There are plenty of people who like a glass of wine, a pint of beer or a cocktail now and again, and while lots of people can enjoy their alcoholic beverages in moderation, there are plenty of people out there who drink regularly, and sometimes way too much. So, where do most of these people live? Well, 24/7 Tempo set out to determine the 'Most Drunk State' in the U.S.
- Overall, Wisconsin is the drunkest state in the U.S., with 24.2% of adults drinking excessively.
- Locally, RI came in 17th, while Mass. was 7th. I'm sure all those Boston colleges helped contribute to the Bay State's Top 10 rank.
- Many of the states with the highest drinking rates were located in the Midwest, including all of the top six.
- Seven of the 10 states with the lowest excessive drinking rates are in the South.
- They based their findings on excessive drinking data from the 2020 Country Health Rankings & Roadmaps, released by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation and University of Wisconsin Population Health Institute. They looked at the percentage of men and women 18 and over who report excessive drinking, as well as health outcomes like driving deaths that are alcohol related and more.
- MY THEORY.... The lowest states are in The Bible Belt, where folks may not ADMIT to drinking. The top states are in the Midwest and upper Midwest. Those are states with large populations of people of Irish and German ancestry. I'm not saying those nationalities are drunks. I'm saying drinking (and admitting to it) is more acceptable in those cultures. Some of the top 10 states also have lots of wide-open spaces, where there's nothing else to do but drink!
Top Ten Drunkest States in the U.S. (click hereto see the full list)
- Wisconsin
- North Dakota
- Iowa
- Nebraska
- Minnesota
- Illinois
- Massachusetts
- Alaska
- Hawaii
- Montana
#17 - Rhode Island
- Not all that surprising is the least drunk state in the U.S., which is Utah, where only 12.2% of adults drink excessively.
Source:24/7 Wall Street
photo: Getty Images