No. 289 - Four Loko

My dad mails me interesting newspaper articles from time-to-time. Today he handed me one, since he and my mom are staying with us for a couple nights.

I read about an alcoholic energy drink called Four Loko. It is nicknamed "liquid cocaine" and "blackout in a can." The drink is available in nine fruity flavors, such as watermelon, grape, and lemonade. It is sold in a 24 ounce can with a 12% alcohol content.

The tone of the article was serious and was meant to warn of the dangers of consuming this particular beverage. Words like kids, adolescents, youths, children and young people were used throughout the article, insinuating that it was being consumed by minors. To me, the problem is underage drinking, not necessarily the type of the drink.

I mean, what is stopping someone from taking a Red Bull and adding vodka to it? I have. It's good. And if someone drank enough of them they could probably get really drunk. Perhaps even blackout.

We could instead be promoting the mantra that I live by: Everything in moderation, nothing in excess. Maybe even (occasionally) the slogan I saw on a sign while on vacation this summer: Excess in moderation.