Unsurprisingly, TikTok is at it again with its weekly trends that seem to die out as quickly as they appear. Despite the app being on its possible last standing legs, the looming threat of its banning in the U.S. is not enough to cease the trends that persevere among its users, especially if they involve one of society’s favorite poisons – alcohol.
What is the “BORGs” trend on Tiktok ?
On March 2023, a specific trend involving a dangerously high amount of alcohol immediately went viral on TikTok, and it is showing no signs of stopping. Known as the “borgs drinking trend,” the newest popular drink among college students involves large plastic gallon containers known as “blackout rage gallons.” In the jugs is a mixture made up of alcohol, water, and electrolytes.
A warning surrounding this dangerous trend hailed from the officials at the University of Massachusetts Amherst, when they announced that its fire department had handled requests for 28 ambulances due to a “significant number of alcohol intoxication cases.” According to the same officials, students were seen carrying the plastic gallon containers, believed to be used to make “BORGs.”
The contents of the borgs are also carefully chosen to dilute the alcohol and falsely induce the drinker into assuming they’re not consuming as much alcohol as they thought. The electrolytes are also a way to avoid feeling hungover the next day, while still being able to indulge in the alcohol. In spite of TikTok users’ attempts at avoiding a hangover, Nicole Barr, a direct services coordinator at the University of North Carolina Student Health Center, has come forward to explain that a fifth of alcohol — as it is included in the borgs — equates to roughly 16 drinks.
Since the trend first began making its way through college campuses, concerned parents, doctors, and university staff have come forward to provide more information. According to the National Capital Poison Center, BORGs are typically consumed at what is now called “darties,” or, in other words, day parties. The powerful concoction is usually intended for individual use, and sharing is seemingly out of the question. This widespread drinking phenomenon has ever alerted doctors on Tiktok, who have been explaining the dangers of BORGs.
The underlying problem with these trends is that teenagers, more often than not, will try to emulate new online sensations—regardless of health concerns. Even high school students have begun adding their own twist to BORGs by writing their monikers on the jugs. “You have to name your BORG and get creative by writing the name on it with a Sharpie,” a high school senior said on TikTok.
Despite there having been multiple hospitalizations since the trend first began gaining momentum, there have been no fatalities stemming from the use of BORGs. However, the impact of alcohol on the developing brains of teenagers and young adults is being thoroughly researched. According to the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism, underage drinking has been linked to reductions in the size of the frontal lobe, leading to long-term effects on planning and decision-making, learning, memory, and many other cognitive functions.
This is not the first time a trend involving alcoholic beverages endangering lives has come out of the social media platform. In October 2022, a trend involving drinking a pint of Taylor Port’s wine also arose, leading to several users suffering from alcohol poisoning. Unlike borgs, this trend did not even involve the use of electrolytes like Liquid I.V. to abate the horrible hangover that arises from the over-consumption of alcoholic beverages.
