Diet Soda and Alcohol a Potentially Dangerous Mix

December 4, 2015 – Using diet soda instead of regular soda as the mixer in an alcoholic drink may get you drunker and affect breathalyzer test readings.

A study was conducted of 16 casual drinkers who were given three different drinks:  vodka mixed with regular soda, vodka mixed with diet (sugar free) soda, and regular soda mixed with a vodka scent.  In three different sessions, participants were given one of three drinks in random order.

After each drink, the participants who were divided equally between men and women, underwent breathalyzer tests and reaction time measurements.  In every case, breath alcohol levels averaged 18 percent higher after the vodka and diet soda drink than after the vodka and sugary soda drink.

It is believed that the stomach reacts to sugar the same way it reacts to food.   Having food in the stomach delays the absorption of alcohol.  When diet soda is used, the stomach is empty and alcohol is absorbed more quickly.

Besides higher breath alcohol levels, those drinking the vodka-diet drink cocktails had the highest degree of behavioral impairment the study found.

“The choice of what you mix your alcohol with can make a difference,” said Cecile A. Marczinski, assistant professor in the department of psychological science at Northern Kentucky University, and one of the lead investigators of the study.  “In the long run, it’s more harmful for your body to be exposed to a higher alcohol concentration than a few extra calories,” she said.