Loco For “Four Loko”
Posted: September 29, 2010 Filed under: Students 14 Comments »BY MICHAEL VARVARA
Taurine , guarana, caffeine, and alcohol. Sound familiar to you? It might be because these are the
ingredients in your ordinary Red Bull and Vodka. But the hot topic on today’s list isn’t red bull and vodka anymore, it is the new drink called Four Loko. It’s basically 4 crazy ingredients in a can; I mean the name says it for itself. College kids across America seem to be adopting this new fad into their parties, and why not, a 24-ounce can costs under $3 and is packed with 12% alcohol. Why not people ask? Energy drink + alcohol could mean dangerous side effects, and people who partake in it do not even realize it.
The word is spreading about this new fad according to an article in The Miami Hurricane, a popular student newspaper for the University of Miami, and people don’t know about the dangers of it. “From compromising Facebook photo albums to house parties across Miami, the new brew can be spotted in a large, colorful can with the words “Four Loko” scrawled across.” But with an undisclosed amount of caffeine and a variety of other energy drink ingredients- taurine, guarana and wormwood (the active ingredient in absinthe)- you’d be ‘loko’ to drink one of these.” And that’s another thing, the fourth main ingredient not including the alcohol in Four Loko is wormwood. The wormwood in Four Loko however does not contain the chemical thujone, which is responsible for the hallucinogenic properties of absinthe, so wormwood without thujone is just another stimulant added into the mix.
CBS news is among the other newsgroups covering the story of this drink. Their headline reads “Four Loko: Is New Party Brew “Liquid Cocaine?” Their reason for calling it “Liquid Coccaine” is because partygoers say that it gives them a “paradoxical alert-but relaxed feeling” but many of them end up blacking out when too much is consumed, which is very likely due to the high alcohol content.
The alcohol content of Four Loko is 12%. When put into perspective, popular beers are anywhere from 4% to 5% alcohol. That means when drinking one 24 ounce can of the stuff, which is size that these drinks are sold in, it’s like drinking anywhere from five to six beers. So, in the time it would be taking some people to drink two beers, people are now consuming the amount of alcohol that is contained in five or six of them, and many of these people don’t even know it. Do you see a problem yet?
On top of the high alcohol content, the amount of stimulants that comes packed in one punch is high as well, and when consumed with alcohol, there comes side effects. According to a study “Effects of Energy Drink Ingestion on Alcohol Intoxication” in the journal Alcoholism: Clinical & Experimental Research, the perception of being drunk is altered when alcohol is consumed with energy drinks. So, the person may feel like they’re not drunk when they really are. Tests of visual reaction time and motor coordination, comparing ingestion of alcohol with ingestion of alcohol plus energy drink in the study gave support to this conclusion. Since their perception of being drunk is not the same, a problem that can occur is continued consummation of the drink to the point where blackout occurs. The next thing that the person knows is waking up in their bed, or a hospital bed not knowing how they got there.
Mixing alcohol and energy drinks ultimately send mixed messages to the nervous system. Alcohol is a depressant, while energy drinks are stimulants. The brain cannot process both, so you end up fooling it. This is why you don’t think you are drunk when you really are. Other problems can occur as well include heart rhythm problems such as heart palpitations or arrhythmia. The stimulants in the energy drink raise your heart rate and blood pressure, and mixing them with alcohol increases risk of these heart rhythm problems.
With some of these dangers in mind, Four Loko may not seem like such a good idea after all. This topic actually first peaked my interest when walking into the corner store and seeing these alcoholic drinks that looked like energy drinks. They’re clearly marketed to younger college aged kids, having bright colors and cool looking cans. Seeing the 12% alcohol label actually shocked me especially because I haven’t heard too much fuss over the product as of yet. There are clearly dangers to this product, and as I researched, more information came up about people starting to complain that their local convenience store is selling alcohol energy drinks. Linked is a news story of just that.
What I also see dangerous about this product is that it can be consumed in a short amount of time, and there’s always that one person at parties who wants to impress their friends and drink it in one shot. Your body just can’t handle that much alcohol and that’s where alcohol poisoning comes into play.
When studies show that these drinks can fool your mind into being sober due to the opposite effects of stimulants and depressants, that’s scary. What happens when it is the end of the night and you think you’re able to drive your car home when in reality you’re not? People may tend to do this when drinking alcoholic energy drinks. More research can be done in this area to further support this idea, and the word can get out. Knowing this info can even be the difference between life and death for some.
Links:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WXgm01r_wBU
http://www.themiamihurricane.com/2010/09/22/four-loko-a-cheap-but-potentially-harmful-buzz/
http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2010/06/17/health/main6592444.shtml
http://www2.potsdam.edu/hansondj/HealthIssues/1043185105.html
I really liked this article. A lot of my friends drink four loco and love it. I recently tried it for the first time and had a horrible experience. I can definitely see how the mix of alcohol and energy drink can “trick” you into not thinking you are intoxicated, when in fact, you are. Unfortunately, I came to that realization the next morning when my friends told me i kept saying i was “sober” while drinking my second one. Four Loco can be dangerous if you are not responsible while drinking it, and can lead to a myriad of bad events. I definitely do not recommend drinking Four Loco.
This article was interesting. I already knew that four lokos are a mixture of alcohol and an energy drink. In all honesty, it is pretty smart and marketable. Instead of people buying two seperate things and having to mix them, people can just purchase a four loko. The first time one of my friends drank a four loko, she had no idea what it was; her friend told her to chug it for a bit. Needless to say, she ended up blacking out and not knowing what happened for the majority of her night. However, I have also seen it consumed in a mild fashion, so the drinker doesn’t get anything more than a bit tipsy. Like all alcoholic drinks, it all depends on the drinker’s consumption choices.
What I really found captivating in this article is that the fourth main ingredient is the same found in absynthe. I understand that in a four loko the same hallucinogenic effects are not apparent, but it is still pretty crazy. As far as I know, I think absynthe is still illegal in the US. It almost seems like four lokos are a less crazy form of absynthe.
All I have to say is, I can’t believe it’s the same amount of alcohol that can be found in five beers!
I really enjoyed this article as well. I have never heard of this drink, four loko. I guess the parties I go to don’t serve them. I agree with Maggie, that it is ultimately the consumer who has to make the smart decisions. It is a well-known fact that part of the company’s success is how it markets their product, and not just the product itself. The article mentioned that this drink is being marketed to young college students, but my fear is that high school and even middle school children can get their hands on it. Especially since, in my opinion, they are not mature enough to handle the dangers involved in combining an energy drink (stimulate) with alcohol (depressant). Another fear of mine is that women may find themselves in compromising situations and could be taken advantage of without realizing it. Like many companies, this one appears to be more concerned about making money than assuming any ethnical responsibility.
The fact that there is 12% alcohol combined with caffeine, etc. in one can is a scary thought. Personally, I have not tried it yet but every single person that I know who has consumed four loko has blacked out from this drink alone. I don’t think people are aware of how dangerous this drink really is. All they are concerned about is getting drunk as quickly as they can. It also worries me how easily accessible four loko is to young kids since it is usually in the energy drink section of 7eleven and other convenience stores. My 18 year female friend who weighs no more than 115lbs always buys four loko without ever being IDed. A girl weighing as little as 115lbs drinking an entire can within no more than a half hour is frightening. These young kids, and people in general, should be better informed of the dangers of this drink.
I appeciated this blog because I do not drink much, only on very rare occasion. So when I read that Four Loco has 12% alcohol content, that basically means nothing to me. However, Michael put it all into perspective with his comparison to the number of beer cans and then I was really shocked by the amount of alcohol in the beverage. I am a perfect example of someone who might drink a Four Loco and have no idea as too how much alcohol they are actually consuming. The fact that an individual may experience a “sober” feeling due to the mixture of alcohol and caffenine makes the issue more alarming. I have heard that mixing Red Bull with Vodka is the worst drink for your body because the Red Bull is a stimuant while the vodka is a depressant; this can have serious implications on the heart. Four Loco takes that to a further extreme. However, people will continue to mix their alcohol and caffeine whether they are educated or not (from what I have witnessed), so I agree Four Loco is fabulous for marketing. It is relatively cheap for its size and content and is designed to attract younger consumer.
I found this article very informative. This drink can be very dangerous for people that don’t usually drink or that don’t realize how much they are actually drinking. If drinking a four loko is the equivalent of drinking 5 or 6 beers that can be very harmful for someone that has a low tolerance and doesn’t know how much alcohol it actually has in it. Also, the colorful can targets younger drinkers. I’ve seen this at parties I’ve gone to. I work with a lot of kids that just graduated from high school and at work parties most of kids are drinking four lokos. I find the mixture of alcohol and energy drinks very dangerous, especially since the amount of caffeine in it is unknown.
I have always heard about mixing liquor with energy drinks is bad but i did not know about Four Loko. I never really knew that Four Loko’s had energy drink ingredients until i read this blog.I knew about these types of drinks because I saw many people drinking them at parties. I actually have drunk almost the same type of drink but it was called Joose. This drink has the same type of ingredients as a Four Loko. Now that I know what these types of drink can do to your body and mind I will think twice before drinking one. I hope everybody else feels the same because its for your own good.
I have had many friends have to deal with the effects of a Four Loko. They don’t make you feel like you are drunk and so people continue to consume a great amount. Like Beatriz said, Joose is just like it, I have had an experience with that drink. When I was drinking it I felt like I was okay, but by the end of the night I felt horrible. I was very surprised when Micheal showed the class that 1 four loko was equivalent to about 5 cans of beer, this made me think twice about ever drinking a four loko. It can be very dangerous if a person thinks they are okay because of the way they feel and end up getting into a car accident or in some kind of trouble because they did not feel like they were drunk. I also agree with Michael when he says that when drank in one shot this can cause problems, their will always be one person who will try and chug a drink and get sick because of it. We have to be more careful with the things that we put into our bodies.
I have never drank a four loko because i do not drink coffee or any type of energy drink ever, so I thought that the combination of four loko would be too much for me. When other people I know drank them, I realized I didn’t like who they were. Four loko’s seriously make you loko, the combination of the upper and the downer make your behavior all out of wack and it does not seem healthy.
I have a younger brother who is 16 years old and he one time called me asking for a ride home because he ended up playing 7 games of four loko pong. That concerned me because these drinks are dangerous but because they are so flashy they appeal particularly to a younger crowd. It is so easy for them to get their hands on it but are unaware of the intensity contained in one can. Luckily for my brother the only problem he had was falling down drunk but he ended up sobering up and was fine. I don’t think he is playing anymore four loko pong.
I have tried the four loko drink and found that by the time I a take a few sips my heart races and I get really hot and sweaty. This cannot be good for my heart or my body so I don’t drink it anymore. It tastes good which makes it easier to consume than beer or other alcohol. But this drink can be dangerous for some people especially those with heart conditions. This drink probably should be banned or the contents adjusted to make it less harmful. As always … Be careful when consuming any alcohol.
The people that drink this Four Lokos they need to stop drinking these and it will have side-effects and I remember I took a sip of Four Lokos and I didnt like it cause I didnt like the taste of it and also I have a bad feeling about this drink….like it says NEVER EVER MIX ALCOHOL WITH ENERGY DRINK!!!its for your own safety..and your health too..
I found an article titled, “Caffeine and Alcohol: Wham! Bam! Boozled,” about Four Loko in yesterday’s New York Times.
http://www.nytimes.com/2010/10/31/weekinreview/31bruni.html?_r=1&hpw
Like many of the comments on this blog post, I have not tried Four Loko. I think the combination of an alcoholic depressant mixed with a caffeine stimulant is extremely dangerous and not many people pay attention to the possible side effects BEFORE they decide to indulge. The New York Times article discusses the widely known mixture of Vodka and Red Bull. Now, instead of people making the combination themselves, Four Loko provides consumers with the desired blend.
Marketed with bright colors and lively designs, all for a reasonable price, Frank Bruni, the author of the article states, “Four Loko is all stealth: spoonfuls of sugar to help the medicines go down.” He states that the fruit flavors’ sugar content masks all suggestion that the drink contains alcohol. That is why becoming intoxicated and “blacking out” is associated with this drink.
I am 27 and have been drinking for maybe 10 years now. I can put down a 12 pack pretty easily and not even be that drunk and I never black out. Last night I drank a 40 pretty fast then about an hour later went to get some vodka with 3 of my friends but instead we all got one four loko. I drank it pretty quick not knowing what it was figuring it was just like drinking 3 or 4 beers. I ended up leaving my friends house and drove home. From about 5 minutes before I left to about 3 hours later I blacked out. I have no idea how I drove home safely. Then I ended up telling people in my family I was going to choke and kill them. I don’t remember any of it and they are pretty upset about it. I wont ever be drinking it again. I have seen a lot of younger people talk about how much they love it, I think it effects older people a little differently. A young liver can apperently handle it better but I’ve read about college kids being hospitalized from it too. I will never drink it again.
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