Sophomore Brian Savieo said he likes mixing Red Bull with vodka because it provides a "different drunk." The combination gives him energy to party hard all night and drink more than he normally could, he said.
Mixing energy drinks such as Red Bull with alcohol, a depressant, is a growing trend among college students. The Red Bull and vodka mixture is sold at all three Village bars that serve mixed drinks: BW-3, Locker Room and Dill Street Bar & Grill.
"It seems to allow you to drink more without feeling like you have to pass out," Savieo said. "You can go through the night longer without feeling drunk."
But what Savieo sees as the drink's virtue is a cause for concern among medical and nutritional communities.
"(Because) alcohol has a central nervous system depressant effect and caffeine (and other ingredients) are stimulants, there must be a tug of war for your brain," said Cathie Pfarr, nutrition consultant and owner of The Nutrition Coach in Indianapolis. "I guess what is scary is that every person reacts differently, and I wonder why people would want to take a chance on having a bad reaction that could harm their health."
Despite health warnings, Red Bull's Web site states, "You can mix (Red Bull) with alcohol. ... There is no indication that Red Bull energy drink has any negative effect related to alcohol consumption."
Red Bull North America, Inc. spokeswoman Emmy Cortes said the company does not market the beverage as a mixer, "just as Minute Maid does not market its orange juice to mix with vodka."
"But if a bartender wants to get creative, that's his right," Cortes said.
Cortes said it is not dangerous to "do anything with Red Bull."
"Rum and Coke has been around for years, and no one has said anything about it," Cortes said. "There are no medical concerns with our product."
Yet David Pearson, coordinator of exercise science programs at the Human Performance Laboratory, said mixing an energy drink with vodka is not the same as mixing whiskey and Coca-Cola. Pearson said cola products do not trick the body in the same way energy drinks do. After drinking Red Bull and vodka, Pearson said, a person may be tricked into thinking, for example, that he or she is sober enough to drive or continue drinking, which might lead to alcohol poisoning.
The 80 milligrams of caffeine in Red Bull is almost double the 46 milligrams of caffeine in a 12-ounce Coca-Cola, so alcohol effects are masked until the "high" wears off, Pearson said.
Red Bull's Web site does not mention a masking effect of the stimulant, but does say, "The positive effects of Red Bull may be impaired by alcohol."
The site also mentions the drink provides important vitamins and carbohydrates.
"If someone is going to drink these products in the first place, I don't believe he is really concerned about his health," Pfarr said.
She advised the public to remember any claim can be made on an energy drink label because, unlike drugs, it is not subject to FDA guidelines. Only if a company is challenged, she said, does it prove the advertised ingredients are used.
"Remember (Red Bull) is in the business to sell product, not to worry about someone's welfare," Pfarr said. "That is, unless they get sued."
Energy-drink companies not only sell their products at convenient stores and super stores like Wal-Mart, but bars also have taken advantage of the trend.
Although Dill Street Bar & Grill manager Justin Kline said the concoction is not a major revenue source for his business, he said he sells 20-30 mixed drinks containing Red Bull on an average Friday night. He, along with Locker Room Kitchen Manager Mike Bird, said he was not aware of any health dangers when the bar began serving the drink several months ago.
"When we got it, it had been around in Europe for awhile, and that was pretty much all we knew about it," Kline said.
Only after reading articles about the dangers did Kline say he became aware.
"It sells, and people, at least some people, are aware," Kline said. "We serve it both alone and in a mixed drink. How the customer consumes it is up to him."
Savieo said he is aware of some of the dangers, but said he does not feel it is detrimental to his health.
"I limit myself to three or four mixed drinks of it, then I don't drink any more," Savieo said.
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