Washington (State) Bans Alcoholic Energy Drinks

[Pirian]

Your point being "serving size"? Or "caffeine makes you not realize how drunk you are"?

1) Bottle of wine is larger.

2) Tons of drinks are an alcohol/caffeine combo.

Nothing is special about Four Loko. If you drink too much of it you will get drunk.

1)Nobody is at a college party "just fucking downing a bottle of wine, man". I drink my fair share of wine also, and between 3-4 people, sure we'll go through 4-5 bottles of wine sometimes, but one 6-8 oz glass at a time over 2-3 hours.

2)None really put up the sheer volume of drink being put down by college students when they drink these. I would argue they are even meant to be chugged because of just how notoriously bad they actually taste. Sure, there are other drinks like 4loko, but they are under the same pressure 4loko, even if it's not as public.

I'll use myself as an example. I'm not a big guy. I'm 5'6" 135 pounds. If I drank 2 4loko in an hour I would have a BAC of around .27. THAT'S ONLY 2 OF THESE and I'm already just about at hospitalization levels. Lets say after the first hour I stop drinking and after 2 more hours I chug another 4loko. Now I'm in the hospital after 3 drinks over 3 hours. If I had been drinking something like the normal keg beer at most parties then I would never have made it to the 15 drinks it would take me to get to this point in 3 hours. Sure, it is possible to put down 15 drinks in an hour, but for a 135 pound guy that's pretty tough just because of the amount of liquid being ingested.

[Weeks]

Like...a Redbull+Vodka? Or a Rum and Coke?

There isn't that much caffeine in Four Loko.

There is a hell of a lot more than in a rum and Coke, and find me a company marketing a Red Bull + vodka mix. It doesn't exist, because it's a lawyer's wet dream.

I'm seriously sorry that states are taking away your right to be an idiot, but that doesn't make me a retard.

[archibaldcrane]

Anyone know how this legislation is worded? How exactly did they ban this particular type of concoction?

[Ishido]

Having had some Four Lokos over the summer I am obvious even more qualified than most internet experts. So I can say that without a doubt that the caffeine masks neither the alcohol flavor nor the effects.

Also this isn't fucking rocket surgery, it's about twice the alcohol content and twice the size of a beer, if you get sick because of the amount of alcohol it's your own fucking fault for not being able to read.

[Pirian]

Also this isn't fucking rocket surgery, it's about twice the alcohol content and twice the size of a beer, if you get sick because of the amount of alcohol it's your own fucking fault for not being able to read.

Ehh normal party beers are 4.5-5%. It's a good 2.5x stronger, and that .5 you left off is nothing to wince at when considering its contribution to your BAC. As you said, it taste horrible - and I question your ability to identify an alcoholic taste, so people are drinking it quickly. Yes, it's your own fucking fault for not being able to read, but it doesn't inhibit the fact that there shouldn't be a drink of this caliber in the first place.

By the way, caffeine only makes things easier to drink in the sense that you don't hit that sleepy point when drinking as soon as you would normally. People will drink a 4loko to start out the night and then go drinking. By doing this your starting your night off at .1x+ BAC and adding more on top of that. The problem arises exactly when people go and drink more on top of it and don't hit their bodies natural mechanisms that would normally stop them from drinking, i.e. passing out, so they keep drinking until the sugar/caffeine/whatever other stimulants they have in there, where off and then they pass out. Their friends see them and thinking nothing of it because they are breathing fine, but all the beer/other drinks they had are still being absorbed and they end up OD'ing in their sleep without anyone noticing

[quannum]

too bad those people are being forced to keep drinking all night, or else they might actually have to be responsible for their actions.

[Pirian]

too bad those people are being forced to keep drinking all night, or else they might actually have to be responsible for their actions.

You're right, they should take responsibility for their actions and just die.

While we're at it we should legalize heroin too. I mean after all, the dangers of doing it are well known and you know the risks beforehand.

[archibaldcrane]

This is binge-drinking, nothing more. Hysteria is being drummed up over a faux "new culprit" - but it's the same culprit as always, kids being dumb and going apeshit at their first chance to drink alcohol.

[miokomioko]

Prohibition, round-2.

[quannum]

You're right, they should take responsibility for their actions and just die.

While we're at it we should legalize heroin too. I mean after all, the dangers of doing it are well known and you know the risks beforehand.

you're being sarcastic, but we should legalize heroin too. the dangers and the risks don't go away by banning them, gov't just reduce information to the populace since govt aren't regulating it.

and read the first sentence i quoted again ... yes that's how it should work. the kid who decides swallowing marbles is cool doesn't make it to his 4th birthday, sad day for him.

[Pirian]

This is binge-drinking, nothing more. Hysteria is being drummed up over a faux "new culprit" - but it's the same culprit as always, kids being dumb and going apeshit at their first chance to drink alcohol.

Binge-drinking combined stimulants so they can drink even more than before isn't the same culprit - that's a whole new monster. No, this isn't something new in the sense of combining these two drugs, but it is in the amount and the prevalence.

Prohibition, round-2.

Nobody is taking away your alcohol.

[quannum]

interestingly enough, these drinks have their roots in prohibition america, so no it's not new.

[Pirian]

and read the first sentence i quoted again ... yes that's how it should work. the kid who decides swallowing marbles is cool doesn't make it to his 4th birthday, sad day for him.

No. The parents should die for not being parents. It's a child - what you think is common sense isn't common sense yet. Despite popular belief, common sense is still learned, and if people like you had their way then we would still be painting kids toys with lead-based paint, and using asbestos in fireproofing.

interestingly enough, these drinks have their roots in prohibition america, so no it's not new.

I'm sure Irish coffee has been around much longer than that.

[Ishido]

Ehh normal party beers are 4.5-5%. It's a good 2.5x stronger, and that .5 you left off is nothing to wince at when considering its contribution to your BAC. As you said, it taste horrible - and I question your ability to identify an alcoholic taste, so people are drinking it quickly. Yes, it's your own fucking fault for not being able to read, but it doesn't inhibit the fact that there shouldn't be a drink of this caliber in the first place.

By the way, caffeine only makes things easier to drink in the sense that you don't hit that sleepy point when drinking as soon as you would normally. People will drink a 4loko to start out the night and then go drinking. By doing this your starting your night off at .1x+ BAC and adding more on top of that. The problem arises exactly when people go and drink more on top of it and don't hit their bodies natural mechanisms that would normally stop them from drinking, i.e. passing out, so they keep drinking until the sugar/caffeine/whatever other stimulants they have in there, where off and then they pass out. Their friends see them and thinking nothing of it because they are breathing fine, but all the beer/other drinks they had are still being absorbed and they end up OD'ing in their sleep without anyone noticing

The same thing can happen with any had liquor though, possibly to a greater extent. I know plenty of people who will drink half a monster or whatever energy drink they prefer and fill the rest with their liquor of choice. Four Loko probably isn't doing anything different except being weaker and maybe tasting better, the company is just marketing what people do anyway.

For the legislation itself, I would guess they banned the sale of drinks similar to energy drinks - how they determine that I don't know, most likely a level of caffeine, sugar, etc - that also contain alcohol.

[quannum]

you can't really be that stupid, so i'll wait for a real response.

let me get you started, i don't want lead-based paint and asbestos, see if you can figure out the difference between those 2 things and this fourloko stuff.

[SephYuyX]

lol @ people who need caffeine

[Pirian]

The same thing can happen with any had liquor though, possibly to a greater extent. I know plenty of people who will drink half a monster or whatever energy drink they prefer and fill the rest with their liquor of choice. Four Loko probably isn't doing anything different except being weaker and maybe tasting better, the company is just marketing what people do anyway.

It makes it more readily available. I know plenty of people who drink 4loko, go out partying and don't die. This doesn't save those who die or weed out the "dumber people in society". All it does is weed out those with lower BMI, and those who's system can't handle the alochol as well as others.

[Korietsu]

I think archi said it best, seriously, do you people not pour your mixed drinks worth a damn? In the same time I watch someone drink a 4loko I drink the equivalent in alcohol in mixed drinks. It's really just a matter of them binge drinking and being fucking retards.

50/50 Coke + Rum = ~25% ABV if you're drinking Sailor Jerry/Capt Morgan black cask/Kraken which is a pretty average for most people at parties. Or you can go for ~20% ABV with standard Capt. Morgan. Even at that, it still tops 4 loko with a bar pour or a more conservative amount of rum vs coke. Don't even take into account how many people do shots to start off the night with a group of friends.

[Pirian]

you can't really be that stupid, so i'll wait for a real response.

let me get you started, i don't want lead-based paint and asbestos, see if you can figure out the difference between those 2 things and this fourloko stuff.

No, I'm not that stupid, but when I read what you write I can't believe you're that stupid either. I respond the way I do because I figure it is the easiest thing you will understand.

[quannum]

i didn't say anything stupid, is the problem. but anyway i believe the point here is responsibility, yes?

i say the people need to be responsible for their actions. i allow exceptions for being conned, deceived, coerced etc etc.