PEORIA, Ill. (WMBD) — A new social media trend involving binge drinking is becoming more popular on college campuses. “Borgs”, which is an acronym for “Blackout Rage Gallon”, is being considered a drinking alternative for college students.
A “Borg” is a mix of alcohol, water, sweet flavorings, and electrolytes. Proponents of the drink say that it allows you to stay hydrated while you drink and, as long as you monitor the lid, limits your risk of being spiked. However, while students may think water and electrolytes can prevent side effects, healthcare professionals say this line of thinking is misguided.
“All you’re doing is just slightly diluting the amount of alcohol, but just from the stories that I have read on this, you’re still talking about a very high percentage of alcohol by volume, and also a high overall volume of alcoholic liquid,” said Dr. Deepak Nair, a neurologist at OSF Healthcare.
Nair also mentioned that repetitive binge drinking can cause permanent brain damage.
“High quantities of alcohol have a tendency to impact the memory centers of our brain, when those parts of the brain are damaged, it can permanently impair our ability to store memory and so at the end stage, where we meet patients like this, not only can they not store new memories and recall memories effectively, their brain starts to make up details about their own life,” said Nair.
