Thelife- Ahead of St. Patrick's Day, Boston University is warning students about the TikTok-trendy drink 'borg.'
- The school is heeding caution following an incident at UMass Amherst earlier this month where 28 ambulances were called to parties.
Boston University is warning students ahead of St. Patricks' Day about "BORGs," or "blackout rage gallons," an alcoholic drink that's been made trendy on TikTok.
This follows similar alarms the University of Massachusetts Amherst sounded earlier this month after the school blamed "BORGs" for causing 28 ambulances to be called to off-campus parties.
On Tuesday, BU's Student Health Services shared a post on its Facebook page urging its students not to partake in the viral trend. Or, if they do, to use much less alcohol than popular recipes ask for.
"You may have heard of BORGs — either online or in the news because of alcohol emergencies," the organization wrote. "For a safe St. Patrick's Day, read through for tips about BORGs, safer alternatives, and getting help in an alcohol emergency."
The school included several informational slides, including one denoting all the hazards of BORG drinks. "Many recipes call for up to 17 shots of liquor," it read. "Even if consumed over many hours, this is enough alcohol to cause an emergency."
BORGs are large jugs that mix water, hard liquor, electrolytes, and other flavoring for taste. The idea — or misconception, perhaps— is that one can stay hydrated and avoid a hangover after drinking copious amounts of alcohol. Experts are wary of this notion because it does not negate the dangerous amounts of alcohol in a gallon of BORG.
"We don't recommend drinking a BORG," one of BU's slides plainly states. However, if a student partakes, the school recommends drinking slowly over time, or measuring out "one shot per hour" that they plan to drink.
"You could also add no alcohol, nobody will know!" a slide also states.
Insider has reached out to the school for comment.
@abby.makara Fake patty’s day #borg #stpatricksday ♬ original sound - Abby
While the trend gained popularity in 2022, BORG videos and concoctions date back to at least 2020. Most recently, BORG drinks have become incredibly viral among college-aged students. Over the last two weeks, TikTok has been flooded with BORG content ahead of St. Patrick's Day festivities,.
The hashtag for "borg" has garnered over 100 million views on TikTok, with people sharing tutorials on how to make borgs, and comedy skits about the concept of the drink and its name. There have also been clips of creators documenting their "first BORG drink."
Earlier this month, UMass Amherst pointed to the viral drink to account for 28 ambulances that were reportedly called to student parties. While none of the cases were life-threatening, droves of students were reportedly seen carrying BORGs during the school's "Blarney Blowout" weekend, an annual school celebration that typically comes before St. Patrick's Day.