What happens if you take the amount of alcohol in a six pack of beer, mix it with a 165 mg caffeine, add a lot of sugar and put it in a can?

Four Loko Company Defends Caffeinated Booze After Washington Students Sickened at Party

The aftermath of the party, at which police found students passed out all over the house and rushed nine to the hospital, has renewed calls for bans on the drink Four Loko, which combines as much alcohol as a six-pack of beer and the equivalent of one cup of coffee.

Another report: “Blackout in a Can”

So what’s the problem? One problem is the fact that it’s a 23.5 ounce can that contains 12% alcohol. That’s 2.82 ounces of pure alcohol. That’s the same amount of alcohol as four shots, or a six-pack of beer. The other problem is that the caffeine and sugar act as stimulants that mask the feeling of drunkenness. So what can happen is that a person drinks one can of Four Loko, doesn’t necessarily feel anything (both because of the stimulant effect of caffeine and the time lag in alcohol absorption), then drinks another can, and 20 minutes later passes out from alcohol intoxication.

If you would like to better understand the absorption rate of alcohol, this article is helpful:

What would happen if you took alcohol intravenously?

For the same reason you don’t want to inject alcohol, you probably want to avoid Four Loko.

Here’s a review:

Which suggests another reason not to drink it – it tastes awful.

If you would like to follow Brainstuff on Twitter or Facebook, here are the links:
- Follow Brainstuff on Facebook
- Follow Brainstuff on Twitter