘Cause you’ve probably found the right article to answer your dilemma.
According to science, those who binge on mixtures of caffeinated drinks and vodkas are at greater risk of injury because they underestimate how drunk they are. Sounds familiar? Yes, caffeine can be good for us. Not only is it loaded with antioxidants and nutrients, but it can also help lower the risk of several serious diseases. But mixing it with alcohol? Apparently, it’s not such a great idea.
Although many of us have become accustomed of the vodka or champagne-Red Bull concoction, since that’s basically how most Malaysians were taught how to drink alcohol, experts say the stimulant effect of caffeine found in energy drinks masks the feeling of tiredness typically induced by booze.
In other words, even if your body says “Okay babe we need to go home, you’re drunk,” your brain will ignore that message and reply with “What? We’re not even drunk enough.” And in most cases, the brain will win the argument since it basically controls everything in our body. So what happens when you’re pumped up but super tired at the same time? You become a world-class bitcheroni. (Bitch + Pepperoni)
Researchers at Purdue University in Indiana studied adolescent mice to observe the effects of mixing caffeine with alcohol. They found that the combination caused an increase in locomotor activity, a similar effect like consuming cocaine. It seems the two substances (high energy drinks and alcohol) together push the mice over a limit that causes changes in their behaviour and changes the neurochemistry in their brains.
Mice that had been exposed to alcohol and caffeine were also somewhat numb to the rewarding effects of cocaine as adults. They may need more cocaine to get the same effect. We guess one of the reasons why it’s so difficult for drug users to quit is because of these lasting changes in the brain. So, you might wanna re-think that vodka-Red Bull mixture when you’re at that TREC party this weekend.
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