Skip to main content
SpringerLink
Log in

Effects of caffeine on alcohol-related changes in behavioural control and perceived intoxication in light caffeine consumers

  • Original Investigation
  • Published:
Psychopharmacology Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

Rationale

Caffeinated alcoholic beverages have been associated with increased risk of alcohol-related harms. However, few studies have examined these combined effects on behavioural control, which is believed to underlie many of the negative effects of alcohol consumption. In addition, studies have often omitted subjective measures, and none have directly assessed the role of caffeine consumer history.

Objectives

To examine the combined effects of alcohol and caffeine on measures of behavioural control and perceived intoxication in abstinent, light caffeine consumers.

Methods

Participants (n = 28; 50% male) attended four sessions at which they consumed one of the following beverages in a randomised order: placebo, alcohol alone (0.6 g/kg), caffeine alone (2.0 mg/kg), and alcohol/caffeine. They completed measures of mood, intoxication, anxiety and alcohol craving before and after a task battery comprising measures of behavioural control and reaction time performance.

Results

Caffeine attenuated alcohol-related performance deficits on stop-signal accuracy, had no effect on go–no-go performance deficits, and worsened accuracy on the Stroop task. Caffeine did not influence absolute changes in perceived intoxication but there was suggestion that caffeine may have changed the nature of intoxication with increases in stimulation.

Conclusions

Caffeine appears to have mixed effects on alcohol intoxication that are task-dependent. We found increased stimulation in the alcohol/caffeine condition, supporting the contention that caffeinated alcoholic beverages enable an individual to drink for longer. Future research should model real world drinking behaviour by examining how these effects change across multiple drink administrations.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Log in via an institution

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Institutional subscriptions

Fig. 1
Fig. 2

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  • Attwood AS, Higgs S, Terry P (2007) Differential responsiveness to caffeine and perceived effects of caffeine in moderate and high regular caffeine consumers. Psychopharmacology (Berl) 190(4):469–477

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Azcona O, Barbanoj MJ, Torrent J, Jane F (1995) Evaluation of the central effects of alcohol and caffeine interaction. Br J Clin Pharmacol 40(4):393–400

    PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Benac N (2010) US Food and Drug Administration signals crackdown on caffeinated alcohol drinks. CMAJ.

  • Bohn MJ, Krahn DD, Staehler BA (1995) Development and initial validation of a measure of drinking urges in abstinent alcoholics. Alcohol Clin Exp Res 19(3):600–606

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Brice CF, Smith AP (2002) Effects of caffeine on mood and performance: a study of realistic consumption. Psychopharmacology (Berl) 164(2):188–192

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Drake CL, Roehrs T, Turner L, Scofield HM, Roth T (2003) Caffeine reversal of ethanol effects on the multiple sleep latency test, memory, and psychomotor performance. Neuropsychopharmacology 28(2):371–378

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Eysenck HJ, Eysenck SBG (1991) The Eysenck Personality Questionnaire—Revised: London: Hodder and Stoughton.

  • Ferreira SE, de Mello MT, Rossi MV, Souza-Formigoni ML (2004) Does an energy drink modify the effects of alcohol in a maximal effort test? Alcohol Clin Exp Res 28(9):1408–1412

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Ferreira SE, de Mello MT, Pompeia S, de Souza-Formigoni ML (2006) Effects of energy drink ingestion on alcohol intoxication. Alcohol Clin Exp Res 30(4):598–605

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Fillmore MT, Vogel-Sprott M (1999) An alcohol model of impaired inhibitory control and its treatment in humans. Exp Clin Psychopharmacol 7(1):49–55

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Grattan-Miscio KE, Vogel-Sprott M (2005) Alcohol, intentional control, and inappropriate behavior: regulation by caffeine or an incentive. Exp Clin Psychopharmacol 13(1):48–55

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Heatherley SV, Hayward RC, Seers HE, Rogers PJ (2005) Cognitive and psychomotor performance, mood, and pressor effects of caffeine after 4, 6 and 8 h caffeine abstinence. Psychopharmacology (Berl) 178(4):461–470

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Howland J, Rohsenow DJ, Arnedt JT, Bliss CA, Hunt SK, Calise TV et al (2010) The acute effects of caffeinated versus non-caffeinated alcoholic beverage on driving performance and attention/reaction time. Addiction 106(2):335–341

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Howland J, Rohsenow DJ, Calise TV, Mackillop J, Metrik J (2011) Caffeinated alcoholic beverages: an emerging public health problem. Am J Prev Med 40(2):268–271

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Lieberman HR, Wurtman RJ, Emde GG, Roberts C, Coviella IL (1987) The effects of low doses of caffeine on human performance and mood. Psychopharmacology (Berl) 92(3):308–312

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Liguori A, Robinson JH (2001) Caffeine antagonism of alcohol-induced driving impairment. Drug Alcohol Depend 63(2):123–129

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Mackay M, Tiplady B, Scholey AB (2002) Interactions between alcohol and caffeine in relation to psychomotor speed and accuracy. Hum Psychopharmacol 17(3):151–156

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Malinauskas BM, Aeby VG, Overton RF, Carpenter-Aeby T, Barber-Heidal K (2007) A survey of energy drink consumption patterns among college students. Nutr J 6:35

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Marczinski CA, Fillmore MT (2003) Dissociative antagonistic effects of caffeine on alcohol-induced impairment of behavioral control. Exp Clin Psychopharmacol 11(3):228–236

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Marczinski CA, Fillmore MT (2006) Clubgoers and their trendy cocktails: implications of mixing caffeine into alcohol on information processing and subjective reports of intoxication. Exp Clin Psychopharmacol 14(4):450–458

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Martin CS, Earleywine M, Musty RE, Perrine MW, Swift RM (1993) Development and validation of the Biphasic Alcohol Effects Scale. Alcohol Clin Exp Res 17(1):140–146

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Mulvihill LE, Skilling TA, VogelSprott M (1997) Alcohol and the ability to inhibit behavior in men and women. J Stud Alcohol 58(6):600–605

    PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • O’Brien MC, McCoy TP, Rhodes SD, Wagoner A, Wolfson M (2008) Caffeinated cocktails: energy drink consumption, high-risk drinking, and alcohol-related consequences among college students. Acad Emerg Med 15(5):453–460

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Oteri A, Salvo F, Caputi AP, Calapai G (2007) Intake of energy drinks in association with alcoholic beverages in a cohort of students of the School of Medicine of the University of Messina. Alcohol Clin Exp Res 31(10):1677–1680

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Rogers PJ, Martin J, Smith C, Heatherley SV, Smit HJ (2003) Absence of reinforcing, mood and psychomotor performance effects of caffeine in habitual non-consumers of caffeine. Psychopharmacology (Berl) 167(1):54–62

    CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Rogers PJ, Hohoff C, Heatherley SV, Mullings EL, Maxfield PJ, Evershed RP et al (2010) Association of the anxiogenic and alerting effects of caffeine with ADORA2A and ADORA1 polymorphisms and habitual level of caffeine consumption. Neuropsychopharmacology 35(9):1973–1983

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Rose AK, Duka T (2007) The influence of alcohol on basic motoric and cognitive disinhibition. Alcohol Alcohol 42:544–551

    PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Saunders JB, Aasland OG, Babor TF, de la Fuente JR, Grant M (1993) Development of the Alcohol Use Disorders Identification Test (AUDIT): WHO collaborative project on early detection of persons with harmful alcohol consumption—II. Addiction 88(6):791–804

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Smit HJ, Rogers PJ (2000) Effects of low doses of caffeine on cognitive performance, mood and thirst in low and higher caffeine consumers. Psychopharmacology (Berl) 152(2):167–173

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Smith A, Kendrick A, Maben A, Salmon J (1994a) Effects of breakfast and caffeine on cognitive performance, mood and cardiovascular functioning. Appetite 22(1):39–55

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Smith A, Maben A, Brockman P (1994b) Effects of evening meals and caffeine on cognitive performance, mood and cardiovascular functioning. Appetite 22(1):57–65

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Spielberger CD, Gorush RL, Lushene R, Vagg PR, Jacobs GA (1983) Manual for the state trait anxiety inventory. Consulting Psychologists Press, Palo Alto

    Google Scholar 

  • Thombs DL, O’Mara RJ, Tsukamoto M, Rossheim ME, Weiler RM, Merves ML et al (2010) Event-level analyses of energy drink consumption and alcohol intoxication in bar patrons. Addict Behav 35(4):325–330

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Weldy DL (2010) Risks of alcoholic energy drinks for youth. J Am Board Fam Med 23(4):555–558

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

Download references

Acknowledgments

This study was funded by a School of Experimental Psychology, University of Bristol small grant award to ASA. Peter Rogers has received funding from GlaxoSmithKline for psychopharmacological research on caffeine.

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. School of Experimental Psychology, University of Bristol, 12a Priory Road, Bristol, BS8 1TU, UK

    Angela S. Attwood, Peter J. Rogers, Alia F. Ataya, Sally Adams & Marcus R. Munafò

Authors
  1. Angela S. Attwood
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. Peter J. Rogers
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  3. Alia F. Ataya
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  4. Sally Adams
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  5. Marcus R. Munafò
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Angela S. Attwood.

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Cite this article

Attwood, A.S., Rogers, P.J., Ataya, A.F. et al. Effects of caffeine on alcohol-related changes in behavioural control and perceived intoxication in light caffeine consumers. Psychopharmacology 221, 551–560 (2012). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00213-011-2601-0

Download citation

  • Received:

  • Accepted:

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00213-011-2601-0

Keywords

Search

Navigation