NCJ Number
223499
Journal
Law Enforcement Technology Volume: 35 Issue: 6 Dated: June 2008 Pages: 10,12,14,16,19
Date Published
June 2008
Length
7 pages
Annotation
This article discusses the dangerous combination of alcohol, energy drinks (with and without alcohol), and youthful risk taking behavior and law enforcement’s need to create public awareness.
Abstract
Energy drinks can be confusing to the public. Today, some energy drinks contain 6 to 8 percent alcohol, creating an alcoholic energy drink (AED). However, sometimes drinkers combine nonalcoholic energy drinks with alcohol to create their own AED, such as Red Bull and vodka, known as a “speedball.” Law enforcement officers need to be in the know about AEDs and what happens when an energy drink is mixed with alcohol. Typically the energy behind energy drinks come from B vitamins, caffeine, carbohydrates, and taurine, and sometimes glucuronolactone. The combination of alcohol, energy drinks, and youth is a dangerous mix. Bringing together two drugs that have the opposite effect, one designed to keep you awake combined with one that alters your motor skills and general judgment and mixed with young people who like to take risks is a lethal combination. This article discusses this high-risk drinking behavior and the effects alcoholic energy drinks have on a person’s perception of impairment. It discusses the need for law enforcement and the public to apply pressure on the alcohol industry to stop marketing these products and call for national policy change.