A Warning For Parents On Energy Drinks And Alcohol

BOSTON (CBS) -- Dr. Mallika Marshall has a warning for parents about energy drinks and alcohol.

Many teens are attracted to alcohol and to energy drinks, which can contain up to ten times more caffeine as soda.

According to a new study, when energy drinks and alcohol are added together, the effects can be so powerful that adolescent mice exhibit behaviors and changes in their brains similar to when they take cocaine.

When the mice were given the highly caffeinated alcoholic mixtures repeatedly, they became numb to the rewarding effects of cocaine as adult mice. In other words, they would need more cocaine to become high.

A big concern is that if teens mix energy drinks and alcohol, they may be more likely to abuse substances as they grow older.