By Mandy Earles, Kansas City Star Contributing Writer

It’s not a problem of labeling; it’s a problem with the product. Alcoholic-energy drinks, like Anheuser-Busch’s Tilt, pose dangers to more than just teenagers.

Busch was targeted because of its labeling for Tilt, which resembled or almost mimicked that of an energy drink. And parents were enraged by this marketing ploy. How dare Busch realize younger generations love to drink energy drinks and then combine this with its product, beer!

I’m not sure who discovered Vodka and Red Bull go together, but come on, it was just a matter of time before the rest of the alcohol industry cashed in on this concept.

But we shouldn’t be mad because Busch and others used labels that look like energy drinks and appeal to teenagers.

The real issue is why energy drinks attract teenagers. Why are we even letting anyone drink energy drinks? Okay, I’m not trying to attack the entire energy drink industry, but well, maybe I am because seriously, what is the upside to energy drinks? I don’t think there are any.

They do give you energy but only for a short while, and then you got to drink another one before you “crash.”

But here comes the true danger…mixing an upper, energy drink, with a downer, alcohol. This is where parents, or anyone for that matter, should be concerned.

I found out first hand the horrible effects alcohol and energy drinks can have. I drank two Red Bull Vodkas in one night and blacked out for six hours. I don’t remember a thing. Scary.

Needless to say, I haven’t touched Red Bull since. I’m not saying Red bull is fully to blame, but the mixture of an energy drink and alcohol is more dangerous than a lot of people realize.

I agree the alcohol industry should realize these horrible effects from these drinks and should pull their products off the shelf. But the fact remains, energy drinks are dangerous, even without alcohol in them, and there is cause for concern as teens continue to drink more and more energy drinks.