Dozens of University of Massachusetts students were taken to hospital last weekend after participating in the latest destructive TikTok trend of binge-drinking, known as ‘blackout rage gallons’ or ‘borgs.’.Twenty-eight ambulances were called, so many that neighbouring towns had to send their emergency vehicles too, as the students participated in what’s known as an annual St. Patrick’s Day celebration called ‘Blarney Blowout’ at the Amherst school, says The New York Post..During the festivities, a large group of students gathered with ‘borgs’ which are plastic gallon jugs filled with a mixture of alcohol, electrolytes, flavouring and water.. During the festivities, a large group of students gathered with ‘borgs’ which are plastic gallon jugs filled with a mixture of alcohol, electrolytes, flavouring and water.During the festivities, a large group of students gathered with ‘borgs’ which are plastic gallon jugs filled with a mixture of alcohol, electrolytes, flavouring and water. .WWLP, the CBS News affiliate in the area, reported ‘borgs’ consists of taking a gallon jug of water, emptying it a bit to fit in their desired amount of alcohol and adding in some sort of flavouring, such as water-enhancing drops or powdered drink mixes..The trend has become popular on TikTok among college-age users, with the hashtag #borg garnering more than 74.7 million views on TikTok..A standard serving of 40% or 80 proof vodka is 1.5 ounces, however Dr. George Koob, the director of the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism at the National Institutes of Health, told CBS News he's seen some borgs recipes that call for a half gallon, which equals about 43 servings of alcohol. ."As with any other vehicle for consuming alcohol, the risks will primarily depend on how much alcohol a person consumes and how quickly they consume it," said Koob. "Quite simply, as alcohol consumption goes up, so do the risks of injuries, fights, sexual assaults, emergency department visits, blackouts, car crashes and other harms."."Consuming this much alcohol would be fatal for the vast majority of people, even if spread out over a full day. It is unknown how many students actually follow borgs recipes that call for a half gallon of vodka, but doing so could turn deadly, depending on how much they end up consuming." .Students claim the addition of water and sometimes electrolyte drink mixes help slow down alcohol consumption and reduce the risk of hangovers, but Nicole Barr, direct services coordinator at the University of North Carolina Wilmington's Abrons Student Health Center, told CBS News there's still concern about the size of borgs encouraging binge drinking..Some borgs recipes call for a fifth of alcohol, which equals about 16 drinks, said Barr, adding the sheer size of the container encourages dangerous binge drinking.."That's a lot for any person to ingest, especially in one sitting. So that’s a huge concern," she said..Several videos shared on TikTok showing the students drinking borgs have gone viral, including one where a student asks their peers what they nicknamed their borgs, says The Post..The video, which has amassed two-million views, features borgs with nicknames including “Soulja Borg,” “Justin Borgber” and “Certified Lover Borg.”.None of the cases of alcohol poisoning were life-threatening, the Amherst Fire Department said..In a statement, the university said it will assess the weekend’s events and take necessary steps to improve alcohol education. Incoming students are already required to take an alcohol education course that teaches the dangers of binge drinking, according to the UMass Amherst website, says The Post.
