Discontinued Alcohol-Laced Energy Drinks in High Demand

Alcohol-laced energy drinks, including the increasingly popular Four Loko and Joose, are being voluntarily banned in some Bristol and Portsmouth liquor stores by owners.

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA), Roger Williams University and local liquor stores have recently taken action on these drinks, which are produced by seven national manufactures.

The most-popular of these drinks, Four Loko, is named because of its four ingredients—alcohol, caffeine, taurine (an amino acid, which is found in animal bile, as well as the human skeleton and in some plants, such as seaweed) and guarana (the seed from a Brazilian plant).

Four Loko contains what is equal to 4.7 beers in a 23.5 once can.

These drinks appear to be marketed to a younger drinking demographic. The labels on the cans of these drinks are bright and look very similar to well known non-alcoholic drinks such as Arizona Ice Tea, Monster Energy Drinks or Red Bull. 

In November, the FDA put the makers of these drinks on notice. The government agency sent letters to makers of these drinks that the drinks had become a "public health concern".

The notice also carried a warning that these drinks could not continue to be sold as they were currently produced and that the drinks needed to be reformulated before being put back on the market.

Bill Gleeson of  on West Main Road in Portsmouth said, "I couldn't sell it in good conscience."

He said the combination of so much alcohol packaged in a drink combined with the sugar, caffeine and supposed energy boost ingredients, such as taurine and guarana, was just plain "dangerous."

Gleeson stated that most of the consumers of these drinks had been "inexperienced drinkers," who would be more awake and be able to continue to party well past what they normally could. Many who asked for it were of college age or in their early 20s.

When asked what was the difference between the sweet Dekuyper Watermelon Schnapps and the Four Loko drink, Gleeson said, "The Four Loko is much cheaper so it is much more affordable to younger drinkers."

According to ' store manager Tom Sousa, however, the ban has been helping to sell the beverages more than it has done to deter people from purchasing them.

"College kids were buying it by the case because they knew they wouldn't be able to get it anymore," said Sousa. 

Sousa noted that in the past few weeks, 1776 Liquors has sold over 100 cases of Four Loko. 

"People have been coming from New Hampshire to get it," he said. "Because we are a large store, we had a large supply. There has been no recall on the product, so we are going to sell the rest of what we have."

Sousa believes that the problem is not the beverage, but that it is the consumer who is responsible. He claims that there is just as much caffeine in an Irish Coffee as there is in Four Loko, and that the blackout effect can come from any type of alcohol if not consumed in moderation.

But some students at Roger Williams University disagree. University Health and Wellness Educators (HAWEs) sent letters to area liquor stores in both Bristol and Portsmouth requesting a voluntary ban on the sale of Four Loko and drinks like it.

"This situation hit like a storm," said Donna Darmody, Roger Williams University's Abuse Prevention Coordinator. "We had cases of alcohol poisoning here on campus and, when we investigated, we found cans of Four Loko involved." 

The university first considered holding a large general campaign to inform the dangers of these drinks. But, it was decided to abandon that idea because it may have promoted its use to students who hadn't heard of it before.

Darmody said the university took another track and put it into the hands of the student HAWEs. According to their web page, the HAWEs mission is to,"educate the RWU community about alcohol and other drugs, safe sex, nutrition and general wellness."

"The HAWEs were the ones who crafted the letter of a voluntary ban of Four Loko to the area liquor stores," said Darmody.

But 1776 Liquors is not the only store in Bristol to deny the voluntary ban and continue to sell what is left in stock. As of Friday, Dec. 3, on Wood Street was still carrying Four Loko as well. When asked about Four Loko, a worker who answered the phone at Viola's stated, "they are selling like crazy".

"People are hoarding it," Sousa said, based on the college craze he has witnessed in the past week at 1776 Liquors. "These kids are treating Four Loko like it's bread and milk in a snow storm."

Editors Note: Roger Williams University's Abuse Prevention Coordinator's name, Donna Darmody, was inaccurately written in the earlier version of this story .