Over the weekend, more than a dozen ambulances were called to respond to emergency situations in the small college town of Amherst, Massachusetts. The unusual situation follows a dangerous drinking game prompted by a viral TikTok video.
Twenty-eight additional ambulances were called into service on Saturday to address those alcohol-related issues related to the popular trend known as “blackout rage gallons” or “BORGs.”
According to the Western Journal, “‘BORG’ stands for and is a beverage concoction that is meant to encourage binge drinking.”
The Daily Hampshire Gazette reported that “a BORG is made up of … a fifth of vodka … water, electrolytes, and water flavoring.” Various TikTok videos have helped to popularize the dangerous trend across college campuses.
According to the Gazette, BORGs have become popular in part because the customized drink is said to minimize hangovers.
However, medical experts are linking the alcohol drinking trend to a significant uptick in alcohol poisoning incidents, as highlighted by the campus town of Amherst, Massachusetts, last weekend.
According to NBC 10 Boston, the number of reports of alcoholic poising required Amherst to summon ambulances from 11 nearby communities.
Thankfully, none of the 33 calls for medical assistance involved life-threatening injuries.
WGGB-TV reported that police arrested two teens for underage drinking.
Local leaders report that drinking over the weekend was spurred on by the annual “Blarney Blowout,” which is a pre-St. Patrick’s Day celebration.
With last weekend’s events in mind and noting that TikTok BORG videos have received more than 75 million views, Edward Blaguszewski, a spokesperson for the local university, vowed the school would take steps “to improve alcohol education and intervention.”
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