CLEVELAND, Ohio – A study has shown consumption of alcoholic drinks dropped in most states from 2020 to 2021.
Drugabuse.com, a provider of substance-abuse treatment resources, conducted a survey of 6,370 drinkers and found the average drinker consumed around 13 “standard sized drinks” weekly in 2021 – the equivalent to 676 drinks for the year. That was 18% less than consumption in 2020.
The average Ohioan drank 689 alcoholic drinks in 2021, an 11% decrease from 776 the previous year, according to the survey.
Only five states – Delaware, Hawaii, Maryland, New Hampshire and North Dakota – showed increases from 2020 to 2021.
For 2021, New Mexicans drank the most alcohol, with an average of 15 drinks per week – or 780 for the year. By comparison, those in South Dakota recorded the lowest number of drinks per week at 10 - or 520 per year.
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention defines ‘heavy drinking’ as 14 drinks per week for men, eight for women.
Possible reason for the multiple percentage decreases could be a change in routines for individuals as restrictions eased in the pandemic’s second year, as more people returned to out-of-home jobs.
Here’s the list of states and their percentages from both years.
A separate study at rehabs.com lists the percentage of fans by state who drank a six-pack of beer during the Super Bowl. Wisconsin topped the list at 37% while Idaho came in at 5%.
Ohio was at 16%. Only seven states were at or under that figure.
The study came out in January.
I am on cleveland.com’s life and culture team and cover food, beer, wine and sports-related topics. If you want to see my stories, here’s a directory on cleveland.com. Bill Wills of WTAM-1100 and I talk food and drink usually at 8:20 a.m. Thursday morning. Twitter: @mbona30.
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