4 Loko Craziness

(Pseudonyms have been used for subjects to avoid legal implication)

 

Underage drinking is one of the many concerns across campuses worldwide, and it is no different here at Ohio University. The Princeton Review currently ranked OU as the number two party school in America. As an undergraduate student I can clearly see that it lives up to the hype. However, some (relatively) new form of alcoholic beverage seems to be at the height of popularity among students at Ohio University, the infamous 4loko.

4loko is an alcoholic energy drink that contains 4 main ingredients: caffeine, taurine, guarana, and of course alcohol. They were created by 3 Ohio State University alumni and are headed by Pushion Projects. They come in 6 colorful flavors and just one can contains 12 per cent alcohol. Students around the university purchase and drink them because they are cheap and essentially, “A blackout in a can.”

Undergraduate student, Colonel Sanders says why he drinks 4lokos, “ I mean it’s only about $3 for one can of Loko which equals about 6 beers. You only need to buy a couple to have a good night. Sure it tastes like fart spray but on the other hand so does Natural Light.”

4lokos and other alcoholic energy drinks are a huge concern for Ohio University students and other college students alike. Their colorful cans and “tasty” flavors such as Blue Raspberry and Cranberry Lemonade are specifically marketed to college students. However not all college students are influenced by their attraction. Senior student, Marcellus Wallace said,” I like to steer clear of 4lokos because they make me ridiculously wired. When I drink one I have violent tendencies and usually end up breaking things around my apartment. I’ve seen way too many of my friends get sick from those things.”

There are also many physical dangers to your body once you combine caffeine and alcohol. Health experts say that the caffeine actually delays the effect of alcohol, which allows people to consume excessive amounts of alcohol. This energy drink is affecting college students all across the United States. There have been many reports on students becoming injured or hospitalized after consumption of the drink.

Alcoholic venues in Ohio University, such as the Busy Day Market, Big Cat Drive-thru, or the Union Street Market are known popular places to purchase the energy drink. You can buy either by cans at a time or you can buy them in bulk. Undergrad student, Frank (Loko) Leko claims to drink a 4loko at least once a day. “I usually buy them in bulk and sell them to people to make some extra cash. But I like 4lokos, they get me messed up quick and that’s the whole point.”

4loko is not alone in the alcoholic energy drink world, brands such as Jooze, Sparks, and Tilt are also popular in Ohio University. According to urbandictionary.com the term “Hyper Viper” was created on Palmer Street here in Athens. A Hyper Viper consists of drinking a 40 oz bottle of Cobra beer, and right before you’re finished you pour an energy drink (either 4loko, Jooze, Sparks, or Tilt) into your bottle. This is the definition of dangerous drinking habits, and allows for more injuries to happen at Ohio University.

Fortunately the Federal Trade Commission has been making steps to ban this alcoholic energy drink. They declared that beverages such as Four energy drinks that combine caffeine with alcohol are a “public health concern” and will not be allowed to stay on the market in their current form. Phusion Projects declared that they will remove guarana, taurine, and caffeine from the 4loko (Making future products only left with 1loko).

The FTC is making advances in the right direction but still ignores the fact that college students, especially at Ohio University, will still find alternative energy drinks to use. Ohio University is being overrun by alcoholic consumption and is finding new and more dangerous alternatives in fulfilling its urge.