College Daze: Why BORGs Are a Dangerous Drinking Trend

A BORG is a boozy concoction in a giant plastic jug — and it’s extremely popular among the college crowd. But not just because of the alcohol content: Partygoers actually consider a BORG a safer way to drink. (Spoiler alert: It’s not.)

What is a BORG, exactly? And why is it mistakenly viewed as being a responsible way to drink? Psychiatrist and addiction specialist David Streem, MD, explains the concerning trend.

What is a BORG?

Let’s start by explaining the funky name. BORG is actually shorthand for “blackout rage gallon,” which accurately describes the potential outcome after someone downs one of these massive drinks.

The potency of a BORG is easy to see if you glance at the ingredients list. To make a BORG, you start with a partially filled gallon jug of water. Then you fill it back up using:

• A fifth of vodka (750 ml) or some other alcohol
• A flavor enhancer, like a fruity caffeine-packed energy drink or powder
• An electrolyte-based drink or powder

The result is usually a colorful liquid visible through the clear plastic jug. As a final touch, it’s common to assign a BORG a punny name and write it on the jug in black marker. (BORGan donor or BORGinator, for instance.)

The sweet taste of a BORG often masks the dangerously high amount of alcohol in the drink.

“The strategy behind BORGs is to mitigate negative physical feelings associated with drinking more than you could otherwise tolerate,” explains Dr. Streem. “Fundamentally, that’s an unsafe behavior, partly because it fools you into thinking you’re drinking less than you really are.”

Reasoning behind drinking BORGs

The obvious reason behind making a BORG is to get drunk, as college students sometimes do. But some of the rationale behind BORGs is rooted in the idea of safely drinking copious amounts of alcohol.

The TikTok-fueled logic behind BORGs isn’t exactly flawless, as we’ll explain, but here it is:

• Lower hangover risk: Alcohol consumption can contribute to dehydration and electrolyte loss, two forces behind a head-pounding hangover. The water and electrolyte powder in a BORG is meant to counteract the effect.
• Protection against someone spiking your drink: A BORG is a sealed gallon container you carry around. That limits the chances of someone slipping an unknown substance into your beverage.
• Limited exposure to germs: Communal booze bowls can be swimming in germs. A BORG, on the other hand, is your own personal alcohol supply. (It’s not exactly a coincidence that BORGs surged in popularity during the COVID-19 pandemic.)

Now, mixing up drinks is certainly nothing new on campus. It’s often part of college culture. There’s a long and storied history of undergrads combining cheap booze with … well, anything that’s handy.

“The name BORG may be new,” notes Dr. Streem, “but the behavior is just garden variety binging.”

The dangers of BORG drinking

A BORG may be mostly water, but that doesn’t just erase the alcohol that’s in the jug. Remember that fifth of alcohol that got dumped in? That’s the equivalent of almost 17 shots of liquor.

Even diluted, that’s a dangerous amount of alcohol for one person to down during a bout of drinking. The fruity and caffeinated additions to a BORG often mask the taste and effects of alcohol, too, a doubly dangerous combo.

“You have to focus on how many grams of alcohol you’re actually consuming,” explains Dr. Streem. “If you drink the entire gallon jug, you’re drinking the entire amount of alcohol you poured into it.”

Given that your liver can only process about 1 ounce of alcohol per hour, it simply can’t keep up with the high-proof booze spilling out of a BORG. The resulting backup floods your bloodstream with alcohol and can lead to alcohol poisoning.

High blood alcohol levels can be life-threatening and bring symptoms like:

• Difficulty remaining conscious
• Confusion and slowed responses
• An inability to stand or walk
• Vomiting
• Slow breathing (fewer than eight breaths per minute)
• Slow heart rate
• Low body temperature (hypothermia)
• Seizures

In 2023, an off-campus BORG bash at the University of Massachusetts Amherst left 46 students hospitalized with alcohol poisoning. Thankfully, all recovered after treatment.

The incident underscores how dicey BORG drinking can be, emphasizes Dr. Streem.

Safer ways to drink alcohol and party

The safest choice, of course, is not to chug alcohol or binge drink. There is no “safe amount” of alcohol when it comes to your health, according to the World Health Organization. The risks of imbibing seem pretty clear at this point.

More and more people — and young adults, in particular — are choosing to go dry and avoid all alcohol, too. That’s a positive trend that started two decades ago.

But alcohol isn’t exactly gone from college life or the world in general. Clearly, folks still drink. So, if you’re going to tip back a BORG (or any other libation), keep these tips in mind:

• Limit how much alcohol you drink: If you’re going to drink, moderation is key. “As your dose of alcohol goes higher, the risks of your symptoms increase,” states Dr. Streem. (If you’re making a BORG, go with a BORG Lite by cutting way back on the booze.)
• Drink more water: Consistently drinking water alongside alcohol can slow down your pace of alcohol consumption while also slowing its absorption into your bloodstream. It can also reduce your chances of becoming dehydrated.
• Listen to your body: Consider that buzzed feeling a message to know and understand your limits. “We shouldn’t ignore the signals our body is sending us to let us know we’ve had too much to drink,” advises Dr. Streem.
• Go nonalcoholic: Want to hang out at a BORG party or any other social gathering without getting tipsy? Skip putting the alcohol in your jug (or cocktail glass) entirely.

“Lots of young people are learning that they just feel better and accomplish more when they minimize their drinking,” shares Dr. Streem. “And if you have a family history of addiction problems, consider not drinking at all. Genetics is a major factor in addiction risk.”