Blackout Rage Gallons: The Modern Day Jungle Juice College Students Are Using to Get (Very) Drunk
In the days surrounding St. Patrick’s Day, East Lansing neighborhoods were filled with Michigan State University students carrying brightly colored gallon jugs.
Commonly known as BORGs, or Blackout Rage Gallons, the homemade drink is popular on holidays and big weekends for MSU sports teams. The size of the jugs students use to create BORGs allows for a dangerous amount of alcohol. The drink is often made by mixing an entire fifth-gallon of vodka, about 17 servings, with water and an additive containing electrolytes, like Mio.
Many students see BORGs as a safer way to drink, because they control what is in their drink and their concoction includes electrolytes. But medical professionals warn the drink can contain dangerous amounts of alcohol, and there have been instances where BORGs have been linked to mass alcohol-poisoning events, including an incident where 46 University of Massachusetts students were hospitalized.
BORG isn’t just a drink for many students, it’s a social trend and an opportunity to showcase creativity. Most students paint a design on their jug and come up with a catchy name for their drink like “The Gettys-Borg Address” or “I Think, There-Borg I am.”
“On big holidays like St. Patrick’s Day, it’s just fun and funny to have one and carry it around. It’s a lot of alcohol for a very cheap price,” said Brady, a sophomore kinesiology student.
“It takes a lot of preparation, you’ve been thinking of BORG names a couple weeks prior,” said Luke, a junior applied engineering student.
It isn’t hard to find a crowd of students carrying BORGs during busy weekends, even though the trend violates the open alcohol ordinance in the East Lansing City Code.
“It’s important to highlight that any container that has alcohol in it that does not have a factory seal is open alcohol,” said ELPD Public Information Officer Capt. Adrian Ojerio.
Due to the open alcohol ordinance in the city of East Lansing, any student walking around in a public area with a BORG could receive a citation. The amount of alcohol in the drinks is also a concern for police.
“It has some significant health concerns. It’s exposing people to risks – including poor decision making – that doesn’t need to happen,” Ojerio said.
“It puts people at serious liability for injuring themselves or hurting other people, so the police department doesn’t support BORGs or gallons of open alcohol that people may carry around.”
Students look forward to creating colorful BORGs with funny names, but some see the risk too.
“I know people who get the caffeinated Mio, because they want to stay energized longer. One of my friends had a heart issue because of the caffeinated Mio last year,” said Brady.
According to the CDC, mixing alcohol and caffeine can cause higher blood pressure, irregular heartbeat, and dehydration
Both Luke and Brady said they recognize the risks of the trend, but that some students don’t know their limits.
BORGs violate a city ordinance, but medical amnesty allows students to seek emergency help for alcohol and drug related issues without facing disciplinary action.
“I hope that all of our visitors, all of our students, and all of our residents choose wisely and partake in the celebrations responsibly,” Ojerio said.