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Study Links College ‘BORG’ Jugs to Blackouts and Other Alcohol Harms

Peer‑reviewed data reject influencer claims that mixers or electrolytes reduce risk and have prompted calls for stronger campus education and prevention.

Overview

  • Researchers led by Andrea C. King surveyed just over 100 U.S. college students and published their findings in the Journal of Studies on Alcohol and Drugs.
  • Nearly one third of respondents reported memory blackouts after drinking from a BORG and 59% said they did or said something embarrassing.
  • Seventeen percent vomited and the survey recorded instances of injuries and emergency‑room visits linked to BORG use.
  • A single BORG can hold as much as a fifth of liquor—about 17 standard drinks—and sweet mixers or caffeine make that alcohol easier to drink quickly.
  • Despite the harms, many participants said they plan to keep using BORGs, and the study’s authors urge targeted campus prevention, clearer education for students and parents, and correction of misleading social‑media harm‑reduction messages.