University of Massachusetts warns students about viral TikTok drink ‘borg’ after 28 ambulances were called to parties
28 ambulances were reportedly called to off-campus parties at UMass over the weekend.
The school is now warning students about ‘borgs’, a popular TikTok drink concoction, as the culprit.
The trend involves people mixing alcohol and water in huge jugs.
The University of Massachusetts blames a pattern of TikTok consumption after 28 ambulances were reportedly called to off-campus parties over the weekend.
According to school officials, on Saturday students were seen carrying large jugs of water containing a mixture of alcohol, electrolytes and flavorings, which are believed to be what TikTokers call ” borgs” or “gallons of black rage”.
The phenomenon has been fueled by recent viral videos featuring college students on TikTok making and drinking the concoction (although some videos referencing the drink date back to at least 2020). The viral drink has spawned an entire subculture of Borg tutorials, Borg challenges, and Borg skits.
While it’s unclear whether the 28 cases were linked to ‘borg’ drinking, UMass officials said they’ve never seen so many of these drinks during the ‘Blarney Blowout’. Saturday, an annual school celebration that usually takes place before St. Patrick’s Day, the Associated Press reported.
None of the cases were life-threatening, according to the Amherst Fire Department.
The university said it was assessing the weekend’s events and warning its student body about the drink TikTok recently popularized.
Borgs has become particularly appealing to the college-age population because it claims to keep you hydrated while you drink heavily. Although electrolytes and water help with hydration, the high amount of alcohol is what makes it particularly dangerous, experts also warn.
“Consuming that much alcohol would be fatal for the vast majority of people, even if it were spread over an entire day,” said Dr. George F. Kobb, director of the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse. and alcoholism at the National Institutes of Health. told CBS News.
“It’s unknown how many students actually follow borg recipes that call for half a gallon of vodka, but it could turn deadly depending on how much they end up consuming.”
Over the weekend, several TikToks of UMass students drinking borgs went viral. In a video with nearly two million views, a student interviewed other students about the puny nicknames they gave their borgs.
“Bad day to be a borg in umass,” reads the video’s description.
Insider contacted the University of Massachusetts and the Amherst Fire Department.
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