Supersized Flavored Alcopops Greatly Increase Teens’ Risk of Injury

Supersized Flavored Alcopops Greatly Increase Teens’ Risk of Injury

Young drinkers who consume supersized flavored alcoholic beverages known as “alcopops” are more than six times as likely to say they suffered alcohol-related injuries, compared to underage youth who drink other types of alcoholic beverages. 

This information has been reported in a new study, conducted by the Center on Alcohol Marketing and Youth at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health and the Boston University School of Public Health, that includes data from an online survey of more than 1,000 teens and young adults ages 13 to 20 who said they had consumed at least one alcoholic drink in the previous month. 

The report, published Feb. 25, 2015, in the American Journal of Public Health, is believed to be the first study to document an association between the consumption of different types of flavored alcoholic beverages by youth ages 13-20, risky drinking behaviors, and self-reported injuries related to alcohol consumption.  Drink size doesn’t seem to be the only factor. The study found that underage drinkers who consumed any combination of two or more flavored alcoholic beverages were more likely to consume a higher number of drinks per day,  drink more often during the month, and engage in heavy episodic drinking, fighting and alcohol-related injuries.

Flavored alcoholic beverages were first introduced into the market in the early 1980s as wine coolers. They became popular with the teen market because of their bright colors, fruit flavors, and sweet taste. As the popularity of alcopops grew with underage drinkers, particularly teenage girls, the alcohol industry introduced new products and production methods and began marketing these products to appeal to youth.

Basically, there are three types of alcopops:  malt-based flavored beverages (such as Mike’s Hard Lemonade or Smirnoff Ice); spirits-based premixed, ready-to-drink cocktails (such as Jack Daniel’s cocktails); and supersized alcopops (including Four Loko or Joose).  According to studies, supersized alcohol beverages can contain the equivalent of 4-5 alcoholic drinks.

Alcohol is the most commonly used drug among youth in the United States and is responsible for the deaths of approximately 4,300 underage persons each year. Approximately 33 percent of eighth graders and 70 percent of twelfth graders have consumed alcohol, and 13 percent of eighth graders and 40 percent of twelfth graders drank during the past month. Add the popularity of alcopops to the mix and this only increases the problem of harmful alcohol consumption among underage youth.

Sources:  The Partnership at Drugfree.org (www.drugfree.org) and Health Day (www.consumer.healthday.com)