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[Jacobus]

According to this article:

http://gantdaily.com/2011/11/17/drinking-in-the-u-s-hit-a-25-year-high-in-2010/

"New Englanders and people in the far West and the Upper Plains states drink the most, according to the Washington based trade group, the Beer Institute. The driest states are spread across the Deep South, Texas and the mid-Atlantic (except Washington D.C.).

New Hampshire takes the top spot as the state that drinks the most, more than double the national average. People in N.H. consumed an average 6.7 gallons of wine apiece, and 3.8 gallons of liquor in 2010."

Woo hoo?

[JasonPSorens]

Distorted stats, actually, based on purchasing figures - but people from neighboring states buy a lot of that booze.

[rossby]

Distorted stats, actually, based on purchasing figures - but people from neighboring states buy a lot of that booze.

Pretty much.

[freedomroad]

http://images.businessweek.com/slideshows/20110622/america-s-biggest-beer-drinkers/slides/26

New Hampshire's per capita beer sales exceeded all other states': about 32.7 gallons, or nearly 350 12-oz. cans, according to Beer Institute data. Part of this is due to a high consumption rate—New Hampshire had the highest rate of alcohol use in the past month, 63.1 percent, in a survey by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, a federal agency. Another factor boosting state sales is the lack of a sales tax, drawing some shoppers from surrounding states such as Massachusetts and Maine, according to Lester Jones, chief economist of the Beer Institute.

NH also has a higher rate of marijuana use than most states.  However, NH has an older population than most states.  Older people tend to use marijuana less than younger people.  Among younger people, NH has one of the highest rates of marijuana use in the nation.

Why does NH have such high usage rates of alcohol (and/or sales) and marijuana?

It could be many things.  Here are some theories:

• People with more money, are more likely to drink.  NH has the lowest poverty rate and the highest median household income averaged over 2 years in the US.
• People with a higher IQ are more likely to do drugs.  NH students and adults continuously rank at the top or near the top of study after study on education.
• There are lots of breweries in NH and the region.
• NH has alcohol sales on Sunday with even Sunday morning liquor sales.
• Some of the NH colleges including KSC and UNH have a reputation as party schools.
• Many kids learn how to make hard apple cider growing up in NH.
• Lots of people with money vacation in NH.  Many of these people are drinkers.
• NH is the least religious state.  The most religious people tend to drink at the lowest rates.
• NH has the lowest alcohol prices in the Northeast and on some items, maybe the entire nation.  
• People routinely travel from as far away as CT to buy alcohol in NH.
• People drive through NH on their way to and from ME.  Both of the most traveled roads from ME to MA have a NH State Liquor store on them.
• NH has both rock climbing and snow boarding cultures.  Lots of people in both groups like to use marijuana.
• NH has one of the highest non-hispanic white populations in the US.  Non-hispanic whites tend to drink in higher percentages than hispanics and blacks.

[Alex Libman]

Very good points, LoveAndPeace.  Would have been more readable if formatted with some list tags though.  And you can't blame "white people" in general - we all know it's the Irish.   

Yeah this data is tainted with inaccuracies, including an unmeasured number of booze buyers from outside the state (tourists and noble sales tax dodgers), the Southern tradition of unlicensed distilling, etc.  Perhaps our PhD'ed superior here can put together a magical computer model that fills in all those unknowns with perfect accuracy.   

What I find most interesting is that Alaska ranks so low for alcohol, perhaps because it ranks so high for pot.  Maybe Eastern Europe could solve many of its ills if it legalized the latter...   

[freedomroad]

What I find most interesting is that Alaska ranks so low for alcohol, perhaps because it ranks so high for pot.  Maybe Eastern Europe could solve many of its ills if it legalized the latter...   

Parts of Alaska are dry.  Many of the people that live there, are part-time residents that claim AK for tax reasons.  The fisherman tend not to drink a lot when where are at sea.  Alcohol is very expensive in AK.  I think it is not only has the highest taxes on alcohol, but it's just damn expensive to ship it there.  I have no doubt a lot of people in the urban parts of AK drink but it is really expensive.  I remember looking at the prices when I was there over the summer.  Some of the prices were twice as high as NH.

As for non-hispanic whites vs. Irish.  I don't know the numbers but men tend to drink more than women.  Non-hispanic whites tend to drink more than blacks which tend to drink more than hispanics.

[Alex Libman]

New Hampshire has a lot of things going for it to increase per-capita alcohol consumption.  Here's an article with more statistics.  Interesting fact: on average, homosexual individuals drink more that straights, and New Hampshire already is the gayest state in the country (just after DC)...  And those are the pre-Dalebear numbers!  

[swamp_yankee]

There may be an iota of truth to the Irish thing. But I think its more of a Catholic thing.

Most states have large evangelical populations that weigh their stats down. Many also have large Mormon populations and other orthodox religions.

[freedomroad]

http://salem-nh.patch.com/articles/grocers-house-leaders-announce-new-initiative-in-windham-video#video-8510268

From the video.  Over 2000 sellers in NH.  Close to 40% of all sales to out of state consumers.  For price sensitive items like alcohol and tobacco it averages at least 50% and if you get closer to the border, even higher than that.

[TheMagicBullet]

I am truly home here 

[Ward Griffiths]

I will no longer be able to support those statistics after moving to NH.  I have just passed a year with disulfiram (aka antabuse) as my higher power.  One day at a damned time.

[Pat K]

Congrats Ward. Um it don't affect the Chili none, do it ?

[Ward Griffiths]

No.  While I will still use some beer in the chili itself, not enough ethanol is ever left after cooking to matter.  It's just no longer many times as much beer going into the cook as going into the chili.  In all honesty, I am still of mixed emotions about this.  Several people (including both of the women I love) have told me I am a nicer person sober, but I can't see any difference, except that I seem to be suffering a long bout of writer's block.