Livin' la vida loko

(Don't be fooled by the seemingly harmless look of these brightly-colored cans!)

Have you heard about the alcoholic beverage, "Four Loko"? Although it was introduced in 2005, I hadn't heard about the drink, nicknamed "liquid cocaine," until recently. Not only is the drink alcoholic, but it also contains a significant amount of caffeine and sugar. Apparently, it tastes like an energy drink, but has more serious effects than the average caffeine jolt. The hybrid alcoholic-energy drink has already elicited some media attention. Currently, the Food and Drug Administration is investigating the safety of Four Loko.

Four Loko comes in a variety of fruity flavors: Citrus, Grape, Fruit Punch, Orange Blend, Watermelon, Blue Raspberry, Lemonade, Cranberry Lemonade, and Lemon Lime. The carbonated beverage tastes like an energy drink yet contains twelve percent alcohol -- equivalent to over two beers or mixed drinks. The danger in drinking Four Loko relates to just how easy it is to consume them. Several of my friends drank one and a half cans each one weekend and have since sworn off Four Loko -- according to them, even one is too much. Apparently, Four Loko doesn't necessarily induce an out-of-control drunken state, but it causes drinkers to feel over-energized. According to a CBS News article, "Four Loko: Is New Party Brew 'Liquid Cocaine'?" "Some Four Loko fans say they like the 'caffeinated malt beverage' because it gives them a paradoxical alert-but-relaxed feeling."

Four Loko is popular among college students, but many are learning the hard way that perhaps the drink is all it's cracked up to be -- dangerous. One article from the Daily Orange summed up Four Loko's appeal, "The drink has taken off in popularity, especially on college campuses where students are attracted to its high alcohol content and cheap price." However, some campuses have actually banned Four Loko. A Syracuse news report stated, "After students at northern New Jersey's Ramapo College were hospitalized last month after drinking Four Loko, the college president ordered that it and similar drinks be banned - and he's encouraging other colleges and the state to follow suit." As a dry campus, URI will not follow suit. However, perhaps it should warn its students about the possible ramifications of "coke in a can."