Alcohol and Caffeine combo “Four Loko” causes coma, injuries and death

According to a presentation by a Fairfax County Police Department School Resource Officer attended by Abrams Landau staff, the product “4 Loko” is the equivalent of 4 beers plus caffeine.  Because of the delayed onset of its components, it is like a  “date rape drug.”  One Langley High School girl was found with a blood Alcohol Concentration of 0.34.  Comatose is 0.35.  She was passed out, face down in the parking lot after a High School football game.  Available at 7-11 and other convenience stores, “Four Loko”  has been banned in New York.
The Death of a 14-year-old Arlington girl spotlights the danger of Four Loko.  According to news reports, the girl’s death came the same week that the federal government called for an investigation of similar drinks that blend alcohol and caffeine, calling them “unsafe.”

In connection without the teen’s death, Texas authorities arrested a convenience store clerk for selling the controversial alcoholic energy drink Four Loko to a group of teenagers involved in a car wreck that left a teenage girl dead.  The name “Four Loko” may be a reference to the fact that it is the equivalent of 4 beers in one can and may cause someone drinking it to act “crazy” (or “loco” in Spanish).  It is not an energy drink, ergogonic aid, but in fact caffeinated alcohol.  In the medical profession, it causes one to be a “wide awake drunk.”  Like those who mix “Red Bull” and other flavored high caffeine drinks with alcohol in order to fuel their late-night drinking, this can be a deadly combination.

For your and your family’s safety, have a serious conversation about these caffeinated alcoholic beverages.  Plus, as you will see in tomorrow’s post, if you have a party at your home where this is served, you as the parent host, could end up in trouble with law enforcement authorities !