Maximum alcohol consumption at heaviest drinking episodes: Alcohol mixed with energy drink (AMED) versus alcohol only occasions

Purpose: On average drinking occasions, mixing alcohol with energy drink has no impact on total alcohol consumption. However, during these 'average' drinking occasions total alcohol consumption may bemodest, leaving open the possibility that negative, alcohol-related consequences occurmore frequently during heavier drinking sessions. Therefore, the purpose of the current meta-analysis was to examinemaximum alcohol consumption during the heaviest drinking occasions in alcohol mixed with energy drink (AMED) compared with alcohol only (AO) consumers. Methods: A literature search was conducted to identify studies examining the maximum number of alcoholic drinks consumed during the heaviest drinking episode of AMED and AO consumers. Separate meta-analyses were conducted examining the maximum number of alcoholic drinks consumed on a single drinking session for studies with i) a between-group design and ii) studies applying within subject comparisons. Results: Between group comparisons of 2,302 AMED consumers and 6,022 AO consumers showed a significantly higher maximum number of alcoholic drinks consumed on a single episode by AMED consumers when compared to AO consumers (p = 0.0001, ES = 0.673, 95%CI: 0.464 to 0.882).Within-subject comparisons among 2,011 AMED consumers showed that the maximum number of drinks consumed on AMED occasions was significantly lower when compared to AO occasions (p = 0.0001, ES = -0.742, 95%CI: -1.015 to -0.468). Discussion: Between-group comparisons suggest that overall alcohol consumption is one of the many phenotypical differences between AMED and AO consumers. Within-subject comparisons show that mixing alcohol with energy drink does not significantly increase the maximum number of alcoholic drinks consumed on heaviest drinking occasions.