Collegiate Times

I love Red Bull. It seems to be my best friend while studying and my refrigerator?s only full-time occupant. But when my sister called me to warn me about drinking so much Red Bull, I got concerned and decided to do a little research myself. As it turns out, Red Bull?s got some skeletons in the closet and has been under scrutiny in numerous countries over the past few years.

I found this discovery hard to believe considering the recent increase in the popularity of mixing Red Bull with vodka. Steve Guiffre, owner of Hokie House, one of the most popular bars in Blacksburg said that his establishment goes through 35 cans a day.

When I asked him how many were mixed with vodka, he candidly responded, ?34.? Keep in mind, 34 cans is equivalent to 68 drinks ? one serving equals half a can of Red Bull and one shot of vodka.

He continued, saying that the bar sees about 500 people on a typical Friday or Saturday night and, ?the three most popular drinks are Jagerbombs, Tic Tacs and Red Bulls with Vodka.?

So why is this drink, so popular on a night out, being discouraged as an alcohol mixer?

Well, in April 2006, an experiment conducted by Brazil?s Federal University of Sao Paolo studied the effects of Red Bull and vodka on 26 healthy men.

According to CBS, ?The men rated themselves as less drunk after drinking Red Bull and vodka compared with drinking only vodka ? but actually, they weren?t more coordinated after drinking Red Bull and vodka than with vodka alone. Visual reaction times and breath-alcohol levels weren?t better when vodka was mixed with Red Bull, the study shows.?

In addition, because Red Bull is used to stimulate the body and ?wake it up,? it has the inverse effect of alcohol, which is classified as a depressant. According to WebMD, ?alcohol tends to knock you out, and that is good in that it can prevent alcohol poisoning. But if you are taking something that will keep you going, you could raise blood alcohol to toxic levels.?

When I contacted Red Bull to get the official word on how they feel about mixing their drink with alcohol, they had a few corrections to make. I spoke with Patrice Radden, the director of communications for Red Bull USA, and she clarified that Red Bull is an energy drink and not a stimulant.

?We do not promote Red Bull Energy Drink as a mixer with alcohol, as this might impair the positive effects of Red Bull Energy Drink as advertised,? said Radden.

She also stated that Red Bull is not designed to counteract the effects of alcohol.

?Everyone knows that the excessive and irresponsible consumption of alcohol can have adverse effects on human health and behavior but it should be clear that this is due to the alcoholic drink, not the mixer, be it cola, orange juice, tonic or whatever else is mixed with alcohol,? Radden said.

Radden was not aware of the aforementioned studies. She did, however, refer to the three deaths in Sweden in 2001 that had occurred to individuals who appeared healthy, but died following the consumption of Red Bull.

?We have looked into these reports and through a thorough investigation it has been concluded that there is no established link between these cases and Red Bull,? Radden said.

So should Red Bull and vodka be taken out of the bar scene? Radden says no.

?There is no reason why Red Bull Energy Drink should not, like any other drink, be mixed with alcohol as long as people do not underestimate that alcohol consumption might impair their mental and physical activities,? she said.

Others, however, disagree. There is a ban on the normal sale of Red Bull in numerous countries to include Sweden and France, which treat the drink like an illegal substance to those under a certain age.

In Canada, the drink was prohibited until 2004 when it was made legal, albeit with a can-side warning: ?Caution: Contains caffeine. Not recommended for children, pregnant or breast-feeding women, caffeine sensitive persons or to be mixed with alcohol. Do not consume more than 500 mL per day.?

Luckily for me, neither the United States nor Virginia Tech have made any movements toward banning the drinks, and bars like Hokie House are definitely enjoying the popularity of mixing vodka with Red Bull.