Targeted Alcopops and Alcoholic Energy Drink Marketing
DECEMBER DECLARED NATIONAL DRUNK AND DRUGGED DRIVING PREVENTION MONTH BY THE NATIONAL INSTITUTE ON DRUG ABUSE
LEE COUNTY, Florida (December 1, 2008) With the holidays just around the corner, the Lee County Coalition for a Drug-Free Southwest Florida would like to warn parents of the dangers of Alcopops and Alcoholic energy drinks.
A new risk for young teens is Alcopops (sweetened alcoholic beverages that are often bubbly and fruit flavored) are especially popular with teenage girls. They do not taste, smell or look like alcohol, but can serve as a transition from soft drinks to alcohol. Young people report that alcopops “go down easy”. Alcoholic energy drinks are essentially alcopops with added caffeine, and are packaged in cans with brightly colored, flashy designs.
The statistics are frightening for parents
• Teens who report drinking alcohol on at least one occasion are seven times more likely to have had sexual intercourse than nondrinkers.
• Binge drinkers, like those who have ever used drugs, are three times more likely to have contracted an STD than nonproblem drinkers and nondrug users.
• Alcohol is more closely linked to sexual violence than any other drug and is a common companion to rape, including date rape. Alcohol use, by the victim, the perpetrator or both, is implicated in 46 to 75 percent of date rapes of college students.
(Source: The National Center on Addiction and Substance Abuse at Columbia University, Dangerous Liaisons: Substance Abuse and Sex.)
Underage drinking spikes during the holiday season which is why December has been declared National Drunk and Drugged Driving Prevention Month by the National Institute on Drug Abuse. This is often due to a combination of holiday parties and college students visiting home and friends.
The Coalition for a Drug-Free Southwest Florida can offer suggestions for parents on how to talk to their teens about underage drinking and its consequences; and actions parents can take to help keep the holidays safer. Visit our website at www.drugfreeswfl.org, or call (239) 573-8747
