A warning is being circulated ahead of the St Patrick's Day by the health authorities about not to mix alcohol and energy drinks following the observable fact of 'wide-awake drunks'.

The Australian Drug Foundation (ADF) stated that taking caffeine mixed with alcohol would hamper a person's perception of being drunk but it can not reduce the impairment.

ADF national policy manager Geoff Munro said, "Energy drinks mask alcohol's sedative effects. So people who mix the two have a harder time judging how drunk they are and are more at risk of alcohol-related harm.''

Alcohol Advisory Council of New Zealand states that 'wide-awake drunks' feel that they can drive as they are unable to assess how drunk they are when in fact they are dangerously impaired.

Munro gave example of a recently conducted US study that noted people who had energy drinks along with alcohol and caffeine made them experience a greater risk of drink-driving or riding with a drink-driver, sexual abuse, alcohol poisoning, physical injuries and requiring medical treatment.