Wisconsin: The Binge Drinking State?

What do people associate with Wisconsin? I have always heard Green Bay Packers and cheese. Interesting enough I have also heard that we are one of the leading states when it comes to binge drinking. So I did a little research and came up with some interesting facts.

What is binge drinking? There are actually a couple of definitions for binge drinking. It was often referred to as getting intoxicated over an extended period of time. Meaning that you would continuously drink for two or more days straight. Yes you would sleep but shortly after waking you would start drinking all over again. It is considered binge drinking anytime you neglect your responsibilities and stay intoxicated for two days or more.

To some binge drinking can mean to drink heavily for an evening or for about an eight hour time period or more. A common threshold for one evening was twenty five or more drinks for a man and eighteen or more for women. I am assuming that they were referring to beer consumption. That total does seem a little high for one evening even if you were drinking beer.

The National Survey on Drug and Health had did a study in 2002-2003 where it estimated that about 31% of residents (ages 12 and older) had engaged in binge drinking in the last thirty days. This was using a threshold of men having 5 drinks and women having 4 drinks or more per occasion. Binge drinking was most prevalent in the Upper Midwest. This included the states of Iowa, Colorado, Minnesota, Nebraska, Wyoming, The Dakotas, and of course Wisconsin.

Why then is the Upper Midwest leading in alcohol consumption? I have thought this one through and have come up with a few conclusions. I believe that a lot has to due with our drastic change in climate. During the colder months there really is only so much to do. People are stuck indoors more. They may go to the bar more often to just get out of the house. In the city I live in you will find a total of seven bars plus two bowling alleys that serve liquor. You may think this really is not a large number. Well the town I live in only has a total of about 5000 people. So yes drinking is a popular pastime. Some might drink due to boredom. Another reason that we may lead in binge drinking is due to our love of sports. Sport related activities are an obsession with my surrounding community. There will always be a Sunday Packer Party. More than likely you will be drinking more than just a few drinks. Being able to "handle your liquor" might also be part of our heritage. These are of course just a few conclusions that I have made. They have not been proven.

The main group of people that I think of when it comes to binge drinking are college students. Forty percent of college students are considered binge drinkers using the threshold of 5 drinks to men and 4 to women.We have all heard the stories or have even experienced them ourselves. Some argue that if the US lowered the drinking age to 18 that the number of young people binge drinking would be lowered. Some disagree. So we ask ourselves are the college students binge drinking more to be rebellious and to see if they can get away with it? Could it be just from peer pressure? Maybe they just want to feel like an adult since they are eighteen or older. As an adult they may argue that they should be able to have a drink if they want to.

I have thought back and know for a fact that I fit the binge drinking criteria in certain occasions. I think just about every adult that I know has. Specially with the 5/4 drink rule to men and women. I don't know if Wisconsin will remain as one of the leading states for binge drinking in the years to come. I do however have a feeling that it will.