Caffeinated Alcoholic Beverages Banned in NY

In recent years caffeinated alcoholic drinks like Four Loko— a drink nicknamed “blackout in a can” by some users—and Joose have become extremely popular by high school and college drinkers. The U.S Food and Drug Administration (FDA) recently issued warning letters to the companies that produce these drinks, claiming that the caffeine added to their malt alcoholic beverages is an “unsafe food additive”. In its original form, the drink is the equivalent of four beers and one cup of Starbucks coffee – a dangerous combination that can fool partygoers into thinking they’re not that drunk – while packing a potent punch of alcohol. In response to the letters many of the companies changed their ingredients, but knowing the potential dangers of these drinks has still led to many local and state governments banning the sale of caffeinated alcoholic drinks.

The most recent example was in early March 2012, when the New York state Senate officially passed a bill that bans the sale of any caffeinated alcoholic drinks in the state. The bill was proposed a response to the public health danger posed by Four Loko and similar super-sweetened beverages that mixed high levels of alcohol with caffeine and other stimulants. Under this measure, selling this product would be an E felony punishable by 1 to 3 years in prison.

A 13-year-old Maryland boy recently died in a tragic car accident after he drank a can of the booze and caffeine-fueled party drink Four Loko when after feeling extremely sick, he opened the front passenger door to throw up – and was immediately struck by a Ford Explorer and died hours later. These caffeinated alcoholic drinks are not only a health and safety threat, but they send the wrong message to youths about alcohol. Research has shown that these drinks are most popular among underage drinkers, the companies understand that, and they market the drinks accordingly. Alcoholism is a disease that affects many people in the United States, and a sweet tasting alcohol loaded drink that’s marketed to underage drinkers is only leading youths to the path of alcoholism. For those people currently affected by alcoholism or are concerned about their youths being on the way to alcoholism, professional help is encouraged and readily available. There are family treatment programs and Children’s Education programs offered at Seabrook for any families that are affected by addiction. Seabrook is an internationally recognized inpatient drug rehab and alcoholism detox treatment center with locations in New Jersey (NJ), Pennsylvania (PA), and an outpatient office in New York (NY). If you or a loved one is affected by the disease of addiction, contact Seabrook today to get on the road to recovery.