High school and college students definitely have, and according to CBS News, it’s sent a lot of them to the hospital. The beverage is sold next to the energy drinks in many stores, is twice the size as a can of soda, and comes in fruity flavors like watermelon and blue raspberry. Each can contains caffeine, and about 60 grams of sugar. Don’t be fooled. Four Loko is also 12% alcohol, and experts say drinking a can is equal to downing three beers, a can of Red Bull, and a shot of espresso. That’s why it’s nicknamed “blackout in a can” and “liquid cocaine.”
Fans of Four Loko say they like it because it gives them an alert-but-relaxed feeling. Researchers say throwing back the ready-made cocktail-in-a-can is dangerous. For example: One study found that people who consumed energy drinks mixed with alcohol were three times more likely to get highly intoxicated than those who drank only alcohol. They were also four times more likely to drive drunk – because they think they’re more sober than they really are, thanks to the caffeine and energy ingredients. The stimulating effect can make people less aware of the effects of alcohol, and that can cause them to take risks they might otherwise not take.
This year alone, Four Loko has been linked to an incidence of violence in the Bronx, and cases of teen alcohol poisoning in White Plains, New York, and dozens of students at Cornell University and New Jersey’s Ramapo College who drank Four Loko were recently rushed to the ER. Critics say Four Loko’s big, brightly-colored cans are marketed to young people already hooked on non-alcoholic energy drinks, but a Four Loko spokesman says each can clearly advises people under 21 not to drink. The party may soon be over. A lot of colleges have banned the alcoholic energy drink on campus, and several states are now investigating the drink’s potential health risks.
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