Coming soon to a bar near your grandchildren: Viagra in a bottle! As though excessive alcohol consumption doesn't relax inhibitions enough among young adults, the latest trend in drinking is: Liquor laced with aphrodisiacs! That's right, starting this spring in the U.K. (but almost certainly soon to follow here in the states), some makers of alcoholic beverages will be spiking their concoctions with herbal libido-boosters like the infamous Horny Goat Weed that's been getting so much press in the last few years. Bearing suggestive names like Roxxoff, these drinks are almost sure to contribute to the already rampant rates of sexually transmitted diseases (STDs) and unwanted pregnancies - especially among teens, since the legal drinking age in the U.K. is a mere 18 years of age! But the even darker side of this equation is the likelihood of an increase in cases of sexual assault, date rape, and other crimes at the hands of sexually supercharged adolescents… And it's of little comfort to know that for now, these drinks will only be served up overseas. How many hot trends in the western world stay isolated to one region for any length of time, especially when they're incredibly profitable (as this one will surely prove to be)? I read recently that here in the U.S., an estimated 1 in 4 adults under 30 is now or has in the past been infected with one type of STD. I also heard a report that the cost of unwanted pregnancies in this country is over $40 billion a year - and that's just among TEENAGERS. And God knows how many unreported date rapes and sexual assaults young American women endure every year. We know full well where these problems often begin - and it's not in church or at the library. No way. It's in bars and nightclubs, from the bottoms of bottles. I'm sure you'll agree: America's daughters and sons, granddaughters and grandsons, don't need anything to help them shed their inhibitions. To my (admittedly older) eyes, modern culture is about as sexually repressed as a Roman orgy! You know I've got nothing against a mature, responsible adult imbibing now and again - I've written for years about the healthy benefits of a regular drink or two. But let's not make it even harder for our young adults, already blessed with plenty of natural libido, to maintain their balance in the alcohol-saturated social scene at their favorite bars and nightclubs…. Shaking my head over the marketplace,
William Campbell Douglass II, MD
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