Alcopops are any type of fruity, soda-pop-ish, often fruit-flavored or fizzy, sweet alcoholic beverage generally low in alcohol but high in sugar. These drinks loosely resemble soda or energy drinks, sweet tea, seltzers, or lemonade. They are attractive to young teens because they do not have the taste associated with alcohol. As a result, many teenagers are drawn to drinking these beverages. They are also typically fairly cheap when compared to other types of alcohol, so teens find them accessible and easy to afford.

The alcohol industry calls them “flavored malt beverages” or “low-alcohol refreshers,” but these drinks typically contain 5-7 percent alcohol by volume—more than most beers. A few alcopops even contain as high as 12% ABV.

One supersize alcopop contains as much alcohol as a six pack of beer. Consuming three supersized alcopops within two hours is equivalent to drinking 17 standard drinks. Because the alcohol cannot be tasted, many inexperienced drinkers think they are harmless and not as dangerous as other forms of alcohol.

A study in Australia had 18- and 19-year-old volunteers blindly taste beverages to see if it tasted like alcohol. Almost a fourth of the participants did not think there was alcohol in the alcopops—and they had some experience drinking alcohol. It’s likely younger drinkers would find it even harder to tell.

Alcopops are industry’s transition foryouth (especially girls), from soda to alcohol, fueling alcohol-related harm. The marketing of alcopops is one of fun in the sun, youthfulness, and refreshment. From the bright colors to the graphics to the containers themselves, everything about alcopops screams “young,” which is another reason teens are drawn to alcopops.

Data shows that the industry is targeting kids:

• A significant minority (41%) of alcopops are consumed by young people ages 21-27.
• A majority of teens 17-18 years old (51%) and many teens 14-16 years old (35%) have tried alcopops, compared to less than a quarter of adults (24%).
• When you add all the underage drinkers of alcopops, studies show that the majority of these flavored malt beverages are consumed by those under the age of 21.
• Teens are much more likely than adults to recall brand names of alcopops. Whereas more than half of adults (52%) who are aware of the existence of alcopops can not even name a single brand, brand awareness among teens is very high.
• According to the American Academy of Pediatrics, minors see 65% more alcopop magazine advertisements than those over 21.
• When asked what one type of alcoholic drink they would most prefer to drink, nearly a third of teens (30%) said “alcopops” compared to only 16% for beer and 16% for mixed drinks.

Teenage girls are especially vulnerable to the dangers of consuming alcopops. An American Medical Association survey found of teen girls:

• Nearly one in six who drunk alcopops in the past six months was sexually active after drinking.
• One in four drove or rode in a car with a driver who had been drinking.
• Those who binge drink have three times the risk of contemplating suicide than non-drinkers.

Teens who drink alcohol typically do not understand alcohol, the effects of intoxication, and the effect drinking at a young age can have on their brains as they develop.

When young people and teenagers begin drinking underage, and illegally, there is a higher risk for them to develop an alcohol addiction which can have an extreme ripple effect throughout their young and impressionable lives. Alcohol addiction at a young age can impact various aspects of a teenager’s life, including their education, social life, mental health, physical health, neurological development, and internal organ health, particularly the liver.

It is important to know about alcopops and how attractive—and dangerous—they are to younger teens so that parents and caregivers can help to prevent their children from getting hurt or getting addicted to alcohol at a young age.

Some popular brands include, but are not limited to: Smirnoff Ice, Truly, Skyy Blue, Stolichnaya Citrona, Bacardi Silver, Jack Daniel’s Original Hard Cola, Captain Morgan Gold and Mike’s Hard Lemonade, Corona Refresca Hard Tropical Punch, Twisted Tea, Truly Hard Seltzer, White Claw, Spindrift Spiked, Topo Chico, High Noon, Vizzy Seltzer, Simply Spiked, Ashland, Brewery X, and more.

Although they will not admit it nowadays, during the early stages of product development, release, and marketing for alcopops, alcohol industry leaders admitted the true purpose of creating alcopops:

• “The beauty of this category [alcopops] is that it brings in new drinkers, people who really don’t like the tastes of beer.” -Marlene Coulis, director of new products, Anheuser-Busch, quoted in Advertising Age, April 22, 2002.
• “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.” -Trish Rohrer, brand-development manager, Boston Beer Company, quoted in Restaurants USA, May 2002.
• “This is the perfect ‘bridging beverage’ [between carbonated fruit juices and the new hard lemonades].” -Terry Hopper, national sales manager, Sublime Hard Lemonade, quoted in Washington Post, “New Kick on the Block: Will Spike Lemonades Pick Up Where Wine Coolers Left Off?,” September 13, 2000.