The next time you are dieting and order a mixed drink, think twice before requesting the low calorie version. The taste may be identical but the effects are not. According to the September 2006 issue of "The American Journal of Medicine," mixing diet soda with alcohol causes concentrations of blood alcohol, or BAC, to rise much faster than drinks prepared with regular soda. The study confirmed that the absence of sugar causes the stomach to empty faster. This in turn causes the blood alcohol concentration to rise faster. The inevitable rapid intoxication that results poses dangers that may catch party-goers unaware.
Traffic Accidents and the Law
A person out at a party or bar to relax and socialize is likely depending on blood alcohol concentration estimates to make decisions regarding driving. According to Facts on Tap.org, a rule of thumb is that a 150 pound person can consume one drink per hour and still be legal to drive. A person who orders a cocktail with diet soda and alcohol may not realize that the faster rise in BAC will make it risky to estimate how safe it is to drive. The difference in BAC was found to be so large that it is possible to consume one diet drink and be beyond the legal limit when a regular drink containing sucrose would not raise blood alcohol concentrations beyond legal levels, according to the journal article. Alcoholic drinks prepared with diet mixers should not be consumed by those who are driving.
Injuries
A drinker who consumes alcohol and diet soda has a rapid spike in BAC. This will cause alcohol related impairment levels to rise quickly. The seemingly sudden loss of coordination and clumsiness that appear put the drinker at risk for falls and other calamities. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reports that excessive alcohol intake is the top risk factor for injuries.
Blackouts
The National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism reports that a fast rise in BAC can easily cause blackouts. As few as two drinks can cause a blackout. According to Aaron White, Ph.D., of Duke University Medical Center, blackouts are a period of time when a person is conscious and active but later the person cannot remember anything that was said or done. This type of amnesia is related to long term memory. Intoxicated people are able to keep items in short term memory, so they can chat and do unwise things such as drive or operate machinery. The person may seem intoxicated but an observer will not have any idea that he is in a blackout state. The memories do not make the transfer to long term storage. It is commonly misunderstood who is at risk for blackouts. Early studies used alcoholic men as subjects and blackouts came to be associated with heavy drinkers. What can really happen is more alarming. While blackouts are often accompanied by large quantities of alcohol, it is possible to have a blackout episode after only a couple of drinks. The deciding factor seems to be how fast the BAC rises. A rapid rise of BAC, as is created by drinks containing diet soda and alcohol, can trigger blackouts. It is common for people to engage in dangerous activities during blackouts. At the very least, blackouts cause uncomfortable conversations. The person may hear later from friends that she was rude or behaving oddly.
References
- The American Journal of Medicine: Artificially Sweetened Versus Regular Mixers Increase Gastric Emptying and Alcohol Absorption
- Phoenix House: Facts on Tap.
- Wiley Online Library: Addiction; Volume 80 Issue 7, Jan. 24 2006.
- Centers for Disease Control and Prevention; Injury Prevention & Control: Injury Response
- National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism: What happened? Alcohol, Memory Blackouts and the Brain, Aaron M. White PhD.
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