High-Alcohol Energy Drinks: A Potentially Lethal Cocktail

The recent hospitalization of nine college freshman in Washington State has raised renewed concerns about the growing popularity of sugary high-alcohol energy drinks.  These drinks combine high levels of alcohol, a depressant, with large amounts of caffeine, a stimulant.  The effects on the body are still largely unknown, but a growing number of cases show that these drinks are potentially lethal.

When local Washington police investigated an off-campus party in the small town of Roslyn, they found students who were so intoxicated that they were first thought to have overdosed on drugs.  The students had consumed Four Loko, a caffeinated malt liquor with an alcohol content of 12 percent.   Some of the students had mixed Four Loko with vodka, rum and beer.  The nine hospitalized students had blood-alcohol levels ranging from 0.12 to 0.35 percent.  A level of 0.30 is potentially fatal, and one female student was very near death.

“Cocaine in a Can”

Many health advocates oppose the sale of caffeinated drinks that contain alcohol.  Caffeine can mask the effects of alcohol, allowing a drinker to consume the beverage without initially feeling drunk. Many young people are attracted to the feeling of energy these drinks provide and enjoy feeling intoxicated without the usual sedative effects of alcohol.  However, the combination of a sedative and stimulant can cause nervous system and cardiac-related problems.  ABC News recently reported on the case of a “perfectly healthy” 19-year-old patient in Philadelphia who suffered a heart attack after consuming a high-energy alcohol drink.  Like cocaine, high-alcohol energy drinks can cause a heart attack in even first-time users.

The drinks, which are marketed under the names Joose and Torque as well as Four Loko, are currently under review by the Food and Drug Administration.  In response to the Central Washington University incident, Washington Attorney General Rob McKenna sent a request to the FDA to ban the drinks as a “serious threat to public health and safety.”

The Danger for Young Drinkers

A 2007 study conducted by the Wake Forest Baptist Medical Center found that college students who drink alcohol were twice as likely to get hurt, require hospitalization or ride with a drunk driver when their drink of choice was a high-alcohol energy drink.  They were also twice as likely to be taken advantage sexually or to engage in sexually aggressive behavior.
Four Loko, which is distilled and distributed by Phusion Products of Chicago, is sold in a 23.5-ounce can for around $3.  According to experts, you would have to drink about six cans of Bud Light beer to consume the same amount of alcohol.  A can of Four Loko also contains 156 milligrams of caffeine, as compared to 100 milligrams in an 8-ounce cup of coffee.  The drink comes in sweet flavors that appeal to inexperienced drinkers, including blue raspberry and fruit punch.  The Washington students, who ranged in age from 17 to 19, illustrate how dangerous these drinks can be for young and inexperienced drinkers.   Because they pack a high alcohol wallop for a low price, high-alcohol energy drinks also appeal to binge drinkers and to street people.  

Phusion Products LLC was started in 2005 by three Ohio State University graduates.  They defend their product by pointing out that the alcohol content is clearly displayed on each can, but the design of the can is very similar to nonalcoholic energy drinks.  This increases the appeal to very young drinkers and even brings a risk of confusing a drink that contains alcohol with one that doesn’t.  While the FDA continues its investigation of high alcohol caffeinated drinks, lawmakers and health officials in several states are investigating the possibility of banning Four Loko and similar products.