Warning...Four Loko Should Be Banned

My Friday night started out very calm and normal.  By the following morning my family had lived through a nightmare that could have ended very differently.

My hub came home from work as usual and I headed out to the store about 6:30.  Seems my older son and his friend where talking about a new drink “Four Loko.”  They said they were going to have a few and my hub decided to try them.  I returned @ 8PM and my hub was loaded.  Seeing that he’s a man who can hold his liquor and drinks responsibly I was kind of puzzled but chalked it up to him being tired on top of the drinking.  He laughed and talked that shit talk men often do when they are drinking and I ignored the conversations.

No more than 10 minutes later he sat down suddenly and told me he didn’t feel right.  He said he was going upstairs and wanted me to come up.  He laid down and looked terrified.  He said again he didn’t feel right.  I rubbed his back hoping he’d fall asleep cause the last thing I wanted to do was deal with someone drunk.  He didn’t fall asleep.  The terror that ensued was right out of a horror movie only my hub was the only one seeing it…..in fact this poor man was hallucinating and was actually living it!

He looked at me with tears in his eyes.  He was bawling!  This in itself was something of a shock seeing as I’ve only seen him cry about a dozen times in 25 years.  The rest I will do my best to explain but it all happened so fast and frankly devastated me it may not make as much sense to you as it does to me.  Hub laid on the bed and looked at me and told me “ I don’t need you.”  I tried to make light of it and told him “everyone needs a little Mare.”  With his eyes bulging, bloodshot and tears running down his face he told me again he didn’t need me.  I remained calm and talking in a soothing voice.  I didn’t want to make things worse.  He whispered that I knew what he’d done.  I had no idea what he’d done.  I was lost so I kept quiet.  Again and again he repeated I knew what he’d done.  Then he told me very quietly he had to kill me and then kill himself.  WTF!!!  I quickly told him oh noooooooo, no you don’t!!!  He then said something I will never be able to forget!  He told me “ Look…look at what I’ve done.  I killed the kids.  I killed my babies.  Mare how could I?  Now you and I have to die to go take care of them.”  He told me he was going to die right then and there.  With terror filling his eyes he asked me if I could see them?  Them who????  He wanted to know if I could see his Dad?  Again WTF???  His Dad is dead!!  I went to the other side of the bed and he reached out and held my hand in a death grip and the other hand appeared to be writing in the air.  He told me he was dieing!  With that he arched his back in what I can only explain as a damn good backbend, stretched out his hands and literally stopped breathing!  Oh no!!!!!  My CPR training flew out the window and I screamed his name over and over.  I grabbed his hair and pulled him up!  I beat on his chest, pounded his back and shook the shit outta him.  He gasped after about 3 minutes that seemed like hours , then proceeded to gag and spit the largest loogies I have ever seen!  Each one of them landing right on me!  I asked what the hell he was doing and he thought he was spitting at some kind of demons!  Within seconds again with the backbend, his eyes rolled back in his head and he was unconscious.  My kids finally heard all the screaming and had run up the steps.  My 20 yr old jumped on the bed, saw his Dad and became hysterical.  With tears streaming down his face he did CPR and after at least 4 minutes or so got him breathing.  By this time I had called 911 and they were on the way.  My 11 yr old and fled the house and got our neighbor.  He said my hub up, dressed him and carried him downstairs.

The EMT’s put him on oxygen and got him in the ambulance.  Then the irrational behavior took hold again to a lessor degree.  He was verbally abusive to them and he thought it he was funny.  He said lewd and disparaging things to them and God bless them they ignored him.

Two of my neighbors were here at that point and helped to calm the kids as much as they could be.  I followed in my car.  By the time I got in the ER he was still at it but this time with the nurse and the young doc.  He was suggesting lewd and crude ways they could make him feel better and all I could do was apologize.  He wanted me to get him outta there in no uncertain terms and I ignored him. I told them if he needed restraints so be it.  Finally I stepped behind the curtained room so he wouldn’t see me and he quieted and finally fell asleep after 30 minutes more minutes.  I waited awhile to make sure. 

My older son and his friend had gone along.  I wanted to take them home to be with the younger kids so I took this chance.  I left my numbers with the nurse and headed home.  I was only gone about 45 minutes and when I returned he was awake and very confused.  He had no idea how he got there, why he was there and what the heck had happened. He only felt the need to protect the kids from something not knowing what.  He needed to get home to see for himself they were all okay.   He remembered NOTHING since about 7PM. 

After many hours of terror, 6 bags of saline, blood tests and urine tests he asked to go home.  Although they would have preferred him to stay he insisted on going home.  He wanted explanations.  I told him only a little.  Now was not the time.  I only told him he hallucinated because of that drink “Four Loko.” I told him he thought he hurt the kids but not that he thought he killed each one.   The rest would hold.  The ER thought for sure he had done drugs….they found none!  I knew they wouldn’t. He doesn’t use drugs.  All they found was a very, very high blood alcohol.  Wayyyyyy over the legal limit.  They discharged him and we went home.

We got home about 4AM. He wasn’t sure why but he felt the need to see and hold the kids. One by one he crawled into their beds and held them sleeping.  He cried and held each one and only went to bed when I insisted.   My heart broke.   I was tired but in no way could I sleep.  I needed to make sure he was okay.  I watched him sleep and researched this demon….”Four Loko.” 

I’ve discovered “Four Loko” is banned in many areas due to the devastation it leaves behind.  Many people have hallucinations, black outs, act out violently and some even die.  I read of a college boy who thought he could fly and didn’t.  He died.  I read of an 18 yr old who went into a coma after one can and her parents finally pulled the plug on Friday morning.  I’ve read of a docile husband of 30 years who never even cursed who help a knife to his wife’s throat.  I could go on and on.  This stuff is pure evil in a can.  It appears it doesn’t matter if you are young or old, very light or very heavy…it has no target victim.  Ages range from 14 to 60.  It targets the young and the old.  It markets itself  like a harmless energy drink that tastes just like punch with a bit of alcohol.  After retrieving an empty can I saw the alcohol content.  14%!!!!!  It comes in 10 flavors so it appeals to many.  Many, many have black outs, hallucinate and become violent.  I just thank God that the only violence in my home that night was only in his mind.  No one else was harmed.  It could have turned out very differently if we kept weapons in our bedside table like many do.  My kids could very well be orphans today.

I have told my hub everything.  He was floored.  He remembers nothing.  He is very humbled and very saddened.  He has apologized to everyone.  We took the nurses gift cards and thank you notes yesterday.  He is embarrassed beyond belief. 

Our son was at football camp over the weekend.  We had to go on Saturday or he would wonder what was wrong.  Hub was very quiet and I took a lounge chair for him to sit in.  I laid on a blanket and honestly fell asleep.  We’ve just kept things quiet and we both have a better appreciation for one another today.  We both appreciated we were the lucky ones this weekend. 

I am on  mission with his 100% approval.  I want it out of the stores.  The website for the product is www.drinkfour.com.  I already have a call into the FDA.  Not sure who else to contact but I’m open to suggestions.  The website shows every store that carries the crap within the radius of your home.  I found 50 or so near mine.  I plan to visit each one and hopefully some of them will take it off the shelves.

My daughter has 16 year old friends who have had this liquid evil.  It’s cheap.  $3 for one can.  WOW!  Drunk off your ass for all night for only $3 !!!  Appealing to all the young teens and college kids. 

Please I ask each one of you to tell all your friends.  Warn them!  This stuff is no joke.  You could drink it a couple times with no hallucinations or black outs but sooner or later you will.  Stay away from it.  Check the website and see if its sold near you and implore the owners to remove it.  You may just save a life…..maybe even someone you love!

Big hugs to all of you!  Love ya!