Things Matt Wrote

So, this isn’t Cy-Fi Crime related but hear me out – I have a theory (or maybe just an observation).

I work in a tourist town that has a large entertainment complex including a stadium that is used to host large musical concerts. Every summer the national touring acts come to town, and for a few hours I take off my cyber-financial cop hat and put on my drunk-and-disorderly cop hat. It’s no longer fun for me but it’s overtime pay and I have some kids to put through college.

These events result in my agency dealing with a lot of drunk teenagers and young adults, in fact, more than our fair share. I’d challenge that throughout a busy concert season we deal with just as many as any popular beach town.

Suffice to say I’ve observed countless numbers of drunks over the past 23 years. And I can’t remember ever seeing as many absolutely wrecked young females as we have seen over the past two seasons (and this season is only at the mid-point).

This trend seems to have risen along with the popularity of hard seltzers alcoholic drinks.

These easy-to-consume drinks with moderate levels of alcohol appear to have significantly increased alcohol abuse among young females.

In the past, the method for young people to get rip-roaring drunk have been excessive consumption of beer or hard liquor.

Neither of these has been popular with most young females. It’s rare when you see a young girl in a sundress hammer down a sixer of Busch Lite. Or carrying around a bottle of Jack.

But throwing back five or six pre-concert White Claws? That’s not only easy to do, but it’s also enjoyable. These drinks taste great and at only 100 calories a piece is great for the waistline. They are also very palatable for inexperienced drinkers who have no stomach for beer or bourbon.

Here is my theory if anyone in the behavioral science field wants to expand upon it. Hard Seltzer drinks are extremely popular with young females which have caused an increase in alcohol abuse within this demographic leading to never before seen levels of underage drinking and public drunkenness.