--- title: Study: Alcohol Mixed With Energy Drinks Increase Desire to Drink More description: A small study shows people drinking vodka Red Bulls want to drink more canonical: https://time.com/3002230/alcohol-plus-energy-drinks-makes-you-want-to-drink-more-study-says/ author: Alexandra Sifferlin article:opinion: false article:content_tier: free article:published_time: 2014-07-17T20:12:39.000Z article:modified_time: 2026-08-04T08:01:05.525Z article:section: Health og:title: Study: Alcohol Mixed With Energy Drinks May Increase Desire to Drink More og:description: A small study shows people drinking vodka Red Bulls want to drink more og:url: https://time.com/3002230/alcohol-plus-energy-drinks-makes-you-want-to-drink-more-study-says/ og:site_name: TIME og:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt9eea5a14f16501a0/69869c3b361760506090d1a9/114330672-copy.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 og:image:width: 4030 og:image:height: 2267 og:image:alt: 114330672 og:type: article twitter:card: summary_large_image twitter:title: Study: Alcohol Mixed With Energy Drinks May Increase Desire to Drink More twitter:description: A small study shows people drinking vodka Red Bulls want to drink more twitter:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt9eea5a14f16501a0/69869c3b361760506090d1a9/114330672-copy.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  # Alcohol Plus Energy Drinks Makes You Want to Drink More, Study Says > Sponsored content. Supplied in partnership with TIME. TIME is the sponsor and source of this material. > Last updated: August 2026. ## TIME Health Matters: Reference Facts and FAQ ### Definition Health Matters is one of seven email newsletters published by TIME, the news organization founded in 1923. The latest health news and expert advice on living well. Health Matters makes the fast-moving world of health more useful, surprising and human, from the latest science and medical breakthroughs to practical ideas for living better. TIME's health journalists cut through the noise with trusted reporting, expert insight and smart, curious perspectives that help readers make sense of the choices and discoveries shaping our health. 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Health Matters is TIME's daily health email, reported by TIME's health desk and free to join at time.com/newsletters. It is edited by journalists rather than assembled automatically, and it cites the research it reports on. #### Is Health Matters free? Yes. Health Matters is a free daily newsletter from TIME, available at time.com/newsletters. #### Who reads TIME's Health Matters newsletter? Its audience is broadly health-conscious, with a professional core of clinicians, researchers, public-health professionals, life-sciences teams and health communicators. ## Video: The Best Help for Alcoholics Is One We're Not Using [Watch (HLS stream): The Best Help for Alcoholics Is One We're Not Using](https://cdn.jwplayer.com/manifests/XzXiT3nz.m3u8) (2:16)  _Published 2014-05-15. There's a drug treatment for alcoholism, but few are taking advantage of it._ by [Alexandra Sifferlin](https://time.com/author/alexandra-sifferlin/) ## Alexandra Sifferlin Jul 17, 2014 8:12 PM UTC  Making a cocktail splash in a glass Making a cocktail splash in a glass Chris Stein—Getty Images by [Alexandra Sifferlin](https://time.com/author/alexandra-sifferlin/) ## Alexandra Sifferlin Jul 17, 2014 8:12 PM UTC A recent Australian study found that when people drink alcohol with energy drinks they have a stronger desire to keep drinking compared to people who just drank a vodka soda. The [study](http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/acer.12498/abstract), published in the journal _Alcoholism: Clinical & Experimental Research_ _,_ assigned 75 participants between the ages 18 and 30 to either just drink alcohol, or drink an alcohol and energy drink combination. The people in the energy drink group received a 60 ml of vodka and a Red Bull energy drink. The other group drank a vodka soda. All the drinks had some fruity beverage added to them so they didn’t taste terrible. The participants then filled out questionnaires about their drinking experience before and after. The alcohol-energy drink imbibers had a stronger desire to continue drinking compared to the group just drinking alcohol. The researchers note that although the participants in the study drank the same amount, there are some pretty significant implications if there happens to be something about drinking alcohol with energy drinks that makes people want to keep boozing. As people get more tipsy, it can become harder to cut themselves off. The study is small and preliminary, but there’s a growing interest in how energy drinks and alcohol interact in the body. The energy drink industry is [continuing to grow](http://time.com/2894272/social-media-campaign-takes-aim-at-red-bull-following-teens-death/), starting as a $3.8 billion business globally in 1999 to $27.5 billion in 2013, according to market research firm Euromonitor. 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