If the only drinks to cause aggressive behaviour were alcoholic ones, then the issue of containing the aggression may be easier. However, research in the United States suggests that energy drinks should be red-flagged as possible aggressants, causing consumers to experience abnormal heart rhythms, nausea and an increased sense of self-confidence. The rule applies mostly to young people aged from 12 to 24, and this is the market's biggest audience.

Teens at risk
One school in Colorado banned the consumption and sale of the energy drink Spike Shooter which is high in caffeine, after four high school students were taken to the emergency room to be treated for heart palpitations. Another school in Oregon warned parents that their children were becoming "drunk on a caffeine buzz or falling off a caffeine crash."

This claim that kids are "drunk" on caffeine and plant-based stimulants like guarana, isn't an exaggeration, according to research. Dr Mary Claire O'Brien, associate professor of medicine Wake Forest University Baptist Medical Center in North Carolina, said that "You're every bit as drunk, you're just an awake drunk."

Drunk on caffeine
Dr O'Brien conducted a survey at 10 universities in North Carolina into the use of energy drinks as an alcoholic mixer. Although it is not actively encouraged by the beverage industry, it has become standard to mix drinks such as Red Bull with alcohol to give an extra energy boost, however O'Brien found that those doing this got drunk twice as often as those who drank straight alcohol.

In addition to this, those who mixed with energy drinks were more likely to become injured or to act aggressively towards others. Apparently, even when the amount of alcohol was reduced, the effects remained the same.