College kids are defending drinking 'borgs,' saying warnings against them are overblown and miss the point

• College students don't want to stop drinking from "borgs" despite increasing warnings.
• The "black out rage gallon" is having a moment, both on TikTok and in the news.
• Those who use them say borgs offer safety and control compared to old-school college drinking.

College students defiantly showed off their "borgs" this week, doubling down the TikTok-famous drinking trend which they say older people are misrepresenting as a threat to their health.

They were pushing back after borgs — short for "black-out rage gallons" —  were blamed for a series of ambulance call-outs to parties around the University of Massachusetts.

Borgs are plastic gallon bottles filled with water, spirits, and other flavorings and enhancers. TikTok is full of posts about them, from tutorials for making one to posts celebrating punny names for their drinks.

"bad day to be a borg at umass," TikToker said one UMass student in a recent post, giving her name only as Kelley.

In the TikTok she made her way around an Irish-themed party asking fellow students to reveal the names of their borgs. Answers included  "Justin Borgber," "Borgan Freeman," and "Borg Leaf Clover."

Health experts and parents have expressed concern about borgs, arguing that they encourage binge-drinking. Students who spoke to Insider are, by and large, not buying that.

"Borgs have honestly been around for years on college campuses," said Bella Alonzo, a University of Texas student who went viral at the end of last year for her borg recipe, which received 2.5 million views.

"I see so many news outlets like reposting my TikTok and putting out statements and stuff, and half of them don't even know what a borg actually is," she told Insider. "It's just kinda funny."

The students speaking to Insider noted that college kids drinking is hardly new — and argue that borgs are a safer way to party.

Alonzo rejected the claim that borgs are a "binge drinking trend," like the UMass statement claimed.

"I think borgs are actually a really good kind of drinking trend to be on, because when you think about it, you have a drink that you can bring to a party or wherever you're going and you know exactly what's inside of it," she said.

Drinking from Solo cups or other open containers means more chance of a drink getting spiked, the argument goes.

Borgs could even help people who want to stay sober, Alonzo said.

"You can have as little or even as much alcohol as you want in it," she said. "You could really even just put water and food coloring and nobody even knows that you're not drinking. They're not gonna ask you questions about it."

Natalie Payne, a West Virginia University student who made her first borg in October, told Insider borgs are "definitely overrated," but "fun to make," and that people are "for sure" going to keep drinking them regardless.

"I guess you can never be too safe when it comes to binge drinking, but I don't think it's anything to worry about more than how much college students already drink," she said.

"The borg at least ensures they are drinking some water too."

Most people Payne knows don't get "completely wasted" while drinking borgs because it takes a long time to get through it, she said. They're not a predrink, or something to chug, but meant to last a whole night.

"Also, you can walk around with it," she said. "While if cops see you walking around with a can of alcohol they will take it away."

Alonzo's recipe where she included electrolytes and an energy drink to try and prevent an early hangover was her own creation, she said, and a little different to the classic borg.

She said she was a little annoyed that news outlets presented her innovation as something everybody was doing. But overall, she believes borgs will remain a staple on campuses across the US, especially on snow days, at "darties" — day parties — or concerts, simply because they are so convenient. 

"You can still have fun and keep yourself safe at the same time. I think that's the take that every university should be taking on it," she said. "I think they're here to stay."