Damon Locantro has made a name for himself on the Sunshine Coast defending people charged with breaking the law. His practice, Locantro Lawyers, specialises in criminal defence but also offers services to those facing action by a government department. Damon has 15 years experience in criminal law and was formerly a NSW prosecutor and member of the NSW Police Service.

Potent drinks a recipe for trouble

February 18 | Damon Locantro

I had a conference with a client last week who was charged with drink-driving.

She was on her P plates and blew 0.046%. She was a young girl of slight build and told me that she had felt “okay to drive”.

That is a common turn of phrase for people with low readings.

I asked her the routine questions about what she had consumed. She did not know anything about the drink other than the fact that it was called a “Pulse” and she had half a can at the most.

I made submissions in court about the new types of alcohol that are on the market.

The fridge in the nightclub is not what it used to be. The drinks that young people buy now are up to 7% alcohol mixed with high levels of sugar and caffeine or some other stimulant.

The cans they are sold in are much smaller but the contents much more potent.

I called a mate of mine who is a doctor on the Coast and he confirmed what I had been thinking: the alcohol acts as a “disinhibitor”, leading to a loss of normal social control, but the caffeine has a stimulatory effect that alters the way a person feels.

The mix is dangerous. When I asked the doctor whether he thought this could lead to people becoming violent, he said that there was a very high probability of that.

Caffeine in high doses gets a person very stimulated and heightens the senses, but it also dulls pain.

A person whose judgment has been impaired by alcohol but who also feels the bullet-proof effect of caffeine could be very dangerous to come across. In addition, no one would be tired when they hit the streets after the clubs close – they would all be wired.

I could not find any study on the combination of the substances. I believe that the federal government and state governments should conduct scientific analysis with a view to regulating what is sold to people.

Now before the regular bloggers attack me for supposedly not wanting people to take responsibility for their own actions, think for a moment about whether the government and companies should take responsibility for the increasing alcohol content of these drinks and the fact that they contain a dangerous mixture of substances.

Do you think there should be further research? We are all concerned about increasing anti-social behaviour and violence, and we blame drugs and alcohol.

I bet there is a correlation between these potent drinks hitting the market and increasing problems on the street.

What do you think?

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Posted by JeffWatson from Twin Waters

on 18 February, 2008 at 2:05 p.m. ( Suggest removal )

No "attack" from me this time Damon... I reckon you are spot on!

Interestingly, I was given a couple of these unopened Pulse drinks on Saturday night from a passenger who wasn't allowed to take them into a nightclub on arrival. The group were all drinking them when I arrived to pick them up and I made them finish their drinks before allowing them to hop in my taxi.

Looking at the can now, I notice PULSE contains Vodka, Soda, Guarana & lots of caffiene and the tall 300ml 7.0% alcohol by volume can says it is equal to 1.7 standard drinks... certainly enough to put the average girl "over the limit" with one can!

My daughter is here with me now and has told me she often enjoys these drinks at parties, but she would NEVER have thought drinking one of these cans would put her over the limit as they don't make her "feel drunk".

That's a bit frightening, isn't it?

I certainly feel more research is warranted!

Jeff Watson.
Candidate for Division 8
"it's where I love to live!"

Posted by wallet72 from Pelican Waters

on 18 February, 2008 at 2:14 p.m. ( Suggest removal )

I'm sorry,

but it is a matter of taking responsibility for your own actions. People go to a bar or club and yet are surprised that the drink they have never heard off is alcoholic? It is up to the individual to be aware of what they are drinking. We could legislate all kinds of labelling or packaging laws and still people will try and plead that they didn't know how alcoholic the drink was.
Like you said 'felt okay to drive' is the common turn of phrase, and I bet it's not just from people with low readings.

Oh, and no matter how 'slight' her build, if half a can of 'some drink' got her over the limit, then they've started selling straight alcohol in cans.

Posted by nathan from caloundra

on 18 February, 2008 at 3:08 p.m. ( Suggest removal )

besides, if she's on her p plates, the allowed blood alcohol level is zero - so she shouldnt be drinking anything. kinda hard to feel sorry for her, regardless of how slightly built she is....

Posted by boyfromoz from Sunshine Coast

on 18 February, 2008 at 3:56 p.m. ( Suggest removal )

Pulse CLEARLY states on the can that it contains vodka... so she shouldnt have drank it and driven.. she is on her Ps.
If she had a few cups of coffee before going out then knocked back a vodka and orange and felt 'ok to drive' would you still have written a blog about this?
PUH-lease...

Posted by Darkknight from Sippy Downs

on 18 February, 2008 at 4 p.m. ( Suggest removal )

You're on the money this time Damon. I googled pulse energy drink and came up with this interesting article written last year which alludes to a danger associated with energy drinks and alcohol:

http://neovox.journalismaustralia.com
/energy_drinks_and_dko.php

Seems alot more research should be put into these social drinks than previously thought. They have pretty cans and promise higher energy but are fairly silent when it comes to after effects etc.

I also agree with your 'wired' comment as the contents would be tantamount to a speed infusion.

But surely you are not suggesting that this young girl didn't realise that alcohol was in the drink? One would have hoped that she bought the drink herself in a nightclub (safety first) and if she was driving then ensured that no alcohol was present.

After all, to be charged with .046% her legal limit would have been absolutely zero and no more. Why did she need to even consider herself 'okay to drive' if she was adhering to the no alcohol limit in the first place?

Again, your point in relation to the energy drinks is a valid one, but unless her drink was spiked, it all comes back to her own responsibility.

And just for the record Jeff, one certainly does not have to 'feel drunk' before being over the limit (whatever the limit) and I hope that's not the yardstick with which your daughter is measuring her ability to drive. By the time you feel drunk, you're usually well over and caught, at home in bed for those who run the gauntlet or another statistic.

Posted by SuziHB from Maroochydore

on 18 February, 2008 at 4:28 p.m. ( Suggest removal )

Damien is not trying to excuse the girl or her actions. He is making a point regarding how innocuous these drinks look and yet they'll knock the socks off you! New mixed drinks are coming out all the time and in a can, especially, look harmless. In my opinion, even Red Bull is not harmless if someone has a dodgy ticker! Mixing a drink like 'Pulse combining caffeine and Vodka and Guarana obviously gives it an extra added 'kick'! By the way Damien, I think you are spot on with your assessment regarding these drinks.

Posted by Brook from Cotton Tree

on 18 February, 2008 at 9:29 p.m. ( Suggest removal )

I have been drinking Black Ice Smirnoff's, they are so potent. And yes the Vodka in it does make you violent. I'm normally quite reserved but once I have 4 of these in me I become Jekyll & Hyde.

If these drinks were taken off the shelves we just might see less violence on our streets.

Posted by Kulangoor from Kulangoor

on 19 February, 2008 at 10:23 p.m. ( Suggest removal )

I agree these 'lolly' drinks have altered the face of young people's drinking habits and they aren't always fully aware of what is in the can, but that is no defence is it. Doesn't it all boil down to individuals taking responsibility? My 19 year old daughter and her friends enjoy a party, a night out, and a glass or two while they're at it. BUT they either designate a non drinking driver, or they book a taxi. Not one of them drives that night or the following morning if they've slept over until they blow zero on a breathalyser one of them has invested in. If some kids can do it responsibly I'm sure many more can, it isn't rocket science.

Posted by Kathryn from Sunshine Coast

on 20 February, 2008 at 1:31 p.m. ( Suggest removal )

Mr Locantro I do agree that these drinks require more research and that they can alter a person's perception more than they would otherwise expect from an alcoholic beverage but I feel that the point must be raised, as it was by an earlier respondent, that as a P plater, there should have been no question of this girl's perception of her ability to drive. If she'd been drinking, she shouldn't have been driving, half a can or a full one.

I appreciate that you are not writing this piece to excuse her actions but I do feel that this was not the best example to illustrate your point.

Mixing stimulants and depressants is bad news and I agree that the potential consequences of young people consuming large quantities of these drinks is not bright but people still do need to take responsibilities for their actions.

Posted by NasaPJN from Caloundra

on 23 February, 2008 at 10:24 a.m. ( Suggest removal )

Have to agree in total with your Blog Denny. When I was a kid (17+ drinking age 21) everyone drank beer with the occasional flask thrown in. In general, these days, male and female drink this bloody potent "lolly water". Yes the kids need to be held accountable for their actions, but so do the manufacturers and distributors.