Teens Hide Drinking With 'Whipahol,' 'Alcopop'

With the onslaught of fruity drinks, vitamin waters and energy drinks, teenagers across the country—and that includes Laguna Niguel—have created new ways to hide alcohol. Teens are also prone to binge drinking, defined as consuming more than five drinks in under two hours.

held the Minor Drinking, Major Problem conference last night as part of a community awareness program about underage drinking.

"We do a good job or preventing illegal drugs," said Dr. Gary Goodman, director of the pediatric intensive-care unit at Children's Hospital of Orange County. "But our problem is that we can't prevent legal drugs, such as alcohol."

Still Adjusting

According to Goodman, teenagers' brains, especially the frontal lobes, which are used in making judgments, are still developing. Also, alcohol increases the chances of date rape, smoking and unprotected sex. Most drinking teens will often drive, according to Goodman.

"I'm quite sick of seeing so many kids in the intensive-care unit because of alcohol," he said. "It's not just a high school problem. We have seen some kids as young as 13 come into our center."

In 2010,  there were 23 teens in the ICU at CHOC. According to Goodman,  the problem has become serious in the community.

One teen, known as Parker, stood up during the conference and gave his story as a recovering alcoholic.

"I'd do anything I could to feed my need for drinking," he said. "Eventually, I started smoking marijuana, and one day I got into a car. I didn't think it would happen to me, but I got into an accident that day. I was lucky, but my friend sitting next to me wasn't."

Warning to Parents

Shelly Bishop of the state Department of Alcoholic Beverage Control explained  how adults can be charged if their teens are found drinking on their premises.

"Adults who hold parties for underage drinkers are known as 'social hosts' and can be held accountable for anyone who is in their home drinking," she said. "If a teenager drives home from your party and kills someone and I call you, that's not a good thing. It means that someone was seriously injured or killed because of your party or your teen. Not only will we hold you, the adult, responsible, we will also hold the store that sold the beverages responsible."

Easy to Get

Bishop also noted how easily alcohol can be obtained from grocery chains and small liquor stores.

"We used a decoy who had an ID that stated she was 16," Bishop said. "She brought a six-pack to the counter, and the clerk asked for ID, and she handed it over. He even asked how old she was, and she said she was 16. He still sold it to her. When we came in, we asked him why he gave her the beer. He said, 'Well, she handed me her ID and told me her age.' He really didn't understand what he did wrong. That's the danger that is out there."

Crafty Concealers

Didra Brown Taylor of Charles Drew University in Los Angeles explained how teens conceal drinks and how alcohol has morphed over the last decade.

"What's happening today is like nothing before," she said. "Teens are becoming cunning and learning new methods of hiding their alcohol."

Taylor showed devices that modern teens use, including a Coke can whose top twists top off—hiding a beverage—and a kit known as Spike Your Juice that creates alcohol. Some companies mix alcohol with whipped cream—known as "whipahol."

"Hemp energy drinks are also becoming very popular," she said. "It attracts teens with the leaf logo and its bright colors."

The dangers of malt liquor were also explained by Taylor: "Ever wonder what beer companies do after they brew their beer? It has to go somewhere down a drainage pipe, doesn't it?" she said. "The result of that process is this, malt liquor, which can have everything from lead and other deadly toxins in it. You won't see this here in Orange County, but it is found in many of the 'fruity' drinks that attract females."

Those beverages are often referred to as alcopop.

The best method of preventing underage drinking is communication,  Taylor said.

"Find out where your teen is going, whose party they are going to," she said. "Meet the parents that are hosting the party, and make sure that there will be no alcohol at that party. Get to know the friends of your teen,  and ask questions about their friends. Check the drinks that are in your fridges, because you never know if any are spiked with alcohol."