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Four Loko. The onslaught of national attention to Alcohol Energy Drinks (AEDs), dubbed „blackout in a can“ by many, continues to pick up steam. After a series of national media reports from the New York Times, ABC, CBS and other major outlets about several recent alcohol poisoning cases linked to AEDs, the products are back in the news full-force.
In 2008, a group of state attorneys general, aided by The Center for Science in the Public Interest and other groups, successfully pressured Anheuser-Busch and MillerCoors to drop premixed, sweetened alcohol energy drinks from their product lines.
Since then, AEDs with even higher alcohol concentrations, such as Joose and Four Loko, have gained popularity with college-age and younger youth as a cheap and easy way to get drunk. The sugary, fruit-flavored beverages mask the flavor of alcohol, and the caffeine fuels a dangerous perception of being able to „party all night“ — that is, drink harder and longer. … (Source: Join Together, 11/05/10)

We are, unfortunately, used to seeing booze ads during sports. (Baseball: the nation’s pasttime. Alcohol: the nation’s poison?) And, come October, we’re used to seeing baseball players celebrate playoff series‘ wins with televised champagne sprays.
So, this playoff season when the Texas Rangers won the American League Divisional Series, and then the A.L. Championship Series (ALCS), the Ale of choice — Ginger Ale — was a welcome surprise.
The Rangers gave dual celebrations — one nonalcoholic — out of respect for their ALCS MVP center-fielder Josh Hamilton, who is sober and in ongoing recovery. They also gave a separate champagne party for players. (Source: Join Together, 11/02/10)

What the heck is „drunkorexia?“ That’s when you cut down on food calories and replace them with alcohol, a practice that some college students engage in, according to the Denver Post.
Experts don’t like the term „drunkorexia“ much, but seem resigned to it: Dr. Kenneth L. Weiner, who directs Denver’s Eating Recovery Center, said, „The term ‚drunkorexia‘ is not my favorite, but as it brings awareness to the problem, it’s probably fine.“ (Source: Join Together, 10/26/10)

If we are serious about educating our children at every level from elementary school through college, we’d better recognize that money alone will not solve the problem. We can fill our schools with all the modern gadgetry — computers, great graphics, television screens in every classroom, internet tutoring — and we can pay teachers, principals, professors and college presidents more and more money. That’s the easy stuff.

The tough stuff is revamping communities, strengthening parents and families, and getting rid of the drugs and the alcohol abuse that infect so many schools and campuses. If we don’t tackle the tough stuff, these high ticket investments are not likely to have more than a marginal impact and we’ll still be “Waiting for ‘Superman’”. (by Joseph A. Califano, Jr., The Chairmans Corner, 10/21/10)

A broad coalition of Employee Assistance Programs (EAPs), employers, federal officials, researchers, and behavioral health care providers wants to see EAPs screen and provide brief intervention for problem drinking on a routine basis by October 2011.
The BIG initiative (named for the Brief Intervention Group) set the ambitious goal of increasing the number of people identified by EAPs as having alcohol problems by 100% between October 2008 and October 2011. (Source: Join Together, 10/21/10)

Peter Mercer, president of New Jersey’s Ramapo College, has banned caffeinated alcoholic beverages on campus after a rash of hospitalizations among students consuming them, the Associated Press reported Oct. 19.
One brand of the beverages, Four Loko, is gaining popularity among high school and college students due to its low cost, high alcohol content, and fruity, easy-to-drink flavors. A 23.5-ounce can of Four Loko contains as much alcohol as four beers. (Source: Join Together, 10/21/10)

The Navy has signed a five-year contract with Hazelden to provide online recovery support services for sailors, the Associated Press reported Oct. 3.
The new, $3.25 million program was developed in partnership with Hazelden for the 10,000 patients in the Navy’s Substance Abuse and Rehabilitation Services program. Although the program is tailored for younger sailors and those on active duty, retired Navy personnel and family members will also be able to access it. (Source: Join Together, 10/04/10)

135 university presidents and chancellors have opened a debate on the minimum legal drinking age in the U.S. Should it be lowered? Researchers say decades of data make the answer clear as gin. (Source: THE GLOBE, 2/2010)

The Stories You Need to Read
– Critics See More Problems with ABC Privatization
– Strange Brew: Beer Equality Law Opened Gates for ‘Alcopop’ Drinks
– ACLU Seeks High Court Ruling on College Alcohol Advertising
– One Daily Glass of Wine Can Double Risk of Breast Cancer

Tough college alcohol policies reduce underage and binge drinking on campus without causing a compensatory rise in marijuana use, according to investigators at the Center for Adolescent Substance Abuse Research (CeASAR) at Children’s Hospital Boston.
The CeASAR study team surveyed students and administrators at 11 Massachusetts colleges and universities to assess the results of a more restrictive alcohol use enforcement policy put forth by the Mass. Board of Higher Education. (Source: Join Together, 8/17/10)