November 15, 2007: World Map of Alcohol Consumption

Clodfobble • Nov 15, 2007 2:47 pm
So who's the booziest people of them all? Why, it's Luxembourg! Followed closely by... New Hampshire? It's true. (Or at least it was back in 2003.)

Image

From here, which is generally an awesome site for interesting statistics of varying degrees of uselessness.

Below the map at the link is a more detailed breakdown of the actual rankings. Not surprising to see Nevada, Ireland, or France at the top of the list... but did you know that Texas drinks less than the national average? Most of the South does, in fact. And Mexico is second-to-last, only beating out Turkey (though the rest of the Middle East has no data, otherwise there would surely be more.) I guess they're busy exporting all their tequila to D.C. and New Hampshire.
Shawnee123 • Nov 15, 2007 2:54 pm
Hey, I can see my house!

That's interesting. I'm surprised that Texas is where Utah is.


edit: umm, er, sorry I was looking at Mexico. Duh. Laughing heartily at myself. :blush:
icileparadise • Nov 15, 2007 3:00 pm
Canada looks surprisingly low' is that due to sparse population becoz Alaska seems to rally the % but... it's even less populated.
Bullitt • Nov 15, 2007 3:06 pm
Ireland is holding up their reputation nicely it seems. :beer:
Spexxvet • Nov 15, 2007 3:08 pm
Shawnee123;407432 wrote:
Hey, I can see my house!
...


Is it red, you lush?
Sundae • Nov 15, 2007 3:14 pm
Mine is lily the pink - must try harder
Shawnee123 • Nov 15, 2007 3:20 pm
Spexxvet;407443 wrote:
Is it red, you lush?


No, itsh pink and it looksh like an ele...ephel...a big gray animal.:guinness:
Spexxvet • Nov 15, 2007 3:21 pm
Hefelump?
Shawnee123 • Nov 15, 2007 3:23 pm
I don't know what that means but you may certainly NOT hefalump me!
glatt • Nov 15, 2007 3:31 pm
I believe New Hampshire has no state tax on its booze. It also has state liquor stores with their own exits right off of 95, including the exit closest to the Maine border. Many people stop and buy liquor in New Hampshire on their way into Maine. Notice New Hampshire seems to consume a lot, but Maine only consumes a little? I bet they average out to equal the rest of New England.
Cicero • Nov 15, 2007 3:33 pm
Thank you Clod...

I wondered when people were going to start making maps tailored to my needs!!
:)
icileparadise • Nov 15, 2007 3:35 pm
Seriously Bullitt on Eire I D'accord wit you(take note Sundae girl) I wuz invited to a Catholic gig in Greewhich' England on St. Patrick's night. I can drink but there, I could not cope. Unbelievable.
Sundae • Nov 15, 2007 3:39 pm
Being of Irish descent - more recent that most Irish Americans - and from a Catholic family, I was already genetically pre-disposed to drinking most of my friends under the table. I'm now trying to persuade myself it's a far better challenge to be the one to say "Stop".
Cicero • Nov 15, 2007 4:09 pm
lol!!!
Sarasvati48 • Nov 15, 2007 4:23 pm
Greenland?! Really?!
Kitsune • Nov 15, 2007 4:41 pm
Woo-hoo! Go Florida! Florida is 9-10!

...9-10 what? Drinks per day? Liters per year? Shots per week? Beers per person at an average party on a weekend?
Clodfobble • Nov 15, 2007 4:44 pm
Liters per person per year, I believe.
jbolty • Nov 15, 2007 5:11 pm
glatt;407455 wrote:
I believe New Hampshire has no state tax on its booze. It also has state liquor stores with their own exits right off of 95, including the exit closest to the Maine border. Many people stop and buy liquor in New Hampshire on their way into Maine. Notice New Hampshire seems to consume a lot, but Maine only consumes a little? I bet they average out to equal the rest of New England.


Also sticking up for New Hampshire. There is no bottle bill there for returnables and it is a huge tourist destination, same as Nevada. So all the surrounding states go there to buy stuff. Still, plenty of drunks though. Just not as many as it would appear.

:)
xoxoxoBruce • Nov 15, 2007 6:23 pm
The South looks low because they don't count moonshine.
maximum • Nov 15, 2007 7:39 pm
Delaware is holding it down in the TOP 10!
nil_orally • Nov 15, 2007 9:57 pm
This map must be in error, or else how can you explain the poms beating us aussies? I can understand how we can lord it over the bloody kiwis (not even a challenge, really), but how can the limp-wristed pommies out-do us in anything?
Sperlock • Nov 15, 2007 10:20 pm
Does it really count if all the people from Utah are coming over here to Nevada to drink? :D
ZenGum • Nov 15, 2007 11:50 pm
So many comments:
Does "liters" mean liters of pure alcohol or liters of alcoholic beverage? 1 liter of beer is not equal to 1 liter of spirits!
This is based on alcohol sales, and consumption is inferred. Hence the New Hampshire effect and moonshine not being recorded.
Turkey's low score is probably related to the majority Muslim make up, for whom alcohol is forbidden.
Most startling thing: calling this a World Map of Alcohol Consumption! Who started this thread?! Miss Teen South Carolina?! :lol:
SteveDallas • Nov 16, 2007 12:17 am
maximum;407563 wrote:
Delaware is holding it down in the TOP 10!

Delaware also has tax-free liquor and stores close to the border of PA. (They even put circulars in the Sunday Philadelphia Inquirer.)

As far as the southern states go... my guess is that the people who drink drink as much a anywhere else, but that the percentage of teetotalers is higher.
Scriveyn • Nov 16, 2007 3:19 am
Top three:
Luxembourg 15.5
New Hampshire 15.2334
District of Columbia 14.5152


Luxembourg, one of the seats of European government
District of Columbia, seat of U.S. government

Politics takes it's toll

(and yes, it's litres of pure alcohol per person and year)
Fa- • Nov 16, 2007 6:11 am
nil_orally;407588 wrote:
This map must be in error, or else how can you explain the poms beating us aussies? I can understand how we can lord it over the bloody kiwis (not even a challenge, really), but how can the limp-wristed pommies out-do us in anything?


you didnt seem to drink all that much when i was there, granted you would drink throughout the day :D - but people didnt seem to binge drink like people do over here in little old England.
Sundae • Nov 16, 2007 6:41 am
We're lumped in with the Scots remember ;)
Coign • Nov 16, 2007 3:28 pm
Wisconsin only has 10-11? I think they must be buying their liquor from somewhere else. Those people drink like fish. I know, I lived right across the border in Duluth, MN and we always went over there to drink. They have more bars than churches.
Cloud • Nov 16, 2007 3:33 pm
what are poms?
DanaC • Nov 16, 2007 3:35 pm
people from britain
Cloud • Nov 16, 2007 3:46 pm
ah. thanks. It was ringing a faint bell, but it's not a term we hear much.

Do people really call us "merkins"?
Sundae • Nov 16, 2007 3:47 pm
Cloud;407844 wrote:
Do people really call us "merkins"?

Yup :)
Griff • Nov 16, 2007 7:37 pm
IQ.
Undertoad • Nov 16, 2007 7:39 pm
That's not an actual IQ map, it's somebody's idea of a joke.
Griff • Nov 16, 2007 7:49 pm
Yeh, I saw that when I googled. Didn't we IOTD this, bad science and all?

On an alcohol induced stream of con note, I actually used the words "That is not good behavioral science." In a discussion this week. I don't think I made a friend.
DanaC • Nov 17, 2007 5:39 am
lol. Love it Griff. I wish I could work that into a conversation :)

One line that I did find myself using last week, was the arch-political phrase:

"You might say that, but I couldn't possibly comment".

Direct quote from Yes Minister. Been waiting to use that line for a long time lol. Basically its a way of agreeing with the comment whilst distancing oneself from it.
Gravdigr • Nov 18, 2007 7:07 am
Shawnee123;407449 wrote:
No, itsh pink and it looksh like an ele...ephel...a big gray animal.:guinness:


Spexxvet;407451 wrote:
Hefelump?


Snuffalupagus?
Anada • Nov 18, 2007 11:47 am
Really Mexico has is among the lowest in alcohol consumption? One would think otherwise... Well.. on second thought, Mexico is on top of soft drink consumption, no room for booze I guess.
TheMercenary • Nov 18, 2007 12:21 pm
Whoever came up with that map obviously has never spent anytime in Georgia.
ViennaWaits • Nov 19, 2007 10:40 pm
TheMercenary;408264 wrote:
Whoever came up with that map obviously has never spent anytime in Georgia.


Or, clearly, downtown Columbus after an OSU/Michigan game. Ugh.
Shawnee123 • Nov 20, 2007 11:46 am
ViennaWaits;408833 wrote:
Or, clearly, downtown Columbus after an OSU/Michigan game. Ugh.


True! :D
morie • Nov 29, 2007 10:27 am
thanks to whoever posted this. it's reminded me that i'm not drunk enough at the present moment so off i go to down a couple.

Morie
www.anthology.page.tl