<p>It seems common now, people want to find something to blame for their own misbehavior and irresponsibility.  ;Is it any surprise one Vermont student, rather than accept responsibility, blames high-risk sex and drunk driving on energy drinks like Red Bull? Really? ;</p>
<p>Shortly after Myles Kamisher-Koch claimed ;that such drinks contribute to ;a &ldquo;culture of stress,&rdquo; &ldquo;high risk sex,&rdquo; and drug use, one private school in Vermont decided to ban the sale of energy drinks from its campus. ;</p>
<p>The new rule, affecting brands like 5-Hour Energy and Red Bull, will take effect next week.</p>
<p>Wouldn&#8217;t it be a better idea if parents taught their children that high risk sex and under-age drinking are bad, and to have the discipline to not do it?  ;This is called &#8220;morality&#8221; that one is able to behave ones self without an authority looking over your shoulder.</p>
<p>Myles Kamisher-Koch is a student at ;Middlebury College, a private liberal arts school that costs about $61,000 per year to attend. Myles ;discussed the harmful effects of energy drinks ;during a college governance meeting in January. ;He cited scientific research to support his claims and reminded officials of the school&rsquo;s dining service mission statement, which purports to &ldquo;nourish and nurture today and tomorrow by sustaining mind, body, and earth.&rdquo; ;</p>
<p>While a single can of Red Bull might help a student concentrate while studying, problems arise when students mix energy drinks with alcohol &ndash; something that &ldquo;up to 25% of current drinkers&rdquo; do, explained ;Myles. ;His request to ban the sale of energy drinks on campus flew through the school&#8217;s government with a vote of 11-1. ;</p>
<p>&ldquo;I learned in my psychology class that energy drinks are linked to high-risk sex and drug use,&rdquo; commented one Middlebury freshman.  ;</p>
<p>&ldquo;The school has a responsibility to direct students to healthy choices,&rdquo; added another student. ;</p>
<p>While the addition of caffeine is sure to increase a person&rsquo;s desire to engage in any sort of physical activity while intoxicated, the problem does not lie with drinks like Red Bull &ndash; the problem lies with early education and parenting ;. ;</p>
<p>Middlebury College should not be responsible for teaching kids about drug use and safe sex. ;These are topics that should have been discussed ;long ago, at a younger age. If young adults are making bad decisions in college, energy drinks are not to blame. I agree with senior student Arnav Adhikari&#8217;s when he said, &#8220;There are more important things for them [the school] to address. And what do energy drinks have to do with sexual activity?&rdquo; If we&rsquo;re talking about health benefits, the school &ldquo;still sells lots of fried food,&rdquo; he added. ;</p>
<p>&ldquo;The ruling Communist Party has decided for you,&rdquo; said a sarcastic student who does not support the decision to ban energy drinks. &ldquo;Driving a vehicle could result in serious bodily harm or death&hellip;effective immediately, no one will be allowed to drive in or be a passenger in a vehicle while on campus.&rdquo; ;</p>
<p>As David Neuendorf, another commenter, explains, it &#8220;sounds ;like they are assuming causality, when it may well be that the same people who engage in dangerous practices also engage in consuming these drinks.&rdquo;</p>
<p><strong>Editor&#8217;s note:</strong>  ;It occurs to me the manufacturers of these drinks might want to encourage the image their drinks cause &#8220;high risk sex.&#8221; Might be worth investigating where those studies came from.</p>