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. 2020 Jan 5;12(1):149.
doi: 10.3390/nu12010149.

Consumption Patterns of Alcohol and Alcohol mixed with Energy Drinks in Australian Students and Non-Students

Sarah Benson  1 , Joris C Verster  1   2 , Andrew Scholey  1
Affiliations

Consumption Patterns of Alcohol and Alcohol mixed with Energy Drinks in Australian Students and Non-Students

Sarah Benson et al. Nutrients. .

Abstract

Studies assessing alcohol mixed with energy drink (AMED) use and drinking behaviors have been largely restricted to student-only cohorts. Thus, it is not known whether evidence from these studies is applicable to non-student populations. This study examined alcohol consumption and involvement in negative alcohol-related consequences among AMED and alcohol-only (AO) users, with the aim of determining whether drinking behaviors differ according to student status. An online survey was conducted in Australia to assess alcohol consumption and alcohol-related consequences following AMED and AO consumption, according to student status. The final sample consisted of 1369 participants. Between-subjects analyses comparing AMED and AO users, confirmed previous findings in that, compared with AO users, AMED users consumed significantly more alcohol, consumed alcohol more frequently and were involved in a greater number of alcohol-related consequences. Within-subjects analyses of AMED users comparing AMED and AO drinking occasions revealed that significantly less alcohol was consumed and involvement in negative alcohol-related consequences was lower during AMED compared with AO drinking occasions. Regardless of drink type, compared with students, non-students consumed more alcohol, consumed alcohol more frequently and were involved in a greater number of negative alcohol-related consequences. These findings provide further evidence that AMED use is one manifestation of a risk-taking personality and suggest that non-students drink more alcohol, drink more frequently and are involved in a greater number of negative alcohol-related consequences than students.

Keywords: AMED; alcohol; alcohol consumption; caffeine; consequences; energy drink; student drinking.

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Conflict of interest statement

The funders had no role in the design of the study; in the collection, analyses, or interpretation of data; in the writing of the manuscript, or in the decision to publish the results.

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