NORFOLK, Va. — Your college-aged child may know about the "BORG" alcohol-drinking trend.
That robot-sounding name is short for "Blackout Rage Gallon," and it’s going viral on TikTok!
“Just in college, you just always trying to find something else to do,” said college student Andrea Amaker.
The hashtag #borg on the social media platform is up to 177 million views, and it’s where Amaker learned more about it.
“I have seen people here, like, coming in from the store with their gallons and I am like, 'What are y’all about to do?'” Amaker said. “I already know what you are about to do, I’ve seen this on TikTok!”
How much alcohol goes into this oversized drink?
Several TikTok video creators said it starts with a gallon of water and you pour half of it out. Most recipes then call for a fifth of vodka and people finish it off by adding some flavoring. Then you are ready to take your BORG on the go.
"My biggest concern was, 'Oh no, this looks like a form of binge drinking,'” said Dr. Vanessa Blowe, who is the health director for the Norfolk State University Spartan Health Center.
She said her staff tries to stay on top of the latest trends sweeping college campuses.
“As soon as I see something, I share it with my staff so we can all be looking out,” Dr. Blowe said.
USDA Dietary guidelines said moderate drinking is considered one drink a day for women, and two a day for men. Dr. Blowe said the thought of someone trying to possibly consume a fifth of alcohol in one night is alarming.
“We are thinking one drink: 12 ounces of beer, five ounces of wine, or one and a half shots of something like vodka,” Dr. Blowe said. “So you imagine if you put a fifth in there, that’s almost 10 times as much.”
She said binge drinking can lead to a variety of scary situations.
“There are over 140 deaths from alcoholic consumption every year,” Dr. Blowe said. “So people can have acute alcohol poisoning. People can become inebriated, make bad judgments, [cause] accidents.”
Dr. Blowe said no matter what, people have to keep alcohol proportions in mind.
“In one night, that is really the thing,” Dr. Blowe said. “Drinking water and hydrating can be important because we know that alcohol is a diuretic. It is kind of built on some of the proper principals, but the whole thing together just doesn’t add up to a safe event.”