Volume 1 Issue 8 February 2008
Fort Lauderdale, Florida
United Way of Broward County
Commission on Substance Abuse
Center for Study and Prevention
A Community Partnership with Nova Southeastern University

Alcohol + Energy Drinks = Double Trouble
A recent trend among youth and young adults involves combining high doses
of caffeine with alcohol. The mixture is seen in cocktails of liquor and nonalcoholic
energy drinks or in new fruit flavored malt liquor products containing
elevated levels of caffeine. A study of 4,300 students conducted at 10
colleges and universities revealed that 25 % of those who had an alcohol
drink in the past month reported use mixed with an energy drink. The same
study from Wake Forest University also exposed significantly higher rates of
problems for those mixing alcohol with energy drinks as compared to those
only consuming alcohol. In fact, the study found that those drinking alcohol
mixed with energy drinks were twice as likely to:
Drink more,
Be drunk,
Ride with a driver who had been drinking,
Commit a sexual assault,
Be a victim of a sexual assault,
Be hurt or injured, and
Require medical attention.
The reason for these problems is that the stimulant effects of high dose
caffeine in energy drinks masked the feelings of being intoxicated from the
alcohol. Thus, people drank more and experienced more consequences.
The introduction of new malt liquor products containing high levels of caffeine
is another way of using this drug combination. Examples include Anheuser-
Bush's Bud Extra and Tilt and Miller Brewing Company's orange-flavored
Sparks malt liquor. While these products have not been widely advertised,
they are promoted on youth-oriented websites targeting underage drinkers.
Because the Food and Drug Administration does not require labeling of
caffeine content, it is difficult to know just how potent these products are. A
spokesperson for Sparks' manufacturer stated a single can of their product
contain 15 mg of caffeine. However, an independent laboratory test revealed
the actual content to be more than 14 times that amount, or as much caffeine
as in 3 to 4 cups of coffee in a single can of the malt liquor. A key problem is
that the packaging of these malt liquor products closely resembles that of
energy drinks that do not contain alcohol. Store clerks in Broward County
arrested for selling these products to minors stated they were not aware that
they contained alcohol. To see a recent WFOR-Channel 4 news story about
these products visit http://cbs4.com/seenon/i.team.miller.2.643928.html

Broward Briefings may be copied without permission. Please cite Center for the Study and Prevention of Substance Abuse
Telephone: (786) 242-8222 E-Mail: upfrontin@aol.com Website: drugfreebroward.org