Demographic Correlates Associated with Blackout Rage Gallon (BORG) Drinking Knowledge and Participation Among College...

An emergent and concerning alcohol use trend among college students is the consumption of a "blackout rage gallon" (BORG)-a gallon jug filled with a mixture of alcohol (often vodka), caffeinated beverages, water, and flavor enhancers. The aim of this exploratory study was two-fold: (1) to describe U.S. college students' direct and indirect experience with BORG drinking and (2) to identify demographic factors that correlate with BORG consumption among college student drinkers.

A cross-sectional study of college students (n = 581) was conducted using the Prolific platform in May 2024. Data were collected on drinking status, BORG knowledge and involvement, and demographic characteristics (age, sex, and ethnoracial group). Descriptive statistics across drinking status and bivariate tests of association were used to address study aims.

The majority of nondrinkers (62%) had not heard of BORG while the majority of current drinkers knew someone who engaged in BORG (31.9%) or had tried BORG themselves (20%). Participants who had engaged in BORG drinking were significantly younger than those who had heard about BORG drinking (p = 0.001) and those who had never heard of BORG drinking (p < 0.001). There were no differences by sex or ethnoracial group.

BORG drinking represents a novel and potentially widespread phenomena among college drinkers. Additional research is needed to understand the motivations for BORG drinking, and how BORG drinking fits into the landscape of college alcohol use behaviors. These data are essential for developing timely and appropriate interventions to reduce immediate and long-term harm from this hazardous drinking practice.