New research by the University at Buffalo's Research Institute on Addictions (RIA) found a link between energy drinks and public health concerns like substance abuse and other risky behaviors. Research for the report was funded by the National Institute on Drug Abuse.

In two new research reports RIA Research Scientist Kathleen E. Miller, Ph.D. examines the relationships between energy drink consumption and risk-taking in college students. In the first set of results published online in June in the Journal of Adolescent Health, Miller identified links between energy drink consumption, risky substance use, and sexual risk-taking.

According to Miller's findings, frequent energy drink consumers (six or more days a month) were approximately three times as likely as less frequent energy drink consumers or non-consumers to have smoked cigarettes, abused prescription drugs and been in a serious physical fight in the year prior to the survey. They reported drinking alcohol, having alcohol-related problems and using marijuana about twice as often as non-consumers. They were also more likely to engage in other forms of risk-taking, including unsafe sex, not using a seatbelt, participating in an extreme sport and doing something dangerous on a dare. The associations with smoking, drinking, alcohol problems and illicit prescription use were found for white but not black students.

A total of 795 Western New York male and female undergraduate students participated in the study and 39 percent reported consuming at least one energy drink in the previous month. There was significantly higher consumption by men (46 percent) than by women (31 percent) and higher consumption by whites (40 percent) than by blacks (25 percent). Eighty-seven percent of the students in the study were white; 52 percent were male.

According to Tara Parker-Pope in her New York Times Article, "Taste for Quick Boost Tied to Taste for Risk," May 27, 2008, about a third of 12- to 24-year-olds say they regularly down energy drinks, which account for more than $3 billion in annual sales in the United States.

Two thirds of the energy drink consumers in Miller's study had used energy drinks as mixers with alcoholic beverages. The growing popularity of this practice further heightens concern, Miller says.

"It is widely, but incorrectly, believed that the caffeine in energy drinks counteracts the effects of alcohol, so students will have the energy to party all night without getting as drunk," she explains. "While the combination may reduce perceptions of intoxication, it does not reduce alcohol-induced impairments of reaction time or judgment."

According to Miller, these findings suggest that frequent energy drink consumption may serve as a useful screening indicator to identify students at risk for what scientists call "problem behavior syndrome."

"Energy drink consumption is correlated with substance use, unsafe sexual activity and several other forms of risk-taking," Miller notes. "For parents and college officials, frequent energy drink consumption may be a red flag or warning sign for identifying a young person at higher risk for health-compromising behavior."


According Parker-Pope's article the drinks also have many other negative health effects. Around the country, the drinks have been linked with reports of nausea, abnormal heart rhythms and emergency room visits.

In Colorado Springs, for example, several high school students last year became ill after drinking Spike Shooter, a high caffeine drink, prompting the principal to ban the beverages. In March, four middle school students in Broward County, Florida, went to the emergency room with heart palpitations and sweating after drinking the energy beverage Redline. In Tigard, Oregon, teachers this month sent parents e-mail alerting them that students who brought energy drinks to school were "literally drunk on a caffeine buzz or falling off a caffeine crash.


Miller cautions that while energy drink consumption can be used to predict other problem behaviors, it does not necessarily mean that drinking these substances is a gateway to more serious health-compromising activities. "It is entirely possible that a common factor, such as a sensation-seeking personality or involvement in risk-oriented peer sub-cultures, contributes to both. More investigation is needed to study these relationships further, over longer periods of time," she said.

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Research Links Energy Drinks with Substance Abuse

Taste for Quick Boost Tied to Taste for Risk          

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NEGATIVE CHILDHOOD EXPERIENCES PRECIPITATE EARLIER DRINKINGFrom Join Together - August 12, 2008 A study has found that children who deal with hardships such as abuse, divorce or substance abuse in the home may be more likely to begin using alcohol at a young age, Reuters Health reported Aug. 11. Researchers for the study of 3,600 Americans ages 18 to 39 were able to link earlier onset of drinking to five specific childhood experiences: physical abuse, sexual abuse, living with a family member with mental illness, substance abuse in the home, and parents' divorce or separation. Adults who reported having any of these experiences were more likely to have used alcohol before the age of 15 and also were more likely to have used alcohol in order to cope with their problems. The researchers said their findings are important in identifying particularly problematic issues in childhood and in pointing to early activities that can shape drinking patterns well into adulthood. Researchers led by Emily Rothman, Sc.D., of the Boston University School of Public Health, found in their analysis of adults who were current or former drinkers that childhood abuse had the strongest association with early drinking. The risk of starting drinking before age 15 was two to three times higher for children who had experienced abuse. Having a family member with a mental illness or substance abuse problem was the factor causing the next highest level of risk for early drinking. Rothman and colleagues emphasized that these factors do not increase the risk of early drinking as a coping mechanism for all young people, adding that a lack of adult supervision might be linked with children's early drinking experiences. This would be the case particularly for a parent with mental illness who might not be capable of monitoring a child's activities, they stated. Study results were published in the August issue of Pediatrics. This article summarizes an external report or press release on research published in a scientific journal. When available, links to the sources are provided above. Early identification of teens with emotional pain can help. LEGACY OF HOPE assemblies coupled with the SURVEY OF HOPE get kids talking! Early identification of teens with emotional pain can help. PRESCRIPTION DRUG USE ON THE RISE - A NATIONAL CONCERN Several studies report that since 1992, the number of 12- to 17 -year-olds abusing controlled prescription drugs has tripled. In fact, prescription drug abuse constitutes the fastest growing type of drug abuse in the United States, outpacing marijuana abuse by a factor of two. Painkillers and other prescription drugs are being abused at record levels, leading some to label today's teen as "Generation Rx." According to a report by Brandon McElwain of ABC 6 News, Prescription drug abuse has gone up more than 200% on college campuses Howard Markel, M.D, in the New York Times on December 27, 2005, shares the story of one of his patients, Mary, who he describes as "a voracious reader and a talented musician in her high school orchestra." Is also, at the age of 16, a "'garbage head,' meaning that she will ingest anything she thinks will give her a high." In December of 2004, Mary was taken to the hospital for an overdose of hallucinogenic mushrooms, alcohol, and ketamine, a chemical cousin of angel dust that doctors sometimes use to anesthetize patients and that, more commonly, veterinarians use to sedate large animals. Lately, she has been playing with one of the strongest opiates and potentially addictive painkillers ever created, Oxycontin. She downs a few with a single shot of vodka and calls the combination "the sorority girl's diet cocktail," because it simultaneously allows for a stronger kick of inebriation and far fewer calories than mere alcohol alone. But how does Mary obtain her pills? According to Markel, weeks earlier she had a tonsillectomy, a minor though uncomfortable. The surgeon wrote a prescription for 80 tablets. Mary spent the next week in a narcotized and medically sanctioned bliss, until her mother confiscated the last 20 tablets. At medical conferences, Markel hears colleagues fault parents who abuse and obtain these controlled substances but leave them easily accessible in their unlocked medicine chests where teenagers can help themselves. Other experts fault the Internet, where almost anyone can obtain controlled prescription drugs from offshore pharmacies with a few clicks on a home computer. According to Markel, the real root of the problem, is that many doctors are too quick to write prescriptions for these powerful drugs. The ABC 6 repot found that high school students are also getting caught raiding their parent or grandparent's medicine cabinets for painkillers. According to the ABC 6, report, college students are also abusing prescription drugs. Popular drugs among college students are ADHD drugs like Adderall and Ritalin, which allow students to stay alert and it helps them finish their work faster. It's a problem college campuses across the country are quickly becoming aware of. "Prescription drug abuse has gone up more than 200% on college campuses so it is a growing concern," said Gary Schindler from Riverland Community College.A recent study also shows that 1 in 4 college students have abused prescription drugs on campus. From When Teenagers Abuse Prescription Drugs, the Fault May be the Doctor's by Howard Markel, M.D, the New York Times, December 27, 2005. Precription Drug use on the Rise, Brandon McElwain, ABC 6 News, July 17, 2008 Meet the epidemic head on - School Assembly and Parent Awareness programs TEENS DRINKING MOUTHWASH TO GET HIGH CADCA - Community Anti-Drug Coalitions of America - reported on June 26, 2008 Mouthwash ingestion is a common problem among teens throughout the country. "I was aware that alcoholics sometimes drink mouthwash if they can't get their hands on real alcohol, but I thought kids drinking it was an anomaly. It turns out it isn't," explained Ann Comiskey, Executive Director of the Troy Community Coalition of Detroit, Michigan. An incident occurred when Troy teens drank the mouthwash after apparently seeing videos of people doing it on YouTube. After becoming seriously ill, friends of the teens alerted authorities. Both teens were taken to the emergency room. According to the poison control center, mouthwashes can contain up to 22 percent ethanol (40 proof), which is a higher percentage than in beer or wine. The type of alcohol used is "denatured," meaning that there is an additive included to deter abuse. However, the denaturant typically used in mouthwash is methyl salicylate (oil of wintergreen), which does not have a bad taste. Teens, therefore, often dilute the mouthwash in juice. Their are medical dangers of ingesting large amounts of mouthwash. For example, ingesting a 1.7 liter bottle of Listerine could produce a lethal peak alcohol level of 1,097 mg/dL in a person weighing 110 pounds. Swallowing too much mouthwash can have serious side effects that require emergency medical treatment. Symptoms of mouthwash overdose include: . Breathing problems, such as deep breathing (which may be rapid), rapid shallow breathing, slowed breathing or cessation of breathing. . Gastrointestinal problems, such as abdominal pain, diarrhea, and nausea and vomiting. . Nervous system problems, such as coma, dizziness or drowsiness. . Bluish skin (lips and fingernails); Collapse; Convulsions. . Decreased blood pressure (hypotension). . Decreased urination; Excessive sweating; Excessive thirst. . Listing from side to side or inability to walk normally, and slurred speech. In Anchorage, Alaska mouthwash abuse is such a problem that some stores have placed mouthwash containing alcohol behind the counter. "Hopefully now, at least parents will be aware that this can happen, so they can talk to their kids about all types of alcohol abuse," said Lori Podsiadlik, the Troy coalition's program director. Full CADCA Article here