Re: Energy drinks and alcohol: research supported by industry may be downplaying harms
It has long puzzled me why there is a strong demand among some populations for combinations of sedative and stimulant drugs. When researching substance use among both young offenders and adults in prison, I observed ‘The combination of excitable aggression (with cocaine) along with disinhibition and remorselessness (with alcohol) seems to cause an escalation of offending, in the context of committing antisocial acts’ (p160).[1] The aggressive behaviour of some Australians who combine high dose alcohol with stimulant ‘energy drinks’ seems similar [2] (and cannot be attributed to the alcohol-specific metabolism of cocaine into cocaethylene).
In the UK the Youth Taskforce coined the term ‘the Friday/Saturday Night problem’ for the alcohol-related injuries that stream into emergency departments and police cells and turn already hectic departments into weekly horror shows. Reducing pressures on emergency services (especially clinicians on the A&E frontline) is a national priority. One of the known phenomena in addictive behaviour is that one, habitual behaviour (like binge drinking) readily entrains other behaviours (think of a casino with drinks and gambling on offer together). In the UK in 2013 we need to know whether energy drinks or similar (soi-disant) "harmless" stimulants used in combination with alcohol are escalating the pressure on A&E, for example by changing minor arguments into major incidents.
1. Caan W. Adolescent drug use and health: problems other than dependence. In: Drink, Drugs and Dependence. London: Routledge, 2002.
2. Miller P. Energy drinks and alcohol: research supported by industry may be downplaying harms. BMJ 2013;347:f5345.
Competing interests:
Advisor to the All Party Parliamentary Group on alcohol misuse
Rapid Response:
Re: Energy drinks and alcohol: research supported by industry may be downplaying harms
It has long puzzled me why there is a strong demand among some populations for combinations of sedative and stimulant drugs. When researching substance use among both young offenders and adults in prison, I observed ‘The combination of excitable aggression (with cocaine) along with disinhibition and remorselessness (with alcohol) seems to cause an escalation of offending, in the context of committing antisocial acts’ (p160).[1] The aggressive behaviour of some Australians who combine high dose alcohol with stimulant ‘energy drinks’ seems similar [2] (and cannot be attributed to the alcohol-specific metabolism of cocaine into cocaethylene).
In the UK the Youth Taskforce coined the term ‘the Friday/Saturday Night problem’ for the alcohol-related injuries that stream into emergency departments and police cells and turn already hectic departments into weekly horror shows. Reducing pressures on emergency services (especially clinicians on the A&E frontline) is a national priority. One of the known phenomena in addictive behaviour is that one, habitual behaviour (like binge drinking) readily entrains other behaviours (think of a casino with drinks and gambling on offer together). In the UK in 2013 we need to know whether energy drinks or similar (soi-disant) "harmless" stimulants used in combination with alcohol are escalating the pressure on A&E, for example by changing minor arguments into major incidents.
1. Caan W. Adolescent drug use and health: problems other than dependence. In: Drink, Drugs and Dependence. London: Routledge, 2002.
2. Miller P. Energy drinks and alcohol: research supported by industry may be downplaying harms. BMJ 2013;347:f5345.
Competing interests: Advisor to the All Party Parliamentary Group on alcohol misuse