Risky energy drinks

After spending many college weekends popping caffeine pills before heading out to party, my stomach felt ripped to shreds by the age of 22. Stupid. I've since matured -- herbal tea and my favorite rainbow coffee mug are best of friends these days.

Now energy drinks are the rage. However, beyond the jitters, researchers have seen an association between high consumption of canned energy and risky "toxic jock" behavior, such as unprotected sex, substance abuse and violence. It's not just young adults reaching for super-caffeinated cans of Red Bull, Monster, Full Throttle, Amp and the like. Four middle schoolers headed to the ER last spring with heart palpitations and sweating after downing Spike Shooter -- a 428 milligrams of caffeine powerhouse.

While many energy drinks have less caffeine than a cup of brewed Starbucks coffee, they are served cold, which means people may down multiple cans quickly. It's even worse for those mixing alcohol with energy drinks -- a study published this month revealed college students choosing these super-charged mixers got drunk twice as often as alcohol-only drinkers. The awake drunks were also far more likely to be injured and more likely to be victims or perpetrators of aggressive sexual behavior.