America’s Biggest Binge Drinkers Are In D.C.

booze-bar

At least that’s what a Bloomberg’s interpretation of data from the National Survey on Drug Use and Health. The District was on top with more than 30% of adults reporting having indulged in binge drinking within the last month, followed in the top five by North Dakota, Rhode Island, South Dakota, and Wisconsin.

Tyler Durden prepared this handy chart form the Bloomberg data:

Binge Drinking

 

Somehow, it seems appropriate.

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Doug Mataconis
About Doug Mataconis
Doug Mataconis held a B.A. in Political Science from Rutgers University and J.D. from George Mason University School of Law. He joined the staff of OTB in May 2010 and contributed a staggering 16,483 posts before his retirement in January 2020. He passed far too young in July 2021.

Comments

  1. DrDaveT says:

    I seem to recall you pointing out to me just last week that, hey, DC isn’t actually a state, it’s just a mid-sized city. Rhode Island is close to that.

    I think the takeaway here is:

    1) People who admit to binge drinking tend to live in cities
    2) Those Norwegian bachelor farmers are gonna need liver transplants

  2. Franklin says:

    I get Utah. But why is North Carolina full of teetotalers? (Yes I realize that’s not precisely what’s being measured here …)

  3. Tillman says:

    …we smoke weed? I don’t know, that’s a little surprising.

  4. al-Ameda says:

    @Franklin:

    I get Utah. But why is North Carolina full of teetotalers? (Yes I realize that’s not precisely what’s being measured here …)

    Because Black Tar(Heel) Heroin is the preferred substance product?

  5. Dave Schuler says:

    Do they give an exact address? I’m thinking First Street SE.

  6. PD Shaw says:

    A few points about the data: Its for people ages 26 and older, so I imagine the numbers would be much higher if it started with 21. Binge drinking is five or more drinks on the same occasion.

    The biggest denomination in North Carolina is Southern Baptist. The second is Methodist, which can be temperate in certain congregations.

  7. PD Shaw says:

    @Tillman: Just ran across this study that suggests the opposite:

    MMLs [medical marijuana laws] increased the frequency of binge drinking by 6-9 percent, but MMLs did not affect drinking behavior among those 12-20 years old . . .

    Link

  8. James Joyner says:

    @DrDaveT: Well, that was me, not Doug. And, yes, I think you’re right (on this one, not the notion that it’s a fair comparison). It makes for amusing jokes but it’s not an apples to oranges comparison.