Going Crazy Over Four Loko?

[Greenday]

http://www.cnn.com/2010/HEALTH/11/16...ex.html?hpt=T2

Everyone is making a big stink over energy alcohol drinks like Four Loko. For those who don't know, Four Loko is an energy drink spiked with alcohol. Depending on the state's regulations, it could have 6% or 12% ABV. That's a good amount of alcohol (12% is about 3 beers worth). It also has caffiene equivalent to 3 cups of coffee.

I was under impression that 21 year olds and up aren't kids and can make these decisions on their own. If I want to pre-game with one of these so I don't have to spend tons of money at the bar, I should be allowed to damnit.

[Arcade Man D]

The problem is the effects of mixing depressants (alcohol) with stimulants (caffeine). Personally, I don't think any pre-mixed alcohol/caffeine concoctions should be sold, as mixing the two types of drugs is far worse than either by itself. And yes, this does mean I believe jaegerbombs (Jaegermeister and Red Bull) should not be sold by bars.

[Greenday]

Alochol probably shouldn't be sold, period. But we all know that isn't happening.

It's dangerous because the caffiene prevents you from feeling the depressant effects of the alcohol, meaning you can't effectively judge how drunk you really are. I can safely say though, that if a few friends and I are just chilling, or pre-gaming (excluding the driver), no one will be drunk after one.

[Plaidman]

The difference is it isn't adults that are dealing with it. Far too many underage people are ending up in the hospital because they decide to drink multiple four lokos.

Unlike a normal beer that make you at least tired after a while, the four loko make you up. So they keep drinking until they lituary pass out.

[blas87]

This stuff is just as bad as people I know who pop Adderall and then go on drinking binges. It's liquid trouble!

Caffeine and alcohol are like Paris Hilton and a soup kitchen.....they just don't mix well. Disasterous.

[Eisa]

My 18-year-old roommates tried this. One roommate had a can and a half or so. She spent the rest of the night puking. No more Four Lokos for her.

[Greenday]

My 18-year-old roommates tried this. One roommate had a can and a half or so. She spent the rest of the night puking. No more Four Lokos for her.

Gotta work on that tolerance!

"Let these rulings serve as a warning to anyone who tried to peddle dangerous and toxic brews to our children. Do it and we will shut you down," Schumer, D-New York, said in the statement.

Aw, snap, he brought out the "Think of the children!" campaign. Yea, it's over. Wait, why are children drinking this? I'm pretty sure that's the fault of the parents for giving children alcohol. Should make them wait until they're 21, not 10.

[Plaidman]

Wait, why are children drinking this? I'm pretty sure that's the fault of the parents for giving children alcohol. Should make them wait until they're 21, not 10.

Your joking right?

Sure, the good parents care and watch for their kids like hawk. Doesnt mean they watch them 24/7. And its hard for children to take their parents seriously if they sprout not to drink til they're 21 because its bad while they themselves are always drinking. Kids also have friends that drink. Go to kids house to play, and/or hang out, and beer can come out. People don't expect it, but it does happen.

Then you become teens. Much harder to control and watch. Teens want their independence. They know how the world works (in their eyes). People are smarter and wiser at all ages then people give them credit for. Doesn't mean they don't make mistakes, but they do know what they're doing.

Decent size amount of teens drink. Ether because they want to be popular, because they were force too, out of fear of rejection both for friends/love, because they want too, because they're invincible and for a million other reasons.

Alcohol has been around since the what, dawn of mankind? Even animals have been know to get intoxicated on purpose by drinking/eating certain plants.

It hasn't killed us as a species yet. It's destroyed alot. It's made people do stupid things. It's killed others.

It also brought upon alot of other things, like medicine, hope, life, even entire countries. (Like that old Britan general, who wanted to drink and play games with his pals during the war of indepence. Was told by look outs that Washington was crossing the delaware. He shrugged and went back to drinking and playing games rather then defend).

Even French children drank wine way back then more then water. That was because the water was so filfthy and diseased that it was far more healthier to drink wine.

So why do we put a legal age on it? Why do people get in a hissy fit?

The legal age should be 18 in my opinion, (or even younger for those that can handle it), but that's a different topic. I mean if you think about it, your basically telling young woman that it's perfectly ok to drink a man's cum and be gangbang for money in porn, but beer is bad mkay. It's perfectly ok to go out and KILL People with guns and missiles in an army, but it's bad to drink beer cause it can kill you or kill others. Your a freaking soldier. Death is all you see in the front lines. Beer is least of problems.


But when something like 4-loko comes? That comes in bright shiny cans that sparkle, and awesome fun ads? It invintes teens to drink it. Yeah, that's how you insure your business. People that make money by this don't give too shits if you drink or smoke underage. They get paid and you get their product. If you die, oh well.

So, young people start drinking this. It's fun, tastely. They invite friends to drink it. Some can handle it just fine. Others go overboard and end up puking. People die already from normal beer.

But energy beers don't have the depressent that makes you sleepy. It makes you wider away, and fuller of energy, making some people drink even more and more.

It's easy to say parents need to control their kids.

Reality is, teens and anyone that wants to drink, is going to drink and no amount of parent saying no is going to stop them. So take out the middle man by elminating a sympton of it, rather then curing it. A new beer will come, but for at least a few months, less people will get addicted to it, less people get sick, less people die.


I'm glad I was raised different about drinking. Ma made it pretty clear with my highly addictive personality, the fact that both my parents were heavy addicted to drugs and alchohol, there was better then even odds I'd become addicted worst.

That being said, she didn't restrict me. I could drink if I wanted too. Had I had friends in middle school, or high school, I was perfectly allowed to have friends over to drink all night if they wanted, assuming they stayed the night, turned keys over, and didn't tattle.

Huh... maybe if I made mention of that, I would have been popular.

But guess what? I never really drank before 21. I hate the taste. I've been drunk a few times in my life, and once again I'm different from others. Instead of it making me funnier, or looser, or cooler, or happier, or forgetting my pain, it instead made me focus THat much more on my general hatred of life and incapapiblity of changing it. It made me remember that much clearer. It made me alot angerier, and alot more crying and suicidial.

So even drinking can't help me. People are lucky that it works for them.

[AdminAssistant]

As long as it's handled the same way as beer, I can't really see the problem in selling it. Yeah, it sounds really stupid, but stupid doesn't mean it should be illegal.

[Ginger Tea]

The problem is the effects of mixing depressants (alcohol) with stimulants (caffeine). Personally, I don't think any pre-mixed alcohol/caffeine concoctions should be sold, as mixing the two types of drugs is far worse than either by itself. And yes, this does mean I believe jaegerbombs (Jaegermeister and Red Bull) should not be sold by bars.

what about JD and Coke or Rum and Coke? sure the caffeine isn't as high as a redbull, but its still there, if jaegerbombs are mixed by the bar staff and not premixed then surely by your stance anything mixed with a caffiene drink shouldn't be sold.
the only beef I have with the JD and Coke in a can is the brand of cola used tastes crap compared to coke, havn't had it with pepsi as very few pubs my way serve it

[AdminAssistant]

You will pull my Maker's and Dr. Pepper out of my cold, dead hands.

[aurelemsrealm]

I think there are more important concerns than worrying about alcoholic energy drinks. I tried one of the Spark's drinks out of curiosity when they first came out. It was okay, but I only drank the one. These kinds of drinks are not my thing. So, I won't miss them if they are outlawed.

When I drink, beer is my beverage of choice. I sometimes drink wine or mixed drinks for a change of pace. I don't bother with doing shots because hard liquor gives me major heartburn. I really enjoy the experience of trying different beers, and rarely encounter a beer I dislike. The warm, mellow beer buzz is just a plus.

I also don't get the energy drink craze. If I want a caffeine boost, I'll just grab a cup of coffee or a soda. Energy drinks just seem too expensive and way overrated for what they are.

[Eisa]

The "think about the children!" thing made me LOL. You're supposed to be 21 if you drink. TWENTY-ONE. NOT A CHILD. Sheesh, do they even think before they start spouting off about this?

I haven't had a lot of drinks, but I really liked rum and Pepsi. Om nom yum.

Oh, and I also pretty much never drank before 21. I had....3 drinks, all when I was 20, and oddly enough, all at the same friend's house. She gave me a raspberry burst Smirnoff Ice for helping her move [I got tipsy], and then on a different visit/vacation to her house, I got a screwdriver [tipsy/giggly], and on another night the rum & Pepsi [also got tipsy/giggly...seeing why I don't drink much yet? LOL]. Never been drunk. Never have plans to get drunk. I don't see the point.

Also can't see me ever trying a Four Loko, but I don't like energy drinks at all.

[Plaidman]

Wow. THat magical label of must be 21 to drink has completely and utterly prevented all people under 21 from even sipping a can of beer. What amazing power.

[Greenday]

Wow. THat magical label of must be 21 to drink has completely and utterly prevented all people under 21 from even sipping a can of beer. What amazing power.

You obviously completely missed the point. If people under 21 are drinking too much of Four Loko and dying, the problem isn't the drink. It's the liqour stores. Tons of people are able to drink Four Loko and other alcoholic energy drinks without killing themselves.

Every year, we have freshmen in college who drink enough to kill themselves. This year, instead of blaming the people who sold them the alcohol, they blame the company who makes the alcohol even though the company did nothing wrong but market a profitable drink.