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Since doodled figures started spreading their energy drink-induced wings in television commercials, the popularity and varieties of the drinks have also soared.

Red Bull, the drink that started it all, claims to improve performance and concentration, as well as stimulate the metabolism.

The caffeine jolt is traditionally necessary before long drives, athletic events, or finals week. But the recognizable blue, red, and silver cans have now also become a permanent fixture alongside the vodka bottles and beer taps of the bar.

Caffeine and alcohol combinations, such as the whiskey and coffee blend of an Irish coffee, have been enjoyed for decades. Until 2002, Redhook Ale Brewery in Seattle, Wash., produced an ale brewed with Starbucks coffee.

The kick in the drink phenomenon is not new, but the concept of marketing it to the younger generation of clubbers and barhoppers is.

Anheuser-Busch recently unveiled B-to-the-E, a cranked up modification of their familiar brew, with the addition of ginseng and guarana, a Brazilian shrub containing caffeine.

Alcohol and energy drinks, most notably a Red Bull Vodka, have become the most commonly ordered in many Los Angeles nightlife spots.

“I’ve bartended for 10 years, and they’ve been incredibly popular at every night club I’ve ever worked at,” said Alison Wright, manager of VIP services at Prey nightclub in Los Angeles.

The Westwood bar, Maloney’s on Campus, says they go through four cases of Red Bull a week.

Rumors about the dangers of combining caffeine’s stimulant effects with the depressant reactions of alcohol have circulated as fast as the small silver cans are opened and poured behind the bar.

“I’ve heard of the stories about kids who drink Red Bull and go play football and have a heart attack, but I can’t see that happening,” said Josh Norman, Maloney’s manager.

“I’m sure Coke is just as bad for you as Red Bull is,” Norman said. “I don’t think it’s that much of an issue amongst these kids.”

Red Bull contains about 80 milligrams of caffeine – the equivalent to a strong cup of coffee.

Although the antagonistic effect of mixing the two has been likened to putting your foot on both the gas and the brake, cardiovascularly speaking, studies have found no direct physiological threats in the mix.

“There’s not anything intrinsically harmful,” said Thomas Otis, an associate professor of neurobiology who studies alcohol’s effects on the brain.

A stimulant is any compound that increases the activity of the nervous system, sometimes resulting in a sense of euphoria or alertness. A depressant, on the other hand, decreases functions of the nervous system.

“But the combination can make for situations where people use poor judgment because they’re more awake – they’re more awake and they’re drunker,” he said.

Studies with human subjects have shown that energy drinks can repress the cognitive impairment of intoxication.

Reaction times of individuals who drank an energy drink with alcohol were quicker than those who drank alcohol alone. But the effect is deceptively dangerous as an energy drink does not mitigate the other effects of alcohol on vision and comprehension.

“The energy drink part will make a person more alert, as coffee does, and that can have unfortunate effects on people’s judgment,” Otis said. “When someone is intoxicated on alcohol, and they’re a little bit more alert, they might be more prone to doing something boneheaded.”

Additionally, caffeine and alcohol both exhibit diuretic effects, resulting in a doubled dehydration rate of the body and a higher likelihood for hangovers.

Although there is no evidence that drinks like a Red Bull Vodka have negative impacts on the heart, there can be indirect long-term consequences, depending on quantity consumed, Otis said.

Severe alcoholism has often been paired with nutrition deficiency. Similarly, caffeine is purported to suppress appetite.

“If someone were skipping dinner every night and getting tanked on this stuff, the indirect effects on nutritional health could be very bad,” Otis said. “But as far as we can tell, humans are pretty resistant to both of these drugs in moderation.”

As energy drink slogans promote and push their ability to provide that extra boost, the idea of getting a second wind on the dance floor can be appealing to many who frequent nightclubs.

“It’s late at night and you want a little pick me up, and some people don’t like Coca-Cola,” Wright said.

“They want the drink just to stay awake for the evening and enjoy themselves.”