46 university students hospitalized after TikTok challenge

A new viral TikTok drinking challenge dubbed "blackout rage gallons" — "borg" for short — led to the hospitalization of 46 University of Massachusetts students in Boston, CBS News reported. 

Borgs are "one-gallon containers of water that are emptied a bit, and then filled with alcohol and some kind of flavoring, such as water-enhancing drops or powdered drink mixes," according to CBS. Caffeine is sometimes added as well. 

A statement from the university said "many students were observed carrying plastic gallon containers, believed to be 'borgs,'" and that "this is the first time the university has observed notable use of borgs."

All University of Massachusetts students were discharged with non-life-threatening conditions.

The trend was previously reported in February at the University of Dayton in Ohio, though no known hospitalizations were associated with it there at that time, according to WHIO News

Physicians at an Ohio hospital told WHIO "if the drinking trend continues, they will not be surprised when students start showing up at the emergency room."

A tutorial on how to make a borg was posted by a University of Texas (Austin) student calling it a "heart attack in a jug." Some comments on the video praise the drink, calling the jug mixture "next level," because it is meant to be carried in a capped gallon container, which could help prevent it from being spiked with date rape drugs.

According to CBS News, "#Borg" currently has upward of 82.5 million views on TikTok.

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