If you drink a Red Bull, then polish off half a handle of Captain Morgan, you're more likely to have casual sex.
That's according to a new study from University at Buffalo's Research Institute on Addictions which took a look at the link between sexual activity, alcohol use and energy drinks (or AmED).
"Mixing energy drinks with alcohol can lead to unintentional overdrinking because the caffeine makes it harder to assess your own level of intoxication," Kathleen E. Miller, senior research scientist at UB's RIA and author of the study, said in a release. "AmEDs have stronger priming effects than alcohol alone. In other words, they increase the craving for another drink, so that you end up drinking more overall."
Miller said the lesson is drinking a Red Bull and vodka or Jagerbombs doesn't mean you're going to hook up -- just that you're more likely to.
According to the study's findings, nearly one in three sexually active students (29.3 percent) reported using AmEDs during the month prior to the survey.
At their most recent sexual encounter, 45.1 percent of the participants reported having a casual partner; 24.8 percent reported being intoxicated and 43.6 percent reported that they did not use a condom.
In a press release, the school said "the good news" was "consumption of AmEDs was not a significant predictor of unprotected sex." Participants were actually more likely to use condoms in casual encounters than when they were in committed relationships.
According to a University at Buffalo release, the study is part of a larger three-year research project by Miller, funded by the National Institute on Drug Abuse. The study included 648 participants, mostly under the age of 21, enrolled in their first or second years at a large public university. It will be published in the Journal of Caffeine Research.
Be warned though; Previous research indicates performance during sex is often worse when you're drunk.