ALCOPOPS:

Teens call them: "Girlie Drinks," "Malternatives," "RTDs" (ready to drink) or "FABs" (flavored alcoholic beverages). The alcohol industry calls them "flavored malt beverages" or "low-alcohol refreshers"

Looks Like:               

They are fruit-flavored, malt-based drinks that come in colorful, teen-oriented packaging. The sweetness and flavoring hide the taste of alcohol but these drinks typically contain 5-7 percent alcohol by volume, more than most beers.

Popular brands are Smirnoff Ice, Skyy Blue, Stolichnaya Citrona, Bacardi Silver, Jack Daniel’s Original Hard Cola, Captain Morgan Gold and Mike’s Hard Lemonade. 

What teens are saying?

Teens, especially girls, like the fun packaging and fruity taste because they say it masks the taste of alcohol. They get the same feeling that beer gives them without the bad taste.

Teen Usage (Grades 7-12):

· Approximately one-third of teen girls report having tried alcopops, and one out of six have done so in the past six months.

· More teen girls have had alcopops in the past six months than teen boys (31 percent versus 19 percent).

· One out of five teen girls who have tried alcopops have thrown up, or passed out, from drinking.

Important to Know:  GIRLS AND ALCOPOPS

• Teen girls report drinking alcopops more than other alcoholic drinks, whereas adult women age 21 or older rank it as their least-consumed alcoholic beverage.
• Nearly one in six teen girls who have drunk alcopops in the past six months has been sexually active after drinking.
• Half (51 percent) of teen girls have seen alcopops ads.
• Teen girls report seeing or hearing more alcopops ads on TV, radio, billboards, the Internet and in magazines more than women 21 or older.

Alcohol industry admissions on alcopops!

“The beauty of this category [alcopops] is that it brings in new drinkers, people who really don’t like the tastes of beer.”

“With younger drinkers, their palates haven’t quite matured yet to drinks like bourbon."

"Malternatives are a sweeter drink, they’re easier to drink and it takes less time to mature to the taste.”

 “This is the perfect ‘bridging beverage’ [between carbonated fruit juices and the new hard lemonades]" (Source: http://www.alcoholpolicymd.com/pdf/alcopops_factsheet-4.pdf)

What can parents do?

Talk to you kids about the risks of underage drinking. Educate them about the marketing of alcopops and the risk of these drinks even though they don't taste like alcohol.

· SIGN our online pledge to stop underage drinking at www.myrealitycheck.org. This is one way to let your community know that teens drinking alcohol is not acceptable and that there are people who care about having a healthy drug free community. You can find the pledge on the home page of the parent website.

Learn the Lingo!

alcopop (AL.koh.pawp) n. A soft drink or lemonade that contains alcohol.

beersicle (BEER.sik.ul) n. Beer frozen into the shape of a popsicle.

garage wine (guh.RAZH wyn) n. A high-quality, extremely expensive wine produced in very small quantities

chewable liquor (CHOO.uh.bul lik.ur) n. Liquor distilled into a chewable, gelatin form.

Other Resources:

http://www.alcoholpolicymd.com/pdf/alcopops_factsheet-4.pdf

http://alcoholism.about.com/od/teens/a/blama041216.htm

http://www.dontserveteens.gov/