Health experts have issued a warning about the dangerous trend of drinking BORG, also known as “blackout rage gallons,” popularized by Generation Z college students.
According to the National Capital Poison Center, BORG consumption typically takes place at daytime parties, popularly known as “darts,” where participants carry a gallon-sized plastic jug containing a potent alcoholic concoction inside. .
The jugs, which consist of vodka or other distilled alcohol, plus water, a flavor enhancer, and an electrolyte powder or drink, typically contain much more alcohol than the other ingredients, to the point that experts have called it ” dangerous to life.” ”
“Drinking one can lead to life-threatening consumption and alcohol poisoning,” Stanford psychiatry and addiction medicine professor Dr. Anna Lembke told CNN.
Unlike their long-reigning jungle juice counterpart, typically a party-sized concoction intended for everyone, BORGs are intended for personal use. However, the end goal is ultimately the same: get really drunk.
“A BORG often contains a fifth [25.6 fluid ounces or 3.2 cups] of vodka or other strong alcohol, which is approximately 17 standard drinks, which is a huge amount of alcohol.”
Dr. Lembke attributes the increase in alcohol consumption at BORG to “social contagion,” compounded by the pervasiveness of social media like TikTok.
“Kids see other kids doing it and want to try it themselves,” he said. “That's another real danger here: taking dangerous deviant behavior and normalizing it by spreading it on social media.”
The 24-year-old creator and editor-in-chief of Zillennial Magazine, Sabrina Grimaldi said she first heard about the trend when one of her interns, Kelly Xiong, 21, told a story about the popularity of the binge drinking phenomenon.
As someone who hadn't been on the “college party scene” in five years, she was baffled by how much it had changed in such a short time. She said: “Even though Kelly and I are so close in age, it's crazy how these microtrends emerge.”
Xiong discovered the growing popularity of drinking BORG when he went to a darts bar in St Patrick's Block and noticed that almost everyone was carrying gallons full of their own concoctions. She told the outlet that BORGs were especially popular during “special occasion darts,” which typically celebrated holidays or outdoor events.
BORGs have become widespread in popularity and frequently make headlines for being linked to the hospitalization of hard-partying students. In 2023, dozens of University of Massachusetts Amherst students, allegedly carrying BORG, were hospitalized after an off-campus event.
Not only have BORGs become popular in the college party scene, but they have also made their way into the high school scene, with students supposedly drawn to the creative aspect of making their own BORG.
All over TikTok, BORG videos abound with various jugs with pun-inspired nicknames, including Captain Borgan, Borgan Donor, and Borgan Wallen.
“You have to name your BORG and be creative by writing the name with a marker,” said a high school senior named Virginia. However, she noted that she was aware that it was more difficult to regulate alcohol consumption, especially since many limit the amount of alcohol they consume. “No one is actually rationing how much they are going to drink.”
According to the National Institute of Health (NIH), the average drink in the U.S. contains 1 to 1.5 ounces of distilled spirits, 5 ounces of wine, or 12 ounces of beer. Men and women have different drinking standards, and experts say it is considered binge drinking if a woman drinks more than four standard drinks and a man drinks more than five in a two-hour period.
