Washington, May 3 (IANS): Teenagers who mix alcohol with energy drinks are four times more likely to face a drinking problem disorder than those who have tried alcohol but never mixed it with an energy drink, a new study says.

"Abusive alcohol use among adolescents is a dangerous behaviour that can lead to injury, chronic alcohol use and abuse, and even death," said first author Jennifer Emond from Norris Cotton Cancer Centre at Dartmouth School of Medicine.

"The mixed use of alcohol and energy drinks may signal the development of abusive drinking behaviours among adolescents," Edmond pointed out.

The team looked at a sample of 3,342 adolescents and young adults aged 15-23 years old recruited across the US.

Around 9.7 percent of adolescents aged 15-17 years old had consumed an energy drink mixed with alcohol.

Such teens are also found to develop a tendency not only for binge drinking, but also tend to fall prey to alcohol use disorder.

"Given that this is a sensitive issue, it's possible that clinicians, parents, and educators might open dialogues about alcohol use with adolescents by starting the discussion on the topic of energy drinks," Edmond concluded.

The study appeared in the Journal of Paediatrics.