As college students, most of us can probably remember a night where one drink turned into one too many drinks. Over the last few years, the number of those nights has been on the rise throughout the country. Heavy drinking is up more than 17 percent since 2005.
Between 2005 and 2012, the percentage of people who drink in the US remained at 56 percent, but the number of binge drinkers rose 9 percent. Some states, like Utah and West Virginia, remain fairly low in alcohol consumption, while others have been climbing. These 11 states are the highest in alcohol consumption, per capita, as of 2013, according to the National Institute of Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism.
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11. South Dakota
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In 2013, South Dakota residents consumed 1,915,000 gallons of alcohol, totaling 2.81 gallons per capita. To put that in perspective, that means that South Dakota drank about 123,548 kegs over the course of the year.
10. Idaho
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Idaho residents also drank about 2.81 gallons of alcohol per capita, which comes out to 3,592,000 gallons total. That means that Idaho drank about 231,741 kegs in 2013.
9. Colorado
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Like Idaho, Colorado residents drank about 2.81 gallons of alcohol, totaling 12,071,000 gallons consumed throughout the state. That equals a whopping 778,774 kegs.
8. Wisconsin
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With a bit of a climb from Colorado’s consumption, Wisconsin residents drank 3 gallons per capita. In total, they drank 14,211,000 gallons. To put that insane amount in perspective, that equals 916,838 kegs consumed in just one year.
7. Vermont
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Like Wisconsin, Vermont residents drank 3 gallons per capita. Because the state has a significantly smaller population, the number of gallons consumed is a little less shocking. In total, 1,605,000 gallons were consumed, which amounts to 103,548 kegs.
6. Montana
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Montana climbed slightly higher, with 3.07 gallons per capita. In total, the state consumed 2,580,000 gallons in 2013, which comes out to 166,451 kegs.
5. Nevada
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Considering it’s the state that’s home to Las Vegas, maybe it’s not all that shocking Nevada’s on this list. Per capita, Nevada drank 3.31 gallons. In total, that makes 7,529,000 gallons, which equals 485,742 kegs.
4. North Dakota
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Yup, North Dakota residents are surprisingly pretty high on the list, with 3.38 gallons consumed per capita. In total, that makes 2,010,000 gallons drank in total, or 129,677 kegs.
3. Delaware
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In 2013, Delaware residents managed to drink 3.6 gallons per capita. In total, they drank 2,758,000 gallons, or 177,935 kegs.
2. Washington D.C.
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Although it is technically not one of the states, the National Institute of Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism includes D.C., most likely because it is so incredibly high on the list. Although it’s a relatively small region, this population managed to drink 2,150,000 gallons total, or 138,710 kegs. Per capita, that makes 3.87 gallons.
1. New Hampshire
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New Hampshire beat out all the other states and it was by a pretty big margin. Per capita, New Hampshire residents drank 4.68 gallons. In total, they drank 5,262,000 gallons, or 338,194 kegs.