Your Blackout Rage Gallon is More Dangerous Than You Think

On the corner of Lake Street, next to the Chicago Riverwalk, hundreds of young adults and teenagers had their celebratory borgs confiscated from them by police officers all day long.

If you haven’t seen on TikTok or heard from a friend, a blackout rage gallon (more commonly referred to as “borg”) is a gallon-sized bottle of water turned into an alcoholic concoction.

Borgs are half of a gallon of water mixed with variations of alcohol and flavorings. The drinker can choose what they want to add to the drink, making for an appealing approach to drinking.

“It’s a type of punch mixture,” said Sean Kelly, who participated in this trend with his friends during the Chicago St. Patrick’s Day parade.

It has been said by users on TikTok and Gen-Z members that borgs are easier to drink and help reduce the risk of a bad hangover. They are also consumed by only one person, making them more convenient and “safe” than sharing a community bowl of punch.

TikTok has made these drinks seem like a no-brainer and even includes the aspect of creativity by naming your own drink using a pun with the word “borg.”

Some use names like “Soulja Borg,” “Borgan Freeman,” or “Ice-Borg Lettuce,” referring to rapper Soulja Boy, actor Morgan Freeman, and iceberg lettuce, respectively.

There are also more trendy borg names that are related to pop-culture references such as “You don’t get to call me a Borg,” referring to a line from “Grey’s Anatomy.”

It is no secret in Chicago that St. Patrick’s Day is a large affair. The biggest attraction is the river dying, which began in 1962 and has been going strong ever since. There are also multiple parades and bar crawls that happen in the same weekend, which attracts a lot of young adults to the city.

This year, the city was flooded with young adults carrying around their water jugs of green drinks. The presence of borgs resulted in police presence and multiple people having their drinks taken away.

One girl reported that she had her borg taken away by the police while attending the festivities in Chicago on March 15.

“I was heading to the train with my friends when a cop grabbed my borg out of my hands and threw it in a pile of a ton of other borgs,” she said.

She made her borg the color green to celebrate the occasion by mixing lemonade with blue water flavoring. She said she believes that they became popular because of the fun names and the easy nature of making them.

Many other people posted on social media stating that they also had similar experiences even if they were above the legal drinking age. In Chicago, it is illegal to drink alcohol in public as well as to carry an open container of alcohol.

Social media has increased the popularity of these drinks but has not truly talked about the potential for danger. According to a study in the Health Promotion Journal of Australia, out of 103 highly viewed TikTok videos with the #borg hashtag, only nine of those videos discussed the potential health risks associated.

“You can get very intoxicated very fast,” said Jennifer Kelly, the project manager of the Chicago Riverwalk and Millennium Park. “Generally, drinking too much and sharing the Jug can be hazardous, especially when it’s being shared amongst individuals who aren’t around each other often.”

“Level of alcohol depends on how strong it was made and TBH I think Teens don’t put that much,” Kelly added. “They just carry it to look cool and to fit in with the crowds.”

According to the 2023 National Survey on Drug Use and Health, of full-time college students ages 18 to 25, 49.6% drank alcohol and 29.3% engaged in binge drinking in the past month. For the purposes of this survey, binge drinking was defined as consuming five drinks or more on one occasion for males and four drinks or more for females.

According to the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (NIAAA), drinking more than four standard drinks during a two-hour time frame is considered binge drinking. Many videos on social media are showcasing borgs that include up to a fifth of vodka, which is about 17 shots.

The most recent statistics from the NIAAA estimate that about 1,519 college students ages 18 to 24 die from alcohol-related unintentional injuries, including motor vehicle crashes.

Encouraging awareness, moderation, and understanding the risks can help shift the narrative and keep both fun and safety intact. As we continue to witness the impact of these trends, it’s essential that conversations about responsible drinking are integrated into social media discussions.

For now, whether you’re heading out for a parade or just hanging out with friends on your next St. Patty’s Day, it’s a good idea to be aware of the potential dangers and stay safe while having a good time. No viral trend is worth compromising your health or safety.