Alcoholic Energy Drinks
posted 8:28 am Fri February 15, 2008 -
Attorneys-general from 28 states and the District are calling for a federal investigation into the marketing of these drinks, calling it fraudulent and misleading.
Some doctors have described the product as 'dangerous'. The drinks, with names like Liquid Charge, Bud Extra and Sparks are not advertised on TV, but there are a number of homemade advertisements on Websites like YouTube.
The drinks contain up to five times more caffeine than a cup of coffee, twice as much sugar as a can of Coke, and more than twice as much alcohol as a can of beer."It is something to wake you up on a late night if you want to keep going," says student Starkie Shenk.
"I think this also gives you a little boost of energy, that a lot of students need," adds student David Dimock.
"You feel a little buzz. You also have a little energy in you. I personally like 'em," said student Rob Bialosky.
Medical researchers aren't as impressed. They say the drinks confuse the brain with their potent mix of stimulant and depressant.
One study by Wake Forest University found the drinks made students twice as likely to ride with a drunk driver, twice as likely to be injured, and twice as likely to take advantage of someone sexually, compared to alcohol without the added caffeine.
"The problem with that is that it hides the depressant effects," said Dr. Georges Benjamin, of the American Public Health Association. "So your body does not know that your reflexes have been slowed down."
Advertising watchdogs have their own concerns. They say the cans are confusing - the same size, shape and style of their non-alcoholic cousins. And they say the edgy ads clearly target kids too young to legally drink. The Sparks Website looks like a page out of a student's notebook.
"The industry has an incentive to get them young and keep them hooked," says George Hacker of Center for Science in the Public Interest.
Anheuser-Busch, the maker of bud extra, told ABC 7/NewsChannel 8 that it does not target underage drinkers, and that it takes steps to ensure teenagers don't get their hands on the drink. The company says it should not be forced to limit product choices for adults.
Latest Comment on Alcoholic Energy Drinks
zignatius4
3:12 pm on 02/15/08
Where did they get this "factoid?" I can't find any study anywhere including on the sites of these watchdog groups which actually states the caffeine amounts in these pre-mixed drinks. Looks questionable. "The drinks contain up to five times more caffeine than a cup of coffee, twice as much sugar as a can of Coke, and more than twice as much alcohol as a can of beer."
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