The new drinks, including Red Bull, Adrenaline Rush, and Jones Whoop-Ass Energy Drink, are the fastest-growing segment of the beverage industry. They are widely used by partiers to get drunk faster.

"It definitely put me on a fast pace," said Elaine Bartlett, 29, of suburban Forest Park, Ga. Brent Isbell, 30, of Anniston, Ala., added, "It gets you drunker quicker, if you can stand the taste of it."

Most of the drinks contain stimulants such as caffeine and guarana, a derivative of a South American plant. "They definitely deliver a buzz or a jolt," said John Sicher, editor and publisher of Beverage Digest. "They're generally party drinks. A very large percentage are consumed in bars or restaurants and used as mixers."

At a trendy bar in midtown Atlanta, Ga., the popular drink is Red Bull and vodka. "We go through them like you wouldn't believe," said Chris Bates, a bartender at Cosmopolitan. "People want to get drunk and stay awake, and this pretty much does both."

Health officials are concerned about the effects the high-energy drinks have when mixed with alcohol. "What you'll be is a wide-awake drunk," said Chris Rosenbloom, head of the nutrition department at Georgia State University. "It's dangerous, this false notion that if I take this energy drink I'm alert and OK."

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