Where did this new form of teen poison come from?
The latest player in the tasty, high-energy, caffeinated alcoholic drink wars put 9 college students at Central Washington University in the hospital early last month.
Police officers were called to an off-campus party where they found a chaotic scene, with students passed out and so intoxicated that investigators thought they had overdosed on drugs.
Nine students who drank a caffeinated malt liquor called Four Loko were hospitalized with blood-alcohol levels ranging from 0.12 percent to 0.35 percent, and a female student nearly died. A blood-alcohol concentration of 0.30 percent is considered potentially lethal.
All the hospitalized students were freshmen ranging in age from 17 to 19. Some admitted drinking vodka, rum and beer with Four Loko, which is made by Phusion Projects Inc., of Chicago. The company said it markets its products responsibly to those of legal drinking age and shares with college administrators the goal of making campuses safe and healthy environments.
REALLY??
Mamas of teens and soon-to-be teens, go to their website at phusionprojects.com and complain. Loudly. Then sit down with your kid and talk about the risks of these beverages. Don’t assume that all teens experiment and you can’t do anything about it. Research shows that parent attitudes and communication are the most important predictor of drug and alcohol use in teens.
Need help? Don’t know how to get the conversation started? Get it at Time to Talk. It’s not as hard as you think.
P.S. JUST ONE FOUR LOKO IS EQUAL TO AN ENTIRE SIX PACK OF BEER! TELL YOUR KIDS AND TELL THEM TO TELL THEIR FRIENDS. THIS IS A BEVERAGE FOR ALCOHOL ABUSERS ONLY. THERE IS NO WAY TO “DRINK IT RESPONSIBLY.”
The Mamas are disgusted with Phusion Projects, Inc. Aren’t you?
The information provided by MamasOnCall is not intended as a substitute for professional advice, but is for information purposes only. You assume full responsibility for the health and well-being of your family. Talk with your healthcare provider about any questions you may have regarding a medical or psychiatric condition.
No one died or was seriously hurt and thats all that matters. So you want to get them banned because of some UNDER AGED kids being IRRESPONSIBLE? So what about us that are of the legal drinking age and just want to get hammered?
I’m baffled as to the callous attitude toward these kids. Two big problems: 1. This sort of caffienated alcoholic drinks is popular among young adults to use as mixers so that they can stay up all night and party. 2. Most of the people I know don’t check the ABV (alcohol by volume) listing on their beverages, and chances are, these students haven’t been taught to do that. Were this beverage to be sold in a liquor store, in bottles, I might be less inclined to be sympathetic, but with so many similar products on the market, it’s easy for young adults to get confused and think they’re all alike. (Unless their tagline was ‘Gets you dead faster’, in which case, I guess the kids were warned.)