What are BORGs? The college drinking trend taking over TikTok

Students decorate these alcohol-filled jugs with names like “BORG to be wild” and “Teach me how to Borgie.”

A BORG, short for "blackout rage gallon," typically consists of a 1-gallon plastic water jug filled with a mixture of hard alcohol, water and flavor enhancement. It’s a drinking trend that has taken TikTok and colleges by storm in recent years, with controversial claims BORGs help reduce drink contamination and hangovers. But a new study, the first to examine BORG use and its consequences among college students, offers a look at the trend's dangers.

Nearly one-third of BORG drinkers report blacking out, according to a study in the Journal of Studies on Alcohol and Drugs, published by Rutgers University. Another 59% report embarrassing behavior and 17% reporting vomiting.

“The thought is, ‘great, you control your own beverage, risk contamination, especially in a post-pandemic world, and nobody could alter your beverage,’” says lead researcher Andrea C. King, professor of psychiatry and behavioral neuroscience at the University of Chicago. “That's not really what it is.”

The drinks, which are typically DIYed at home, can contain up to a fifth of liquor, or about 17 standard drinks, according to the study, which polled more than…

Original source: https://www.usatoday.com/life/