Drinking jägerbombs could be just as bad as cocaine, scientists find

The humble jägerbomb is the drink of students everywhere.

The herbal and spicy flavour of Jägermeister is balanced perfectly by sugary sweet Red Bull, leaving you both drunk and caffeinated at the same time - perfect for a night out.

But the decision to buy a jägerbomb at the bar is almost always a regrettable one, especially when special offers result in downing drink after drink until you get carried home by a good Samaritan.

Now, it's been found that the drink could have some pretty serious effects on your health far beyond a killer hangover and making a fool out of yourself.

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A 2016 study by a team at Purdue University found that the mixed drink causes changes in the brain's neurochemistry at a breakneck speed.

To start, the alcohol acts as a depressant while the energy drink is a stimulant. Ever felt like you were having heart palpitations after abusing your student bar's three-for-£10 offer? That's why.

On top of this, the two drinks mixed together can lead to changes in the brain similar to the effects of cocaine.

Professor Richard van Rijn, one of the researchers who looked into the effects of highly caffeinated alcoholic drinks at Purdue, said: "It seems the two substances together push them over a limit that causes changes in their behaviour and changes the neurochemistry in their brains.

"We are clearly seeing effects of the combined drinks that we would not see if drinking one or the other."

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And over time, according to the study, frequently drinking jägerbombs could increase your chances of craving and/or using drugs like cocaine later in life.

"That is one reason why it is so difficult for drug users to quit because of these lasting changes in the brain," van Rijn said.

"Mice that were exposed to highly caffeinated alcoholic drinks later found cocaine was not as pleasurable. They may then use more cocaine to get the same effect."

Van Rijn added: “Their brains have been changed in such a way they are more likely to abuse natural or pleasurable substances as adults.”

On second thoughts, gin and tonic it is, then...