• iconNews
  • videos
  • entertainment
  • Home
  • News
    • UK News
    • US News
    • Australia
    • Ireland
    • World News
    • Weird News
    • Viral News
    • Sport
    • Technology
    • Science
    • True Crime
    • Travel
  • Entertainment
    • Celebrity
    • TV & Film
    • Netflix
    • Music
    • Gaming
    • TikTok
  • LAD Originals
    • Say Maaate to a Mate
    • Daily Ladness
    • Lad Files
    • UOKM8?
    • FreeToBe
    • Extinct
    • Citizen Reef
  • Advertise
  • Terms
  • Privacy & Cookies
  • LADbible Group
  • UNILAD
  • SPORTbible
  • GAMINGbible
  • Tyla
  • UNILAD Tech
  • FOODbible
  • License Our Content
  • About Us & Contact
  • Jobs
  • Latest
  • Topics A-Z
  • Authors
Facebook
Instagram
X
Threads
Snapchat
TikTok
YouTube

LAD Entertainment

YouTube

LAD Stories

Submit Your Content
Students warned not to take part in TikTok BORG trend as students hospitalised

Home> News

Published 20:34 7 Mar 2023 GMT

Students warned not to take part in TikTok BORG trend as students hospitalised

Dozens of ambulances were reportedly called out after the trend took over a university student party

Anish Vij

Anish Vij

University-goers have been warned of the new 'BORG' trend after a number of the University of Massachusetts students were taken to hospital in the US.

Also known as 'blackout rage gallons' - the trend sees students fill up plastic gallon containers with a mix of alcohol, water, and electrolytes.

The theory is to dilute the alcohol so you don't get too drunk before binge-drinking the contents.

However, students are falsely assuming they aren’t drinking a lot, as Borgs typically contain a fifth of alcohol which equates to roughly 16 drinks.

Advert

Uni-goers have been warned of the new 'borging' trend after a number of the University of Massachusetts students were taken to hospital in the US.
TikTok

AP has reported an incident involving the trend recently saw 28 ambulances get called out to an off-campus student party in Amherst, Massachusetts.

“UMass officials said this is the first time the university has observed notable use of borgs,” the University of Massachusetts said in a statement following the incident.

“They will assess this weekend’s developments and consider steps to improve alcohol education and intervention, and communicate with students and families.”

The Amherst Fire Department revealed that thankfully, none of the cases were life-threatening.

Advert

The #borg TikTok trend has accumulated over 80 million views and shows many users pouring in around half of the gallon’s water and filling the rest up with vodka, along with juice or electrolytes.

28 ambulances were reportedly called out after the trend took over a student party in Amherst.
TikTok

“It’s essentially a hack to drink a bunch, have a crazy night, and not feel terrible about it the next day,” one TikToker has explained.

“Gen Z just like drinks this.”

Although George F. Koob - the director of the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism at the National Institutes of Health - issued a warning on Good Morning America.

Advert

He said: “Unless you’re the one that mixed the borg and you know exactly how much alcohol you’re dispensing, it’s probably easy to overdo it.

“The flavorant can mask some of the effects of alcohol and caffeine itself can mask some of the effects of alcohol so sometimes then you don't even know or realize how much you've been drinking.”

A warning has been issued over the binge-drinking trend.
Shutterstock

Koob added: “Ultimately, no matter how you take it, you're going to get intoxicated and the alcohol is going to have its effects.

“The borgs, it sounds like some well-intentioned efforts to regulate how much people are drinking, but I think you have to be really careful when someone else, they may not be mixing drinks at a bar for you or in the kitchen, but if they're mixing up in effect, a vodka punch, I personally am not sure that there's a whole lot of difference.”

Advert

LADbible has contacted TikTok and the University of Massachusetts for comment.

Featured Image Credit: @kylemkeller/@carterclover/TikTok

Topics: TikTok, US News

Anish Vij
Anish Vij

Anish is a Journalist at LADbible Group and is a GG2 Young Journalist of the Year 2025. He has a Master's degree in Multimedia Journalism and a Bachelor's degree in International Business Management. Apart from that, his life revolves around the ‘Four F’s’ - family, friends, football and food. Email: [email protected]

X

@Anish_Vij

Advert

Advert

Advert

  • Mum's face 'falls off' after horrifying reaction to ibuprofen left her in a coma
  • Two students hold 'world's first' sperm race with people hailing them as 'legends'
  • Sex expert explains why No Nut November could be a ‘really dangerous’ thing to take part in
  • How long Diddy could spend in jail as he's found not guilty on three out of five counts

Choose your content:

13 mins ago
an hour ago
  • 13 mins ago

    Victim’s girlfriend one of nine arrested as police share disturbing theory about death of 16-year-old

    Trey Dean Wright died from 'multiple gunshot wounds'

    News
  • an hour ago

    Mum whose baby has been 'kidnapped' refuses to take polygraph test

    Police have claimed there have been 'inconsistencies' in the mother's statements

    News
  • an hour ago

    'Seriously concerning' detail spotted in White House has people worried over Donald Trump running for third term

    The White House gift shop had some rather interesting slogans printed on hats

    News
  • an hour ago

    Sam Altman admits they 'totally screwed up' ChatGPT 5 launch as users slam 'unfriendly' chatbot

    OpenAI CEO Sam Altman says they 'totally screwed up' the roll out of GPT-5

    News