Parents Beware This Teen Alcoholic Trick!

With the abundance of candies available to teens and children of all ages this time of year, I thought I'd share this bit of info about a "new" trend spreading among America's teens: sneaking alcohol by soaking it into candy!

******************************

There will never be a shortage of ways for underage kids to get drunk, and adults will always be a few steps behind. The trend of soaking gummy bears in liquor isn't anything new, but it had remained a secret from most people for years. This past week, news outlets across the country have been warning of this “new trend” of vodka soaked gummy bears, so I guess this teen secret is finally out.

Teens have been increasingly using gummy bears as a way of concealing alcohol from parents and authorities. By soaking the bears in vodka or rum, they are free to walk the streets drinking without having to sneak sips or hide a bottle. While the news segment's intention is obviously to make parents aware of this trend, they may have inadvertently introduced a great idea to a large number of under-age kids who were unaware of the idea. The YouTube tutorial has jumped from 17,000 to 50,000 views since this news clip went live.

Vodka is a powerful alcohol that no teen should be experimenting with, but many do in part because of its relatively mild alcohol odor. Kids think it's harder for their parents, police, coaches and teachers to detect and it's become even harder now that teens are concealing it in gummy candy.

Kids across the country know about it, and police said it's something parents should, too.

Kids are using this as a way to bypass identification of bringing alcohol into events and into school.

They're getting away with it because the alcohol is hidden in the candy. The teens are pouring alcohol over any kind of gummy candy and then letting it sit overnight. The alcohol doesn't evaporate; it gets completely soaked up by the candy.

For most people it would probably put them in a hospital. That is a lot of alcohol. That is a lot of vodka.

Under the supervision of police, a test was done on a 23-year-old woman to determine the true impact of the vodka-infused gummies. After three handfuls of candy, her blood alcohol level was .038. That's high enough to land a minor in jail and about halfway to making her legally drunk if she was to get behind the wheel.

Kids who eat the loaded candy can't tell how much alcohol they have had, which increases the likelihood of an overdose.