Blackout in a can

It’s described as “blackout in a can.” It is equivalent to having 5 beers and 5 cups of coffee. What I am talking about is the caffeinated, alcohol, energy drink called Four Loko. The alcohol beverage has come to the attention of many college students over the recent months. Four Loko has been described among college students as “blackout in a can.” The alcohol energy drink has become very popular among young college students. The variety of flavors that Four Loko offers is the most attracting feature of the drink. Four Loko is served in a 23.5 ounce can and comes in nine different flavors. The name “Four” comes from the four main ingredients: alcohol, caffeine, taurine, and guarana.

The drink has become very popular among college students and has had some serious health concern issues along with it. The main health concern of Four Loko is that it mixes alcohol with caffeine. When Alcohol and caffeine are mixed together people have reported that they have a reduced feeling of sensations due to the combination of alcohol and caffeine. What most people don’t know about Four Loko, is that when the caffeine wears off, the person feels the full effect of the alcohol. This leads to an excess consumption of alcohol because of the delayed feeling of drunkenness. Last month, nine Central Washington University students were hospitalized due to the consumption of Four Loko’s at an off campus party. This is the danger Four Loko puts its consumer in. As a result of these dangers, Worcester State University has stopped selling energy drinks and Boston College has informed their students about the danger of Four Loko.

According to Dr. Rosenthal, alcohol is metabolized by zero-order kinetics. This means that it takes a certain amount of time for alcohol to break down into non-intoxicating subjects. So if you drink 12 beers at once or 2 Four Lokos, your body needs to essentially metabolize 12 hours worth right away. Rosenthal said, “It can’t do this, so the alcohol builds up in your bloodstream and does nasty things like shutting down the respiratory centers of your brain.” Many students have protested against the banning of Four Loko and say they have never blacked out from the drink before. Some students say they have purchased the drink because it is cheaper than buying a 6 pack of beer.

It all comes down to drinking responsibly. If you funnel beers, and have shots in a short period of time, eventually the drinks are going to catch up with you and you will blackout. If you drink a Four Loko in a small amount of time, eventually the alcohol is going to catch up with you. Students, who drink Four Loko, need to drink it responsibly and be aware of the side effects the drink brings with it. An alcohol drink that has caffeine mixed in with it, does not come off to me as being safe. Four Loko seems to present danger to many college students and colleges and universities should consider banning the drink on their campuses.