University Warns Against Viral Drinking Trend After 28 Ambulances Are Called to Off-Campus 'Blowout'
A veritable fleet of ambulances needed to be called in after a viral drinking trend rocked the small college town of Amherst, Massachusetts, over the weekend.
Twenty-eight ambulances were called in on Saturday thanks to the popular TikTok trend involving “BORGs.”
“BORG” stands for “blackout rage gallons” and is a beverage concoction that is meant to encourage binge drinking. Those ambulances were called in to address dozens of students who were ill from said binge drinking.
A BORG is made up of alcohol (“a fifth of vodka” to be precise, per the Daily Hampshire Gazette), water, electrolytes and water flavoring, and the entire trend has rapidly gained traction on TikTok.
According to the Gazette, BORGs have been gaining in popularity for a number of reasons.
College students enjoy the increased customization of being able to create your own beverage. The Gazette also noted that fans of BORGs claim that the drinks are harder to spike (since they are made by you and are typically sealed off once finished).
And, of course, college students are fans of BORGs because they feel that it can help prevent, or at least alleviate, the nasty effects of a hangover.
Experts warned the Gazette that, even when consumed over a long period, because of the large amount of alcohol that still goes into a BORG, alcohol poisoning is still a very real possibility.
This weekend, it was more than just a possibility for the University of Massachusetts Amherst, however. It was a scary reality.
According to WBTS-CD, the student alcohol intoxication episode was so severe and numerous, that neighboring agencies stepped into help the Amherst officials.
In fact, first responders from 11 other communities jumped in to help Amherst.
Thankfully, none of the 33 total calls for medical assistance involved life-threatening injuries or illnesses.
There were two arrests connected with underage drinking, according to WGGB-TV.
According to just about all of the regional outlets reporting on the scary situation, this scare took place at the annual “Blarney Blowout” celebration, which is an early St. Patrick’s Day celebration.
WGGB noted that the school officials are at least aware of the growing popularity of BORGs, with the outlet noting that the BORG hashtag has racked up “nearly 75 million views on TikTok.”
“AFD and UMass officials said many students were observed carrying plastic gallon containers, believed to be ‘BORGs,’” Edward Blaguszewski, a spokesperson from UMass Amherst, said in a statement.
UMass officials have confirmed to several outlets that the school will evaluate the weekend’s incidents and look into taking steps to improve alcohol education and intervention.
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