New Alcoholic Energy Drink Raising Concerns
It’s fruity, trendy and dangerous.The alcoholic energy drink, Four Loko, has gone from a student pick me up to making national headlines, after reports the drink hospitalized nine college freshman in washington. It’s also raising concerns – here – in el paso.
“People feel energetic when they drink it,” UTEP student Adam Setra said. “It helps them keep going and going and going. I’ll be honest, I’ve seen people walking around at tailgates with these drinks.”
Four Loco is a favorite among college students looking for easy access to a cheap pick me up. One can has the same amount of caffeine as two cups of coffee and as much alcohol as six light beers.
“For something that comes in a single bottle, they’re not going to be able to see how much is in there,” Jesus Martinez said. “They’re just going to take it and drink it like water, like it’s not a big deal.”
But Dr. Juan Loya said it’s a huge deal.
“You’re getting the effect of the alcohol, but stimulating yourself with the caffeine, so you can keep going and going, but you’re getting drunk,” Loya said. “It’ll affect your sleep, it can rev up your metabolism, we see people who chronically use this stuff and it really does mess up their lives.”
Loya said it’s easy for parents to be fooled into thinking the drink isn’t potent.
“This looks like a regular drink, a regular energy drink,” Loya said. “If you look at it closely, it says ‘We ID,’ but it’s really tiny.”
Tiny warnings, but doctors say it’s a big problem for everyone.
“Anybody who’s taking this stuff I tell em not to take any of these monster drinks, or any of these brands, these stimulant drinks. They’re problematic.”
While it has not been banned from college campuses here in the borderland, several states are considering outlawing the drink. The food and drug administration is also reviewing its safety.
