Are Caffeinated Alcoholic Beverages Different from Beer?

For years it has been common to mix alcohol and caffeinated beverages together.  Some drinks I can think of are Bailey's Irish Cream Coffee, Spanish Coffee, Nose Warmer, Hot Chocolate with Peppermint Schnapps, Café Brulot, Rum and Coke, etc.  We seem to like the combination of these two ingredients.

According to the Department of Psychology at the University of Kentucky, co-administration of caffeine with alcohol reduced participants' perceptions of alcohol intoxication compared with administration of alcohol alone. Lately, this has combination has been causing a concern.  The reason is there are fruit-flavored malt beverages that are bottled with alcohol and and caffeine are being heavily marketed to college students.

Four Loko has been under under consideration lately because college students from New Jersey and Washington ended up in the emergency room with alcoholic poisoning because they consumed this drink.  Matter-of-fact, it all began in 2005, when three college friends from The Ohio State University noticed the growing popularity of mixing caffeinated alcohol drinks, like Red Bull and vodka, and decided to create a beverage company of their own, naming the company Phusion Projects and creating the drink Four Loko.  Even though, it is reported that this product contains 6-12% alcohol, the amount in 2 to 4 cans of bear, the Phusion Projects website says that there is 12% alcohol packed into a 23.5 oz can.  I found no studies done that reported how bad it is to mix alcohol and caffeine in drinks.

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