Advice against mixing alcohol and energy drinks

Mixing alcohol with energy drinks should be avoided, Sedqa urged yesterday, even if there was no clear evidence that the practice could cause serious harm.

Reacting to e-mails circulating on this subject and requests for information, the national substance abuse agency said that due to their high caffeine content, energy drinks were known to raise blood pressure. They also caused palpitations, insomnia, irritability and headaches and, although no direct relationship was established with death, they had been implicated.

It added that the effects of caffeine and alcohol on the body were harmful, likening it to a car whose brake and accelerator were pressed at the same time.

"Irregular heartbeats are one. Moreover, larger amounts of alcohol could be consumed, raising the blood alcohol levels above the limits permissible for driving. Thirdly, the ingestion of these energy drinks and alcohol could mask the effects of the latter and create the illusion that drinkers are none the worse for wear, when they would be," it continued.

Young people under 17, pregnant women, persons with heart problems, persons suffering from high-blood pressure, persons wishing to rehydrate during or after physical exertion or sporting activity and those taking prescribed or over-the-counter medication should not drink caffeine-based energy drinks as they would be putting themselves at serious risk.