Strong Energy Drinks Claim A Fatality

Almost every day, people come to my blog to read an old post on Red Line, which I posted after a friend got very sick after drinking the very strong chemical stew posing as an "energy drink."

Many visitors leave comments claiming that the drink poses no danger at all. Perhaps they should consider this news story, which was left in a comment posted on my earlier Red Line post:

Wellington teen dies after consuming alcohol, energy drinks

By Leon Fooksman, Luis F. Perez and Lia Lehrer
South Florida Sun-Sentinel
8:44 AM EDT, May 21, 2008

A 16-year-old Wellington student died over the weekend after attending a party where alcohol was consumed, Palm Beach County sheriff's investigators said.

Paramedics who tried to resuscitate Ashley Ramnauth on Sunday found alcohol in her system, sheriff's spokeswoman Teri Barbera said.

Ramnauth was a Lake Worth High School honor roll student and the daughter of Hollywood Police Officer Hansman Ramnauth.

She "apparently made a bad decision to consume energy drinks and alcohol in combination," according to a statement from her family released Tuesday through the Palm Beach County School District. She "did not have a lot of experience with alcohol and did not have a known problem with alcohol," the family added

...In March, paramedics took four Weston schoolboys to a hospital after they became ill from drinking an "energy-boosting" liquid not meant for children, authorities said. The boys were sweating and suffering from increased heart rates and lightheadedness. They drank Redline, a combination fat-burning and energy enhancement drink marketed as a "freaky scientific" breakthrough on the Web site of the company that makes it.

There's a news clip about Ashley's death with the news article; it's worth watching.

I'll conclude with how I concluded my earlier post:

There's something definitely wrong here. [Red Line manufacturer] VPX is not taking responsibility for its product and is getting away with it. Seven-11 is not taking responsibility for the products it sells and is also getting away with it.

Please pass this along with a warning. Energy drink drinkers, think about going back to good old coffee or black tea and stay away from this junk.

Here's A Show You Won't Want To Miss!

Be sure to tune in this Friday to E! Television, for the show THS Investigates: Prom Nightmares and airs at 8 Eastern/7 Central (check your local listings).

The 90-minute show offers a warning to parents and prom-going kids about what has happened to other kids who made bad decisions on prom night. It will include a segment on Cathy Isford, a girl who died after taking Ecstasy at her prom.

I included a segment on Cathy, told by her mom, dad and sister on my Voice of the Victim films. It is such a touching and sad story! The tribute her father Paul gives to her is one of the most moving things I've ever seen or heard.

The THS crew used our office to shoot the interviews with the Isford family and me and we're told that Voice of the Victims will get on-screen titles -- and that several million people are likely to watch the show. Since my mission is to get the films into the hands of people who need them, this could be a great moment for Voice of the Victims.

If you're curious, or if you or your kids or your grandkids are at or approaching prom age, this could be a good thing to watch.

And by the way, if you're curious or if you, your kids, etc., are prom age, you should consider getting a copy of the films yourself.

Catch a preview of Prom Nightmares here. The clip doesn't include anything on Cathy, but gives you a pretty good idea of what the story line is: the risks kids put themselves in because of bad choices they make -- and a lot of bad choices are made around prom and graduation.