VANCOUVER – Caffeinated alcoholic beverages pose health and safety risks, especially for youth, according to a report.
Caffeinated alcoholic beverages (CABs), also known as alcohol energy drinks, contain a mixture of alcohol and caffeine, which can be either pre-mixed by manufacturers or hand-mixed by consumers.
The report, released by the Canadian Centre on Substance Abuse Friday, said young people drank four times the amount of CABs as the general public, particularly at universities, where the rate is almost double that of other youth.
Moreover, young people preferred hand-mixed over pre-mixed drinks, which put them at greater risk of dangerous side effects because hand-mixed CABs typically contained more caffeine and alcohol, it said.
Previous research has warned CABs keep drinkers awake and maybe drinking longer, increasing the risks of getting hurt, overdosing on alcohol or doing something else the drinker might regret.
After examining the trends and risks of alcohol and caffeine consumption, the report urged a comprehensive and proactive suite of initiatives to reduce the consumption of CABs.
Recommended initiatives include increasing the price of pre-mixed CABs, discouraging sales of energy drinks in high-risk places like bars and clubs, mandatory labels containing information on risks, and developing a public education campaign. (Xinhua)
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