FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. (KNWA/KFTA) — A recent study shows that the average Arkansan drank 639 standard sized drinks in 2021, a 41% drop from the previous year. DrugAbuse.com, a leading provider of substance abuse treatment resources, conducted a survey of 6,370 drinkers across America and found that overall, the average drinker consumed around 13 “standard sized drinks” each week throughout 2021.
A previous study found that American drinkers each consumed 859 standard sized alcoholic drinks throughout 2020, equating to around 17 drinks per week. With a new outlook on the upcoming year, many drinkers tend to start off by declaring sobriety for Dry January.
The CDC defines “heavy drinking” as 14 drinks per week for men and seven per week for women. For reference, one standard drink is either 5 ounces of wine (12% alcohol), 12 ounces of beer (5% alcohol) or 1.5 ounces of liquor (40%) like whiskey, vodka, gin or rum.
When broken down across the US, New Mexicans drank the most alcohol in 2021, tallying an average of 15 drinks per week – or 787per year. By comparison, those in South Dakota had just 10 drinks per week (520per year), which was the lowest figure across the country. By comparison, in 2020 it was found that Alaskans drank the most at 1,404 drinks per person per year. On the other end of the scale, New Hampshire and Hawaii residents drank the least at 520 drinks per person each year.
An infographic showing consumption by state is available here.