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Alcoholic beverages

Caffeinated alcoholic drinks combine alcohol, caffeine, and the ingredients of energy drinks into one drink.

The Drink Itself

The brand Four manufactures caffeinated alcoholic drinks. The drink was made in 2006, but it did not hit stores until 2008. Chris Hunter, Jeff Wright, and Jaisen Freeman, three students who met at Ohio State University, created Four Loko and started the company Phusion Projects. The name "Four" comes from the four ingredients that make up the drink: caffeine, taurine, guarana, and alcohol. Taurine is found in energy drinks because it can improve athletic performance. Guarana comes from a plant and is a stimulant that contains twice the caffeine found in coffee beans. All four ingredients combined into one drink are similar to drinking one tall coffee from Starbucks and a few beers all at the same time.

Health Risks

Combining considerable amounts of caffeine and alcohol is not a healthy choice. When caffeine and alcohol are combined one does not necessarily feel the effects of the alcohol as the caffeine keeps one awake. This often causes the consumer to drink more of the Four Loko than they normally would because of the delayed "drunk" feeling. Health risks associated with Four Loko could land students in the emergency room. Drinking one full can of Four Loko is equivalent to drinking three or four drinks faster than should be consumed. Because the drink also has caffeine in it, it could lead to irregular heart rhythms or alcohol poisoning. Experts have raised concerns that caffeine can mask some of the sensory cues individuals might normally rely on to determine their level of intoxication. The Food and Drug Administration FDA has looked at peer-reviewed studies and have come to the conclusion that risky behaviors that could lead to life-threatening situations are directly correlated with the consumption of alcoholic beverages that contain added caffeine. The drink could also have an affect of your weight. One can of a caffeinated alcoholic drink, Four Loko, contains 660 calories along with sugars and carbohydrates. If one were to drink more than one can, then this would involve a lot of work to keep from gaining any weight.

Phusion Projects

A way to view caffeinated alcoholic drinks is from the standpoint of the manufacturers of the drink. In this case, the manufacturers of Four Loko are Phusion Projects. They dispute assertions that their drink leads to alcohol poisoning. Hunter, Wright, and Freeman say in a statement, “‘We have repeatedly contended—and still believe, as do many people throughout the country—that the combination of alcohol and caffeine is safe." The three men go on further to say that it would not be possible for anyone to have other popular drinks, like rum and colas or Irish coffees, if the combination of alcohol and caffeine were unsafe. From this perspective, we learn that other types of caffeinated alcoholic drinks, such as Irish coffee, do not necessarily end with negative consequences.

Objective Research

Universities have conducted studies to compare the outcomes of the consumption of regular alcoholic drinks and caffeinated alcoholic drinks. One study found that the mixture could have adverse effects. The University of Florida surveyed 802 college students who had mixed alcohol and caffeine and found they were three times more likely to leave a bar highly intoxicated and four times more likely to want to drive, compared with drinkers who did not consume alcoholic energy drinks. Another study surveyed 697 students from Wake Forest University and found those who had consumed caffeinated alcoholic beverages were more likely to drink and drive, take advantage of someone sexually, or end up needing medical treatment. From this perspective, it is inferred that caffeinated alcoholic drinks cause one to act out in ways that is less likely if one were drinking non-caffeinated alcoholic drinks.

International Aspect

Not only do caffeinated alcoholic drinks have an affect on people in the United States, but also around the world. Other countries have seen the effects of caffeinated alcoholic drinks and they have already begun the process to fix it. In Canada, regulations restrict caffeinated alcoholic drinks to the extent where the caffeine needs to come from natural sources like guarana; manufactured caffeine cannot be directly poured into an alcoholic beverage. In Mexico, caffeinated alcoholic drinks cannot be sold in bars or nightclubs. In Australia, the ministerial council on drug strategy is considering regulation to address the growing concerns over the drinks. The government of New South Wales is looking at banning the sale of the drinks from clubs and bars. In Scotland, the Scottish Labour Party called for a ban on caffeinated drinks, like the fortified wine Buckfast.

FDA and the Warning

The effects people have with the drink have led to the process of regulating it. Under the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act, a substance added intentionally to food (such as caffeine in alcoholic beverages) is deemed “unsafe” and is unlawful unless its particular use has been approved by FDA (Food and Drug Administration) regulation, the substance is subject to a prior sanction, or the substance is Generally Regarded As Safe (GRAS). In order for a substance to be characterized as GRAS, there must be sufficient evidence to prove of its safety; this evidence should be generally known and accepted by qualified professionals. The FDA did not approve the use of caffeine in alcoholic drinks, and thus the drinks cannot be legally marketed. As a result, the FDA alerted manufacturers to the fact that the agency is considering whether caffeine can lawfully be added to alcoholic beverages. They are unaware of what basis these manufacturers used to conclude that the use of caffeine in alcoholic drinks is GRAS. Therefore, the FDA sent out warning letters to only four of the nearly thirty manufacturers of caffeinated alcoholic beverages because only four seemed to pose the biggest threat: Phusion Projects, Charge Beverages Corporation, New Century Brewing Company, and United Brands Company, Inc. These letters were allowing fifteen days to prohibit the addition of caffeine to the alcoholic drinks or stop selling them altogether. Not only has the FDA took affirmative action, but the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) also took action against the four companies, warning that their marketing tactics might violate federal law and urging them to take swift and appropriate steps to protect consumers.

A Positive Standpoint

The majority of the situation expels a negative connotation, but there were some positive outcomes. The day before the FDA’s announcement with the letters, Phusion Projects, a five-year-old Chicago company, said it would stop putting caffeine in the drinks. The company’s founders said in a statement that they still believed it was safe to blend caffeine and alcohol, but wanted to cooperate with regulators. By this declaration, Phusion Projects took a step in the right direction to help these drinks become safer for those who consume it. Because of this positive step, the FDA intends to work with Phusion Projects, LLC and the other manufacturers to assure their products meet safety standards.

After the Ban

There was great controversy over these drinks during the time the FDA sent out the warning letters. After the ban, though, Phusion Projects kept to their word and in December 2010 a revised version of the drink was put on the market. The cans were still as colorful as before, but it did not contain any information regarding the ingredients of the original drink. Also, another drink manufactured by Four came out in January 2011 that contains zero caffeine and other stimulants that were in the original drink.

See Also

• Caffeine
• Taurine
• Guarana
• Alcohol
• Energy drinks
• Stimulant
• Depressant
• Ohio State University
• Wake Forest University
• Food and Drug Administration
• Federal Trade Commission
• Canada
• Australia
• Mexico
• Scotland

Further Reading

• Leinwand, Donna. “Alcoholic Energy Drinks Targeted.” USA Today 17 Nov. 2010, final ed.: A1. Academic Research Premier. EBSCO. Wash Coll Lib., Chestertown. 9 Feb. 2011 http://web.ebscohost.com/ehost/delivery?hid=104&sid=b764b9d3-c991-480e-8fe5-54c5e8a4441e%40sessionmgr104&vid=25.
• Johnson, Jenna and Kevin Sieff. “Four Loko Ban Fuels Buying Binge.” Washington Post 18 Nov. 2010, final ed. 9 Feb. 2011 http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2010/11/18/AR2010111806114.html.
• “Parents sue makers of alcoholic energy drink after ‘wired’ son shot himself in 30-hour binge.” Mail Online. 2010. Associated Newspapers Ltd. 9 Feb. 2011. http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1330274/Parents-sue-makers-Four-Loko-drink-son-shot-30-hour-binge.html.

External Links

• This is Phusion Projects' official website.
• This is a video that parodies a Four Loko commercial.
• Different types of caffeinated alcoholic drinks.