Posted on 09/06/2007 7:41:48 PM PDT by Eric Blair 2084
At bars across the country, people are regularly demanding a vodka or Jagermeister mixed with Red Bull.
Now some have the option of switching to alcohol already infused with energy.
Some do it for the taste, others for the jolt of energy. But experts say the trendy cocktails could be harmful, giving drinkers a false sense of alertness that could lead to disaster.
More than two dozen attorneys general across the nation recently announced that alcohol and energy drinks don't mix, and asked the federal government to take another look at what is in the drinks and how they are being marketed.
Lona Sandon, a registered dietitian and assistant professor at the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center at Dallas, agrees that the drinks are dangerous.
"All it does is make a wide-awake drunk," she said. "The person might also falsely believe they can drink more because they don't feel tired and woozy -- putting themselves and others at a greater risk."
Heightened demand
Bars everywhere are scrambling to keep Red Bull, Monster and other energy drinks on their shelves as mixers. To meet the demand, Anheuser-Busch and other alcohol manufacturers are now offering liquor and beer infused with caffeine and taurine -- ingredients of most energy drinks.
Anheuser-Busch markets Tilt, Miller Brewing Co. markets Sparks, and Charge Beverages markets Liquid Charge and Liquid Core. There's also the high-end spirit V2 vodka, which has energy-boosting ingredients.
"People want the energy," said V2 spokeswoman Diane Shader Smith.
The attorneys general say the packaging does not mention the potentially harmful consequences of mixing caffeine and other stimulants with alcohol, which is a depressant. They also contend that some of the less-expensive products are packaged to look like nonalcoholic energy drinks and are aimed at underage consumers.
In their letter to the Alcohol and Tobacco Tax and Trade Bureau, the attorneys general singled out Miller Brewing Co., Anheuser-Busch and Charge Beverages as makers of the most popular products aimed at minors.
Texas Attorney General Greg Abbott has not joined the campaign.
"Alcoholic energy drinks mimic nonalcoholic energy beverages that are very popular with youth," a news release from Oregon Attorney General Hardy Myers states.
From 2003 to 2006, sales of Miller's energy brand Sparks more than doubled to 66,570,000 pints, according to a company news release.
A matter of taste
Mixing alcohol and energizing ingredients is not new -- rum and Coke and Kahlua have been favorites for generations.
V2 President James Goldstein said V2 is not marketed to minors but to sophisticated adults because it is packaged as a super-premium vodka.
"Spirits are meticulously reviewed by the government," he said. "The liquor industry is one of the most heavily regulated industries. I don't think the government would put something on the market that they consider unhealthy for people to consume."
The Pour House in Fort Worth has been stocking Red Bull as a mixer for years and it sells well, general manager David Bailey said. But his clientele has not yet developed a taste for Bud Extra, he said.
At 8.0 Bar in Fort Worth, energy cocktails have been enormously popular during the past 18 months, said general manager Curt Voirin. The bar does not carry the pre-mixed liquor but is keeping an eye on demand, Voirin said.
"I think the effects of the energy drink are psychosomatic," Voirin said. "It's trendy, which is important to kids ... but it's double-edged. You have a depressant on one end and a stimulant on the other. I'm not sure of the effect that could have on the body."
All it does is make a wide-awake drunk.
Energizing ingredients
Caffeine: A stimulant found in coffee, chocolate and tea. It excites the central nervous system and, in the right amounts, releases adrenaline and can enhance heart function.
Taurine: One of the most abundant amino acids in the body, it is thought to help regulate heartbeat, maintain cell membranes and affect the release of neurotransmitters in the brain.
Ginseng: A perennial herb believed to have many medicinal qualities, including as a stimulant.
Guarana: An herb from the Amazon rain forest with a long history of use as a stimulant in beverages. It has also been used to treat arthritis, diarrhea and headaches.
Source: Healthlibrary.com
Nonalcoholic energy drinks
Monster
Rockstar
Red Bull
No Name (formerly marketed as Cocaine)
Amp
Pink
Omega
Rush!
Alcoholic energy drinks
Sparks
Tilt
Bud Extra
V2 vodka
Liquid Charge
Liquid Core
OH boy, nothing more fun than hyper drunks.
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We the People Sheeple of the United States Nanny State, in Order to form a more perfect Union Socialist Utopia, establish Justice Socially engineer a country of non smoking, physically fit, tea totallers, insure domestic Tranquility Smoking bans in bars, limits on unhealthy food and social drinking, provide for the common defense Universal Healthcare, promote the general Welfare health of the population whether they like it or not, in order to save above mentioned Universal Healthcare entitlement program from bankruptcy, and secure the Blessings of Liberty Dependency to ourselves progressive liberals and our Posterity Hitler Youth who we brainwash through public school education, do ordain decree and establish this Constitution for the United States of America. Nanny State of Liberals
Not nearly as much fun as getting into a barfight with a drunk guy on steroids! Forget caffeine.
The question is, is this the Gubmint’s bidness?
Wow, thanks for your unsolicited opinions! Assholes. Nothing more than nanny staters that want to control everyone.
Sheeat, just what we need,another “concern”
_____________________
“’You are drunk Sir Winston, you are disgustingly drunk. ‘Yes, Mrs. Braddock, I am drunk. But you, Mrs. Braddock are ugly, and disgustingly fat. But, tomorrow morning, I, Winston Churchill will be sober.”
And so, will I! Goodnight!
I’ve entertained the idea of trying such a mix but I don’t drink much and I’ve never been drunk in my life so...I like my drinks simple. Some Vodka on the rocks with some lime or lemon. Nothing suits me better than a spiked lemonaid.
Andy Griffith's response for Barney was a shower.
I was a drunk for too many years and I don’t have a lot of tolerance for drunks these days but then I seldom go into bars. I’ve also found that I’m seldom on the road when most drunks are.
Problem mostly solved and I did it all by myself.
Funny you say that. New Years Eve 2005 we went out to one of those nice sit down dinners with all you can drink at a plush hotel. Everyone is drinking wine, beer, champagne, mixed drinks. The guy at our table is drinking cup after cup after cup of coffee. OK, fine, I thought. He doesn't drink, no problem.
Then I see him an hour later downing shots of Jack like it was water. By 2:30 am at the hotel bar, he was the most obnoxious drunk I have ever seen (and I've seen plenty).
I’ve never tried it myself. I’m a decaf guy who is too wound up as it is.
Congrats to you in solving your own problem. I’ve been fortunate never to have any drug problem. No one in my immediate family drank regularly and my mother did her part to entrench a disdain for it. I drink socially now and that is enough for me but then again I’ve never been drawn to it so none is also enough for me.
I’ve got a friend who’s one of the worst drunks I’ve ever known. Unfortunately he’s one of those rare individuals who is affected by alcohol differently than most people. It’s like a stimulant to him and he can drink for days without sleep. He gets drunk almost immediately though.
One good thing is that his license is long gone. Several friends and I petitioned the judge when she considered giving it back. He wasn’t happy with it but he realized it probably saved him from prison as well as his or someone else’s life.
Well that just goes to show you what liberal nanny state progressives will do to a great country. For years people drank coffee to sober up.
Now the grant junkies, state AGs and trial attorneys would sue Andy for making him a soggy drunk.
In my family we drink heavilly for years then suddenly stop all at once without help. Both of my parents did that and I’m sure they were happy to see me do the same.
Vodka and Red Bull is yummy!
You’re a good friend for still calling him a friend. Most people would have bailed on him a long time ago.
By the way, RE your tagline, I disagree:
“Greed is Good!”
—Gordon Gekko
I was going to bypass this, as I am ready to hit the sack for the night, but then I read the following:
More than two dozen attorneys general across the nation recently announced that alcohol and energy drinks don't mix, and asked the federal government to take another look at what is in the drinks and how they are being marketed.
This audacity irks me at many levels........
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