Air date: February 7, 2010

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I live in a college town. Which means that I'm around a lot of college students. And if there's one thing college kids like to do -- it's drink.

In the past few years, the beverage of choice has been a mixture of the energy drink Red Bull with vodka. I've never imbibed this particular concoction, but I'm guessing the appeal is a sort of drunken pick-me-up.

In any case, beverage manufacturers have taken note and have begun marketing caffeinated alcoholic drinks with names like Joose (that's J-O-O-S-E) and Four Loko.

These juiced up alcoholic cocktails have a decidedly urban vibe. The Joose website, for example, features pictures of wanna-be rappers swilling the stuff as pro-Joose hip hop plays in the background.

Now, the obvious question, to my mind, is: what happens when you combine alcohol with caffeine? Is getting drunk while at the same time getting hopped up on a stimulant in any way dangerous?

The answer, according to at least one study that came out of Wake Forest University a few years ago, is yes. Dr. Mary Clair O'Brien, who lead the study, said as much on the CBS Early Show.

"The medical effect is that caffeine is of course a central nervous system stimulant, so I have likened it to stepping on the gas pedal and the brake at the same time. You don't feel drunk, but you're absolutely as drunk as you were before you had it."

And so you're more likely to do stupid things like drink too much, and take risks that lead to injury, and ride with a drunk driver.

Caffeinated alcoholic drinks have become popular enough for the FDA to take an interest -- and not in a good way, at least if you're a fan of the drinks. As of a few months ago, the Food and Drug Administration began requiring alcoholic energy drink companies to prove that their products are safe.

Some big time manufacturers, like MillerCoors and Anheuser-Busch, have already caved and taken their souped-up drinks off the shelf.

I'm Jeremy Shere.

Additional Resources:

• Read about the FDA scrutiny of caffeinated alcoholic drinks.

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