As if college kids don’t binge drink enough, Four Loko is there to help them out! Although researchers don’t fully understand why the combination of caffeine and alcohol is so dangerous, it is. It appears that college students in bars who were questioned after drinking Four Loko drank more, stayed out longer, and had much higher blood alcohol levels. The combination of a stimulant and a depressant do not cancel each other out; instead they intensify each other. Drinkers of energy/alcohol drinks stay up longer and continue to drink more than when drinking alcohol alone. In addition, college students and teens, the ones who appear to be drinking these more than any other group, tend to weigh less than older drinkers, making the effect of them stronger.
Binge drinking is already a problem for many college aged drinkers and this type of drink can only exascerbate the problem. Young people don’t need encouragement to drink to oblivion. A new test can measure the likelihood that someone is an alcoholic by looking at the Fatty Acid Ethyl Esters (FAEEs) with a hair test. The evidence of alcohol abuse remains in the hair long after the drinking is done. The dangers of caffeinated alcohol beverages has been recognized by the US Food and Drug Administration who is cracking down on the manufacturers of these drinks. Teenagers and college students need our help to protect them from themselves so the FDA’s actions are welcome news. Lowered inhibitions and more binge drinking is not good for any of us!
Written by www.labtestingnow.com