Spoilsports: US college bans energy drinks over ‘high risk’ sex and excessive drinking

Those seeking to quench their thirst and get an energy boost will be hard pressed at Middlebury College in Vermont, which has just banned the sale of drinks like Red Bull because they apparently contribute to excessive drinking and “high risk” sex.

While one might argue that over-the-top booze sessions and sex is part of the college experience, cafeteria management at the institution appear to disagree.

Middlebury College’s dining services have released an information flyer that links energy drinks to drunk driving, “high-risk sexual activity,” and the use of other “intoxicating” substances, report NBC News.

The college has taken the arguably radical step of banning the caffeine pumped drinks’ sale in the belief that they may lead to unsafe behavior in young people, reports the college paper, The Middlebury Campus.

Sales of drinks like Red Bull and 5-Hour Energy will be banned from the college’s retail units as of March 7.

Director of dining hall services, Dan Detora told NBC News: “I see it as the equivalent of banning cigarettes.”

The fate of the energy drinks was sealed after it was agreed at a council meeting that they contravened the college’s mission to sustain “mind, body and earth.”

Scientific studies in the past have noted a correlation between energy drinks and binge consumption of alcohol.

While alcohol seems to be the main bogeyman that Middlebury College is concerned about, they seem to view the energy drinks as a kind of gateway drug, which may be too much for the poor little darlings to handle.

However, some students think that the college’s administration may be taking their nannying role too far. One student told NBC News that “there are more important things for them to address.”

It remains to be seen how Middlebury students will now cope with burning the midnight oil while cramming for exams at the end of the semester.