Americans are drinking more these days. According to a recent report from the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism, Americans on average drank more alcohol than what is considered a “healthy” amount by the end of 2016. Though there are countless factors that may contribute to this, a large consensus seems to point to a certain election and the subsequent desire to drown ones sorrows as the culprit.
That “healthy” amount—2.1 gallons of ethanol alcohol (or less) per person per year, which equals about 448 standard drinks per person per year—was set by Healthy People 2020, a government initiative aimed at doing exactly what it sounds like: promoting better living for Americans. In 2016, the national per capita alcohol consumption reached 2.35 gallons, which was a .9 percent increase over 2015.
10. South Dakota (2.87 gallons per capita)
9. Idaho (2.92 gallons per capita)
8. Alaska (2.94 gallons per capita)
7. Wisconsin (2.98 gallons per capita)
6. Vermont (3.08 gallons per capita)
5. Montana (3.11 gallons per capita)
4. North Dakota (3.26 gallons per capita)
3. Nevada (3.46 gallons per capita)
2. Delaware (3.72 gallons per capita)
1. New Hampshire (4.76 gallons per capita)
