Voices: Dangerous drinking trend known as BORG hitting college campuses

A new trend known as "BORG drinking" is rapidly gaining popularity among high school and college students across the United States, raising concerns among parents, educators, and health professionals.

BORG is an acronym for "Blackout Rage Gallon," and it involves students creating a potent cocktail by mixing hard liquor with water, electrolytes and flavoring in a gallon jug.

I hit the campus of Wayne State University to find out what students and other 20 somethings know about BORGS and talked to a licensed professional counselor at Wayne State about binge drinking.

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"I just see them all over TikTok," Victoria told us.

This trend is being touted by some as a safer alternative to traditional binge drinking.

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"Saying it helps with, like, hangovers because you put an electrolyte in it. I never tried it," Dominic Grimel said.

Beleiving the blackout rage gallon with water, a fifth of distilled spirits like vodka and added flavorings and electrolytes can prevent hangovers and dehydration.

However, experts warn that the high alcohol content and the large volume consumed pose significant health risks.

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"When I heard about this, my first thought was, well, this is binge drinking. Just in a different form," Dr. Stephanie Kastely, with Wayne State University Counseling &Psychological Services, said.

Kastely is a licensed professional counselor at Wayne State. She said no matter what you add to the mixture - flavorings or electrolytes - you can’t counteract the effects of all of that alcohol.

"Someone is still consuming that much alcohol. And someone may blackout, which is when the body's just saying, yeah, we're going to shut down," Kastely said.

Here's why. A BORG is a personal drink, meant to be consumed by the maker, and the amount of alcohol is staggering.

One has about 17 shots in it, far exceeding the criteria for binge drinking, which is consuming five or more drinks on the same occasion for males or four or more drinks on the same occasion for females on at least one day.

"Someone may view, 'well, I just went out one night a week, got really drunk, and that's not viewed as a concern,' but it certainly is. It fits the criteria for binge drinking," Kastely said.

Last year at the University of Massachusetts, the Amherst Fire Department dispatched 28 ambulances for calls involving a "significant number of alcohol intoxication“ linked to BORGs in just one weekend.

Even without drinking to the point of illness, 20% of college students fit the criteria of having an alcohol use disorder, according to Stanford Medicine Children’s Health.

And according to CollegeDrinkingPrevention.gov, 29% of full-time college students ages 18-22 reported binge drinking. Statistics that may point to the need for a cultural change.

"The assumption is, is that, you know, if I am going to school, or just having a good time that needs to involve alcohol," Kastely said.

And for BORG, the belief that if I can’t taste the alcohol, it must not be a problem or if I add electrolytes, I’m safer and can put off its effects. But in reality, it’s still creating a lot of harm.

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"They get a little bit self-confident and think they don't have to think about their sort of their alcohol intake, which obviously isn't great," Rafael Ramos, a Wayne State medical student, said.

If you have a substance problem you’ve already taken the first step by acknowledging it. The next step is getting help.

If you know someone with a substance problem, Kastely says tell them what you see and why you’re concerned in a care and non-judgmental way. She says when it comes to mental health and substance use, we’re all on the front lines.