UMass warns of TikTok BORG drinking trend after 28 students taken to hospital

The University of Massachusetts is warning about TikTok’s ‘BORG’ drinking craze, after 28 ambulances were called to parties.

UMass is blaming a viral TikTok drinking trend, after almost 30 ambulances were reportedly called to off-campus parties over the weekend of March 5.

The Amherst Fire Department said none of the cases were life-threatening. UMass Police reported two arrests for underage drinking.

According to school officials, students were seen carrying jugs that contained a mix of alcohol, electrolytes, flavoring, and water, believed to be what TikTokers call “BORG,” or “blackout rage gallons.”

UMass officials said they had never seen so many of these drinks on Saturday’s “Blarney Blowout,” an annual school celebration that typically happens before St. Patrick’s Day, AP News reported.

In a statement, the university said it’s assessing the weekend’s events and warned its student body about the drinking trend that TikTok has recently popularized.

What is the BORG drinking trend on TikTok?

BORG, short for blackout rage gallon, is the latest trend popular across college campuses. The drink is created by filling a large plastic gallon jug with half water, half alcohol, a caffeinated flavor enhancer, and electrolytes.

The fad has been fueled by recent viral TikToks of college students making and drinking the concoction, and it’s sparked an entire subculture of BORG tutorials, challenges, and skits.

Some TikTokers say the beverage keeps them hydrated as they binge drink. However, while the electrolytes and water do help with hydration, the large quantity of alcohol is what makes it particularly dangerous, experts warn. 

“Consuming this much alcohol would be fatal for the vast majority of people, even if spread out over a full day,” Dr. George F. Kobb, director of the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism at the NIH, told CBS News.

“It is unknown how many students actually follow BORG recipes that call for a half gallon of vodka, but doing so could turn deadly depending on how much they end up consuming.”