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20 States that Drink the Least Alcohol per Capita

Sultan Khalid
9 min read

In This Article:

In this article, we are going to discuss the 20 states that drink the least alcohol per capita. You can skip our detailed analysis of the economic cost of excessive drinking, a new pharmaceutical breakthrough that could help reduce alcohol abuse, and a company promoting sobriety as part of its workplace culture, and go directly to 5 States that Drink the Least Alcohol per Capita. 

There is a substantial amount of evidence that suggests that any alcohol consumption, however moderate, can have negative health consequences. Even low levels of drinking can increase the risk of heart disease, high blood pressure, and even certain types of cancer. Understanding that there is no such thing as risk-free drinking, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention defines moderate drinking as 2 drinks or less per day for men, and no more than one drink per day for women. Still, despite the well-publicized health risks, more than two-thirds of adult drinkers regularly exceed those levels. 

The Economic Cost of Excessive Drinking: 

The top 10% of American drinkers, which equates to around 24 million people, consume an average of 74 alcoholic drinks each week. If you break that number out, that means they consume a little more than 10 drinks each day.

As we mentioned in our article – 30 Drunkest Cities in America in 2023 – excessive use of alcohol costs the U.S. economy almost $250 billion per year. The federal government picks up roughly $100 billion of the tab, largely through Medicare and Medicaid payments. Several evidence-based strategies can help reduce excessive drinking, including increasing alcohol excise taxes, limiting alcohol outlet density, and commercial host liability. 

Pharmaceutical Breakthrough: 

Ozempic and Wegovy are two drugs developed by Novo Nordisk A/S (NYSE:NVO) that have recently become uber-popular in the U.S. The drugs are once-weekly injectables of a medication called semaglutide, prescribed for Type 2 diabetes and weight loss. However, doctors and patients have begun to notice a striking side effect of these drugs – they appear to reduce people's cravings for alcohol, nicotine, and opioids.

As it turns out, these drugs don't just work on blood sugar, but also on the brain. The mechanism in the brain that regulates overeating overlaps with those responsible for the development and maintenance of addiction, including alcohol disorder, according to Dr. Lorenzo Leggio, clinical director of the National Institute of Drug Abuse.

In the past year, prescriptions for both Ozempic and Wegovy have skyrocketed, despite the fact that each costs about $1,000 a month and some health insurers recently stopped covering them. Their increasing popularity has boosted Novo Nordisk A/S (NYSE:NVO) to new heights, and the Danish pharmaceutical giant is now the Most Valuable Company in Europe by market cap, with currently $452.24 billion of it. Novo Nordisk A/S (NYSE:NVO) is also part of the Jim Simons Stock Portfolio. 

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