BORG Drinking: What It Is and Why It's a Dangerous Trend - Expert Insights

BORG drinking is a growing trend that poses significant dangers. An expert explains what BORG drinking entails, highlighting the associated risks and why it has become a concerning phenomenon.

CNN - If you've attended a party recently and haven't seen someone drinking a BORG, you're probably not partying with college students.

If you're unsure what that even means, you're likely not part of Generation Z.

BORG stands for “blackout rage gallon,” according to the National Capital Poison Center in Washington, DC. This term refers to a mix usually made in a gallon-sized plastic jug, containing vodka or another distilled spirit, water, a flavor enhancer, and an electrolyte powder or drink. BORGs are often consumed at outdoor day parties, also known as darties.

The new version of jungle juice

"There’s so much alcohol in a BORG that drinking one can lead to potentially life-threatening consumption and alcohol poisoning," said Dr. Anna Lembke, a psychiatry and addiction medicine professor at Stanford University.

Sabrina Grimaldi, creator and editor-in-chief of The Zillennial Zine, explained that the large-batch drink is the new version of jungle juice. This online lifestyle magazine caters to the micro-generation between millennials and Gen Z.

"Instead of making a party-sized mixed drink in a huge 5-gallon dispenser, a giant storage tub, or the gross trend of making jungle juice in a sink or bathtub, everyone has their own personal drink," Grimaldi wrote to CNN. As the drink’s name suggests, "it’s intended to get you extremely drunk."

Dr. Anna Lembke highlights the BORG’s “social contagion factor,” which makes it even more hazardous.

"Kids see other kids doing it and want to try it themselves," she said. "That’s another real danger here — taking a dangerous, deviant behavior and normalizing it by spreading it on social media."

Gen Z binge drinking

Grimaldi, 24, first heard about BORGs earlier this year when her editorial intern, Kelly Xiong, 21, suggested a story on why they are so popular among Gen Z.

"I graduated college in 2020, so it's safe to say I haven't been part of the college party scene for almost five years, especially because of the pandemic," Grimaldi said. "Even though Kelly and I are close in age, it's crazy how these microtrends pop up."

Xiong, who recently graduated from the University of Pittsburgh, first encountered BORGs during her sophomore year.

"It was during a St. Patrick’s Day block party, and almost everyone had their own BORG," she told CNN via email, noting that the drink is particularly popular at big outdoor day parties or "special occasion darties."

Although the origins of the term are unclear, BORGs have gained attention, including in March 2023, when over two dozen University of Massachusetts Amherst students, many believed to be carrying BORGs, were taken away by ambulance following an off-campus event.

High school students are drinking BORGs

The trend isn't limited to college students.

At the high school senior class pool party last year and this year, “everyone made their own BORG,” said Virginia, an 18-year-old senior at a private high school in Tampa, Florida, who requested anonymity for privacy.

Virginia said BORGs appeal to her because of their social aspect. “You have to name your BORG and get creative by writing the name on it with a Sharpie,” she said.

On TikTok, posts feature gallon jugs with punny names like Captain Borgan, Our Borg and Savior, Borgan Donor, and Borgan Wallen.

Dr. Anna Lembke warns that this social aspect makes BORGs potentially dangerous as a party drink.

Virginia acknowledged the risks of BORGs. “A lot of people just pour vodka in and don’t measure it, so it can actually be kind of dangerous compared to knowing you drank three cans of beer,” she said. “Nobody is really rationing how much they’re going to drink.”

This is true even for those 21 or older, the legal drinking age in the United States.

A standard drink in the US contains 1 to 1.5 ounces of distilled spirits, 5 ounces of wine, or 12 ounces of beer, according to the National Institutes of Health (NIH). For females, drinking more than four standard drinks (and for males, more than five) within two hours is considered binge drinking, according to the NIH.

“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, a massive amount of alcohol,” Lembke said.

No amount of alcohol is good for you

Recent studies suggest it's best not to drink alcohol at all, as no amount is considered healthy. The World Heart Federation stated in 2022 that there is “no level of alcohol consumption that is safe for health.”

For those who do drink, health experts advise moderation. According to the 2020-2025 Dietary Guidelines for Americans, this means no more than 3 ounces of alcohol per day for women or 4 ounces for men. Dr. Anna Lembke also recommended not making drinking a regular habit.

The liver processes about 1 ounce of alcohol per hour, roughly one standard drink, Lembke said. Drinking a BORG, which often contains large amounts of alcohol, can overwhelm the liver's capacity to metabolize it, especially for those not tolerant to alcohol.

BORGS are typically sweetened with electrolyte drinks or water flavor enhancers, making them more palatable and easier to consume in large quantities, Lembke explained. “It makes it more palatable, and people generally can drink more than they could of something like straight vodka,” she said. “But that doesn’t increase the liver’s ability to metabolize alcohol better.”

Source: CNN