Alcoholic Energy Drinks Target Teens

Alcoholic Energy Drinks
Your average beer contains three to five percent alcohol. Selling alcohol to a teen is illegal. Stores and their clerks are well aware of this. However, the fact that some energy drinks such as Rockstar 21, Tilt, Joose and Liquid Core can contain levels of alcohol is not well-known. Alcoholic energy drinks can contain up to six to seven percent alcohol. Many establishments that carry both alcoholic and non-alcoholic energy drinks are not aware of this. The companies who make alcoholic energy drinks have made the packaging so similar to regular energy drinks that even the person buying them might not even know. Often times these drinks are mistakenly sold to teens. The bright colors on the cans can be appealing to a younger crowd and the manufacturers do that on purpose.
Energy drinks generally contain an amount of caffeine that is equivalent to four cups of coffee. When alcohol is added to the picture, the combination can be lethal. Combining a stimulant and a depressant is not a good idea. It is said that teens like it because the “up” effect of the caffeine counteracts the sluggish effect produced by alcohol. Also, both caffeine and alcohol are diuretics and the mixture of the two together can cause a bad hangover, and in severe cases, deadly dehydration.
If you take a look at the websites for some energy drinks it is very apparent that they are targeting teens and young adults. In fact, even the teenagers who purchase these energy drinks might not know the difference between the alcoholic and the non-alcoholic ones.

Topamax may help reduce alcohol addiction

The AP is reporting that "A migraine [and epilepsy] pill seems to help alcoholics taper off their drinking without detox treatment,...offering a potential option for a hard-to-treat problem," according to a study published in today's issue of the Journal of the American Medical Association. The pill is called Topamax (topiramate), and may "appeal to heavy drinkers who would rather seek help from their own doctors, rather than enter a rehab clinic to dry out." Heavy drinkers consumed about "11 standard drinks daily," which translates into "two six-packs of beer each day, or two bottles of wine." While study participants noted some side effects, addiction specialist Dr. Mark Willenbring of the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism, said, "The size of the treatment effect is larger than in most of the other medications we've seen. ... And all the drinking variables changed in the right direction." On average, Topamax would cost about $350 per month, in addition to physicians' fees.