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10 Alcoholic Energy Drink Statistics & Facts: Health Info to Know

10 Alcoholic Energy Drink Statistics & Facts

Note: This article’s statistics come from third-party sources and do not represent the opinions of this website.

Alcoholic energy drinks were quite popular in the early 2000s. Since about 2010, that popularity has decreased, but mixing alcohol with energy drinks like Red Bull is still common, and many people want to know about the health and safety concerns of this practice. Keep reading as we provide you with a list of facts and statistics about alcoholic energy drinks.

Click below to jump ahead:

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The 10 Alcoholic Energy Drinks Statistics & Facts

  1. The 2020–2025 Dietary Guidelines recommend avoiding mixing alcohol with energy drinks.
  2. Caffeine can mask the depressant effect of alcohol.
  3. Caffeine does not affect alcohol metabolism.
  4. In November 2010, the United States Food and Drug Administration began to crack down on companies that mixed alcohol with energy drinks.
  5. People between the ages of 15 and 23 who mix alcohol with energy drinks are four times more likely to binge drink.
  6. People who mix alcohol and energy drinks are more likely to report unwanted sex and other crimes.
  7. Excessive alcohol use is responsible for 93,000 deaths each year.
  8. People purchased more than $45 billion in energy drinks in 2020, and sales experts expect sales to continue to increase.
  9. Large amounts of caffeine can cause heart and blood vessel problems.
  10. Many energy drinks in other parts of the world contain alcohol.
ALCOHOLIC_ENERGY_DRINKS_FACTS_&_STATISTICS
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Alcoholic Energy Drink Facts

1. The 2020–2025 Dietary Guidelines recommend avoiding mixing alcohol with energy drinks.

(Dietary Guidelines)

The federal government issues dietary guidelines to encourage people to eat healthier. These guidelines attempt to cover all types of food, so you can create a diet that works for you and avoid things that can cause health problems. One of the things that this guide recommends is avoiding mixing energy drinks with alcohol.

red bull energy drink in a glass of water
Image Credit: engin akyurt, Unsplash

2. Caffeine can mask the depressant effect of alcohol.

(Centers for Disease Control and Prevention)

One of the main reasons that people enjoy mixing alcohol with caffeine is that it can help mask the depressant effect of alcohol, enabling you to stay more alert than normal, which allows you to drink more alcohol.


3. Caffeine does not affect alcohol metabolism.

(Centers for Disease Control and Prevention)

Many people advise a drunk person to drink coffee to “sober up.” While the caffeine in coffee can help a drunk person be more alert so they are not falling asleep, the caffeine doesn’t do anything to speed up the metabolism of the alcohol. In other words, the person will be as intoxicated as they were before drinking the coffee.

a cup of black coffee on a table
Image Credit: Di Bella Coffee, Pexels

4. In November 2010, the United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA) began to crack down on companies that mixed alcohol with energy drinks.

(Centers for Disease Control and Prevention)

Before 2010, several companies manufactured beverages that combined caffeine and alcohol. However, in November of that year, the FDA began to crack down on the production of such beverages because they could not find any support for the claim that adding caffeine to alcoholic drinks was safe. Since then, there have been fewer and fewer of these drinks available, and many people (and bartenders) resort to mixing them by hand.

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Alcoholic Energy Drink Statistics

5. People between the ages of 15 and 23 who mix alcohol with energy drinks are four times more likely to binge drink.

(Centers for Disease Control and Prevention)

People between the ages of 15 and 23 tend to drink much more alcohol when they mix it with caffeine than those who don’t. These binge drinkers tend to drink six or more drinks than those who abstain from caffeine while consuming alcohol.

pouring alcoholic drink in a glass with ice
Image Credit: cottonbro, Unsplash

6. People who mix alcohol and energy drinks are more likely to report unwanted sex and other crimes.

(Centers for Disease Control and Prevention)

People who mix alcohol and energy drinks are more likely to report crimes like unwanted sex and driving under the influence than people who abstain from mixing the two. One possible explanation is that the people mixing energy drinks with alcohol are more alert and better able to remember what happened.


7. Excessive alcohol use is responsible for 93,000 deaths each year.

(Centers for Disease Control and Prevention)

Excessive alcohol use causes more than 93,000 deaths each year, and many of these are the result of drunk-driving accidents. These deaths lead to a high economic cost in the billions of dollars.

a blue alcoholic drink
Image Credit: Anna Tukhfatullina, Unsplash

8. People purchased more than $45 billion in energy drinks in 2020, and sales experts expect sales to continue to increase.

(Allied Market Research)

In 2020, the sales of energy drinks surpassed $45 billion. Scientists expect those sales to continue to grow until at least 2031, when they should reach $108 billion.


9. Large amounts of caffeine can cause heart and blood vessel problems.

(NCCIH)

Drinking more than 400 milligrams (mg) of caffeine per day can cause serious heart and blood vessel problems. Heavy users may also experience an increased heart rate and high blood pressure. While most energy drinks don’t contain more than 400 mg of caffeine, someone who is binge drinking can consume much more than the daily recommendation.

cropped man holding a can of red bull energy energy drink
Image Credit: Nathan Dumlao, Unsplash

10. Many energy drinks in other parts of the world contain alcohol.

(Galaxy FM)

In some areas of the world, energy drinks with high amounts of alcohol are circulating the market. The National Drug Agency has revealed that in Uganda, many locally manufactured drinks contain alcohol, even though some of them claim to be alcohol free.

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Frequently Asked Questions

Why is mixing an alcoholic energy drink with caffeine bad for you?

Mixing caffeine with alcohol makes it easy to consume more alcohol than you might normally do because the caffeine prevents the alcohol from making you tired. It can also help you feel more alert, with the false belief that the alcohol is not affecting you as badly as it is. However, caffeine does not help metabolize the alcohol and will not reduce your breathalyzer results. Consistently drinking too much caffeine can also result in several health problems, like high blood pressure and heart problems.

What is the most popular energy drink with alcohol?

  • Red Bull is one of the most popular drinks to mix with alcohol and has been for many years.
  • Many people promote mixing a dry wine with an energy drink. However, you need to be familiar with wine to create a tasty drink.
  • Vodka and soda is an alcoholic drink that pairs well with energy drinks.
  • Champagne is a great alcoholic drink to mix with an energy drink on occasion, and it’s quite easy to create something that tastes great.
  • The Bloody Mary is a popular mixed drink that people like to mix with an energy drink. It works especially well with a mango-flavored energy drink.

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In Conclusion

There are many reasons to avoid mixing alcohol with energy drinks. It enables you to drink much more than you normally would, but you still get just as drunk, leaving you open to injury and even health problems. The Dietary Guidelines recommend that you avoid mixing the two, and following these instructions is likely a good idea.

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Ed Malaker

Ed Malaker, a veteran writer, has contributed to a wide range of blogs that cover tools, pets, guitars, fitness, and computer programming, and of course, coffee. He drinks a lot of it when he writes, making him an expert indeed. When he’s not writing, Ed is usually performing DIY projects around the house or working in the garden. He’s also a musician and spends a lot of time helping people fix their guitars and composing music for independent films.

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