Just how well do Texans hold their liquor? A new study finds the Lone Star State is the 39th “drunkest” state in America, with just over half—51.72 percent—of adults drinking regularly.
Released last week, the report from SafeHome.org analyzed the most recent data from the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Service Administration, the CDC, and the FBI to rank all 50 states (plus the District of Columbia) with metrics including binge-drinking rates, alcohol consumption per capita, and craft breweries per drinking-age adult, among others.
According to the study, our nation’s capital is the booziest, perhaps unsurprisingly—the current political situation would drive anyone to drink, after all. D.C. has the highest rates of adults who regularly drink (just over 70 percent) and binge-drink (nearly 40 percent), and there was a 7.7 percent increase in the rate of adult drinking between 2008 and 2017.
For comparison, Texas saw a 1.7 percent decrease in the adult drinking rate during that time. About a quarter of adults here report regularly binge-drinking; we’re home to 1.4 craft breweries per drinking-age adult (compared to No. 2 drunkest state Vermont’s 13.5), and the alcohol consumption per capita (for people 14 and older) is 2.34 gallons annually, about on par with the national average. (And, if you’re looking for a new place to imbibe in Houston, might we suggest these 47?)
The driest state in the nation? Arkansas, with about 43 percent of adults drinking regularly, 21 percent binge-drinking regularly, an annual alcohol consumption rate of 1.82 gallons per capita, and a nearly 7 percent decrease in the rate of adult drinking from 2008-2017.
While the study itself didn’t compare data on alcoholism rates, drinking-related deaths, or arrests stemming from drinking, SafeHome did find seven states appeared in the top-10 for both overall drunkenness and dangerous drinking, and thankfully, Texas is not among them. They are Colorado, Iowa, Montana, North Dakota, South Dakota, Vermont, and Wisconsin.
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