Teenage girls and boys believe – Alcopops are COOL…

Experts say that the &to=http://http://english.pravda.ru/society/2001/04/03/3272.html' target=_blank>teens are becoming increasingly vulnerable to the well packed and marketed beverages containing 5 percent to 7 percent alcohol and having names like Rick's Spiked Lemonade, Doc Otis' Hard Lemon Flavored Malt Beverage, Mike's Hard Lemonade, and Hooper's Hooch Lemon Brew. There is a steep rise in percentage of teenage girls who drink alcoholic beverages as compared to their male counterparts in last six months, critics added.

The percentage of teenage girls who drink alcoholic beverages is rising faster than that of boys, and on average the girls take their first drink at age 13, reforms the Sun-Francisco Chronical .

The sweet, fruit-flavored drinks come in colorful packaging and are also called "girlie drinks," malternatives, RTDs (ready to drink) or FABs (flavored alcoholic beverages).

"We're alarmed and concerned with these findings," said American Medical Association's president-elect Dr. J. Edward Hill, a family doctor in Tupelo, Miss. "Any &to=http://http://english.pravda.ru/society/2002/08/12/34304.html' target=_blank>alcohol is a drug with side effects. Alcopops are anything but fun and harmless."