New Trend Could Be Dangerous

Researchers at the Wake Forest School of Medicine have made a startling, though not surprising discovery: the mixture of alcohol and energy drinks may be dangerous.
In the last few years, drinks like the "Jager-bomb" and the "Red Bull-vodka" have become very popular with the college night-club scene. And for good reason.
To the average party-goer, it sounds like a dream come true ... the best of both worlds ... Drink more, drink longer, and be able to stay awake and mentally sharp all the while. Not to mention that these hybrid drinks taste like liquid candy for the most part.

Some companies have capitalized on this concept with the creation of pre-mixed alcoholic/energy beverages, such as Anheuser-Busch with its "Bud-Extra" drink.
Even though the idea of an alcoholic energy drink is relatively new and seemingly cutting-edge, the historical danger of mixing uppers and downers has never perished.
Some researchers have even said that the consumption of these drinks together could be compared to pressing the gas and brake pedals down simultaneously in a vehicle.
While the companies making energy drinks boast about the benefits of ingredients such as ginseng and taurine, many people may not realize that the "energy" in these drinks is mostly derived from caffeine, and lots of it.

By FDA mandate, foods and beverages are limited to 65 milligrams of caffeine per serving. However, since energy drinks are not currently regulated by the FDA, a typical energy drink can contain up to 300 milligrams of caffeine in a single serving.

This should be of particular interest to establishment owners and their management teams since the sale of alcohol alone has always carried an inherent minimum amount of liability.

So why possibly compound that liability?

To keep up with the times. To give the customers what they want. To stay competitive. Or maybe they are simply unaware of the dangers.

However, in an apparent precaution to such liability, some establishments have begun to serve customers both products, albeit separately, giving the patron the task of mixing the two liquids themselves. But does this really translate into any type of substantial legal defense in the event of a lawsuit?

"Having well-trained, certified employees is really the best thing that an establishment can do to protect themselves, their employees, and most importantly, their customers," says Joy Sisson, Business Unit Manager for Learn2Serve.com. "And that’s where Learn2Serve comes in."