Gen Z’s latest dangerous drinking trend, known as BORG or “blackout rage gallons,” sees young people carrying around life-threatening jugs of alcohol at parties
A worrying new drinking trend ‘BORG’ – short for “blackout rage gallons” – is potentially “life-threatening” for Gen Z, according to health experts.
Health gurus have sounded the alarm over the perilous drinking fad, made popular by social media giant TikTok, that’s taken Gen Z university students by storm. The National Capital Poison Centre has highlighted that BORG consumption is typically seen at daytime bashes, affectionately termed “darties,” where attendees down gallon-sized plastic containers filled with a potent mix of booze.
This concoction usually combines vodka or another type of hard alcohol with water, a flavour booster, and an electrolyte supplement. The alcohol content in these jugs is so high that experts are calling it “life-threatening” due to the trend potentially causing alcohol poisoning.
“Drinking one can lead to potentially life-threatening consumption and alcohol poisoning,” Stanford psychiatry and addiction medicine professor Dr Anna Lembke explained to CNN. “A BORG often contains a fifth [25.6 fluid ounces or 3.2 cups] of vodka or other hard alcohol, which is about 17 standard drinks, which is a massive amount of alcohol.”
Sabrina Grimaldi, the 24-year-old founder and chief of The Zillennial Zine, admitted she first caught wind of this binge-drinking craze when her intern, 21-year-old Kelly Xiong, suggested writing about its surge in popularity. Grimaldi, who’s been out of the “college party scene” for half a decade, was astonished by how quickly things had evolved. She remarked, “Even though Kelly and I are so close in age, it’s crazy how these microtrends pop up.”
BORGs have rapidly gained notoriety, often hitting the news due to their connection with the hospital admissions of zealous student revellers. In 2023, a group of University of Massachusetts Amherst students, known to have BORGs in hand, ended up in hospital following an off-campus party.
BORGs have not only taken the university party scene by storm but have also found their way into high school parties, with students reportedly attracted to the creative aspect of crafting their own BORG. TikTok is awash with BORG videos featuring various jugs adorned with pun-inspired names such as Captain Borgan, Borgan Donor and Borgan Wallen.
Dr Lembke credits BORG drinking’s rise with “social contagion,” made popular on TikTok. “Kids see other kids doing it and want to try it themselves,” she said. “That’s another real danger here — to take a dangerous deviant behaviour and normalise it by spreading it on social media.”
