New Hampshire is the drunkest state in America, according to a new report from the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism.
The study calculated alcohol consumption per capita for each state using beverage sales as well as tax receipt data from 2012. Because the amount of ethanol varies among beer, wine, and spirits, researchers used a conversion to estimate average ethanol content.
The findings show the typical New Hampshire resident, age 14 or older, consumes 4.65 gallons of ethanol every year. That translates to 1.9 gallons of beer, .86 gallons of wine, and 1.89 gallons of spirits.
New Hampshire's numbers sit well above the national average of 2.33 gallons of ethanol per year. Residents in the District of Columbia, which came in second place, only consume 3.89 gallons of ethanol per year. The state with the lowest amount of consumption, 1.37 gallons per year per resident, is Utah.
As the map shows, the Northeast (and D.C.) and states in the Heartland and Mountain regions tend to imbibe more the rest of the country. Visit this link for the full data and see where your state ranks.
Healthy People 2020 has set the national objective for alcohol consumption at 2.1 gallons. While 2.3 seems relatively close, per capita consumption would need to decrease 1.3% nationally every year for eight years to reach that goal, according to the report.
Americans' consumption in 2012 actually increased 2.2% from 2.28 gallons in 2011. Only seven states' consumption decreased, including New Hampshire.
The study also analyzed long-term data. Americans' consumption steadily increased since post-Prohibition 1934 and peaked in 1980 and 1981 at 2.76 gallons. Since then, consumption has fluctuated.
Here's a breakdown, considering specific type of alcohol, since 1977. Needless to say, modern Americans love their wine.
h/t Esquire