Alcoholic energy drink sales on the rise

Young adults are at risk, report warns

OTTAWA — The sales of premixed alcoholic energy drinks are way up despite warnings not to mix alcohol with energy drinks, according to a report released Thursday.

The authors of the report on caffeinated alcoholic beverages, published by the Canadian Centre on Substance Abuse and the Centre for Addictions Research of British Columbia at the University of Victoria, asked provincial liquor authorities for sales data to assess the popularity of this “newer generation of caffeinated alcoholic beverages.”

Between April 2005 and April 2010, they found the sales of pre- mixed alcohol energy drinks nearly quadrupled.

Mixing alcohol with caffeinated energy drinks purchased from corner stores also appears to be “a common and growing practice,” especially among youth and young adults in Canada, the report says, noting young adults consume caffeinated alcoholic beverages at levels four times higher than the general public.

Energy drinks sold at corner stores tend to contain higher levels of caffeine than the levels in pre- mixed alcoholic energy drinks because Health Canada only permits caffeine derived from natural sources, such as guarana, in pre- mixed alcoholic energy drinks. Some provincial liquor authorities have also capped the allowable levels of caffeine, usually at 30 mg of caffeine a serving, on all products containing alcohol sold in their stores.

Cans of regular energy drinks, which can be hand- mixed with alcohol, contain between 80 mg and 200 mg of caffeine.

That’s why authors of the report caution Health Canada, which has been wrestling with what to do about these products, against simply closing the regulatory loophole that permits the sale of pre- mixed alcoholic energy drinks containing naturally sourced caffeine.

“While many appear to believe that ending the sale of premixed caffeinated beverages will reduce the risks and harms associated with caffeinated alcoholic beverages [ CABS], it can be argued that removing these relatively safer products with regulated low caffeine levels from the market could lead consumers to shift to hand- mixed CABS which, for the reason’s explained above, likely involve more risk,” the report states.

But if “Health Canada moves to prohibit the sale of premixed CABS in the coming months, it will be important that significant resources also be devoted to policies and programs to discourage hand mixing of alcohol and energy drinks [ by] consumers.”

Alcohol is a central nervous system depressant and the caffeine is a stimulant that can make people think they are less intoxicated. This can lead to longer and more active drinking sessions and higher alcohol consumption, increasing risks, the report notes.