Four Loko: Cheapy Drink or Muy Dangerous Decision?

October 19, 2010 12:00 pm     Posted in Reality  Zara - Drexel g+ page

Four LokoHere’s a quick little midterm for you: you have $10 in your pocket, but you need to unwind at the end of midterm week.


By Zara

Do you:

A.) Blow all your cash on one drink at the swankiest club in town.
B.) Scour campus for a party and drink for free
C.) Stock up on cheap, flavored, and surprisingly strong cans of malt liquor.

I’m pretty sure everyone chose the last choice, and even though our little midterm isn’t graded, that answer is decidedly wrong. Four Loko is a popular new canned alcoholic beverage. Essentially an alcohol-fueled energy drink. Each can contains the equivalent of three beers, caffeine, and artificial flavoring, all for under $3. But the benefits of this cheapie drink are eclipsed by the serious threat it poses to students who intend to party hard.

Recently 23 Ramapo College students were hospitalized due to intoxication in just a few weeks – many of these incidents involved Four Loko. Currently, the president of the North Jersey school is banning this and similar beverages, and urging the leaders of other schools to do the same. We’ve all heard the warnings about cocktails like Red Bull and vodkas – the alcohol brings you down while the caffeine heightens your senses, confusing the body and making it difficult to determine just how intoxicated you are.

Four Loko is even more dangerous, as it’s fruity flavors make it easy to drink multiple cans quickly. In fact, the dangers of Four Loko are so severe that the drink is being dubbed “liquid cocaine.” The combined affects of alcohol and caffeine are even more frightening when you consider that both are diuretics, which can cause dehydration.

The possible consequences of drinks like these are undeniable: students can face hospitalization, injury, or overdose as a result of the seemingly harmless alcoholic energy drinks. Whether or not your campus chooses to ban these, we urge you to be as cautious as possible when it comes to drinking Four Loko. Or, play it safe and go for a $3 40 instead. It’s way more fun to drink out of a bag anyway….

14 Comments on "Four Loko: Cheapy Drink or Muy Dangerous Decision?"

  1. sam says:
    Tue, 19th Oct 201010:23 am 

    I had one once.. I blacked out so fast. I was like, WTF I ONLY DRANK HALF? But I blacked out halfway through and can't even remember finishing it. Luckily I was in a safe place to sleep it off but I was still drunk hours later. I still am thoroughly confused about the whole ordeal, and the stories are ridiculous. Don't do it unless you're in a super safe situation.

  2. Uhh really? says:
    Tue, 19th Oct 201011:09 am 

    this just goes back to the fact that people are morons and don't know their limits. Have had plenty of nights with a 20 oz redbull and a bottle of vodka, and its pretty clear when enough is enough. Four Loko tastes like ass anyways

  3. Erica Lee says:
    Tue, 19th Oct 20101:15 pm 

    Agreed – people just need to be more responsible. You can become hospitalized for drinking any type of alcohol if you drink enough of it. And if you KNOW Four Loko has quite a high alcohol percentage, you should also KNOW that you can't drink it like a regular old beer.

    I just drank a Four Loko last night. Yes, just one. And yes, I was drunk. Pleasantly, happily drunk. Just know your limits, people. And I know they say it's bad for your heart — but so is eating fatty food and not exercising. Plus, let's be real here. If you're out getting sh*tfaced on Four Loko (or any alcoholic beverage) you're probably not all about making the healthiest decisions.

    Exercise some personal responsibility (or hang out with a friend who will force you to by nonchalantly stealing your Four Loko while you pee).

  4. Melanie says:
    Tue, 19th Oct 20102:33 pm 

    Four loko was my demise two weeks ago, I was totally blacked. And incredibly hungover the next day.

  5. dee says:
    Wed, 20th Oct 201012:48 pm 

    I'm a student at Ramapo, and I feel that the ban is simply going to cause more students to drink in private, not stop drinking completely. Personally, I don't drink Four Loko, but feel that students just need to be responsible, not babied and have drinks banned. This place is a total party ghost town now.

  6. Golden Child says:
    Sun, 24th Oct 20108:52 pm 

    I have a better idea what to do with that $10. Go buy a dime sack of weed. You are a lot less likely to get arrested, do something stupid and you will be much more relaxed and happy as well as hangover and blackout free.

    I've drank Four Loko before I knew what it was or understood its potency and lethality. You college kids are better off smoking weed. You will be much happier, clear headed and well adjusted by smoking ganja in moderation. Binge drinking in college is bad news. Many of you will graduate to becoming unemployed alcoholics because the economy is in shambles and many people are genetically inclined to become addicted alcohol. I hate this ignorant "drink responsibly" attitude Americans crow about. Alcohol is the most accessible and most dangerous deadly addictive drug available and Four Loko is its worst manifestation. Four Loko is not be played with. You have a high probability of killing yourself or someone else in a bloody car accident, drinking yourself to death or doing something you will regret for the rest of your life which you will not be able to remember.

  7. Peter says:
    Wed, 27th Oct 20103:29 am 

    As both a student and an employee at the local Level 1 trauma center (which is also the closest ER to campus), I am against frustrated that misuse of a product results in the product being vilified!

    Four Loko is one of many products on the market (alcoholic and not) that can be dangerous when misused. It is legally restricted to be purchased only by those 21years and older ("theoretically" more responsible), though it undoubtedly, as it did in this situation, makes it into the hands of minors.

    But, legal restrictions and access are not my point: when people use ANY product irresponsibly, they can become seriously sick or injured. As an example: hundreds of people die each year from aspirin related poisoning (non-intentional), yet an 8 year-old could very easily walk into a pharmacy and buy a bottle!

    The focus instead must be on proper alcohol education. This does NOT entail DARE or any other scare-tactic BS. Real alcohol education is based solely in facts and, ideally, occurs in the home. Personally, my alcohol education was from my parents who allowed me to drink (reasonably) starting at age 16. On a few occasions, I was permitted to "drink freely" (under their supervision, both are medical professionals). Those experiences allowed me to, in a safe environment, learn how alcohol affects me specifically and be able to use it responsibly. It is worth pointing out that I never had any underages, ER visits etc, related to alcohol (not even stitches from a fall, etc.). That is not to say I have never blacked out, gotten really f'ed up, etc. That is part of the experience, the key is, as simple as it sounds: DON'T BE DUMB!

  8. Bless says:
    Sat, 11th Aug 20124:37 pm 

    It probably won’t be a prbelom as long as it’s in your checked baggage and you only have a couple of bottles. It isn’t required to be declared when you enter the country if you don’t have more than 2 liters. My exchange students often bring me bottles of wine or liquor as a gift when they arrive. Don’t try to bring it in your carry on. You can also ship it via UPS or Fedex (kind of spendy but other than the potential for breakage will be no prbelom)

Tell us what you're thinking...