“We will have zero tolerance,” Police Commissioner Michael Cox said at a press conference Thursday. “This is a wonderful event. It’s a family-friendly event, but the expectations are, it’s not a drink fest.”
Authorities made several arrests last year, and summonsed others to court, related to disorderly conduct and fighting during the parade.
Here’s what to know about BORGs.
The gallon jugs, typically filled with alcohol mixed water and caffeine or electrolyte mixes, have become popular in recent years among college students at large gatherings. Students often decorate containers by naming their BORGs with puns (Borgalicous, Star Borgs, Ruth Bader Ginsborg).
But doctors say they can cause serious health effects.
Dr. Lauren Rice, an attending physician and chief of pediatric emergency medicine at Tufts Medical Center, said the concoctions are dangerous because they pack a potent amount of alcohol. The hospital sees the impact during St. Patrick’s Day, she said.
“In the emergency department, we see the after-effects of the consumption,” Rice said. “So excessive alcohol intake leading to things like injury, falls, head trauma, assault.”
While some students believe the added water or electrolytes can reduce harm, Rice said the amount of alcohol consumed in a BORG makes it dangerous.
“It tends to be entirely too much alcohol for any one person to ingest,” she said. “The risk of consuming that much alcohol is far outweighed by any potential benefit of adding in a little extra water or electrolyte.”
She added that alcohol consumption can be especially harmful for young adults whose brains are still developing. However, the immediate concerns remains to be safety.
“Our brains still develop until we’re about 25 years old, and so any alcohol consumption at that young age can definitely have an impact on your brain development,” Rice said.
City officials said the main reason for the zero tolerance alcohol policy is that underage drinking and public drinking are against the law.
“Being underage and being youthful, poor decisions that they make, it’s just not a good combination,” Cox told the Globe at the conference.
Kai Hamazaki, 22, a senior at Northeastern University, said putting a restriction on BORGs might end up backfiring.
“When you announce an outright ban, it kind of encourages people to do it more,” Hamazaki said Thursday on the campus. “The repercussions can even be bigger. So I’m curious to see what will happen.”
Matthew Eviston, 19, a business administration student at Northeastern, said that while officials take the danger posed by BORGs seriously, many students do not.
“That doesn’t really stop any students from using them,” Eviston said while on his way to lunch with friends. “They’re still a big thing every year, and I think it helps bolster a good sense of community.”
Eviston said he will be attending the parade of Sunday, though not with a BORG.
Cox said the goal is not to stop celebration but to ensure the parade remains safe and respectful for residents of South Boston.
“Come enjoy the city, enjoy the events, the food and all things associated with it,” the commissioner said. “But don’t come to be disruptive in our city, to drink in excess or do anything in excess, and certainly no violence of any kind. It won’t be tolerated.”
Aayushi Datta can be reached at aayushi.datta@globe.com.