How much alcohol did Georgia residents drink last year? What report says amid Dry January

99 gallons of beer on the wall, 99 gallons of beer. ...

Wait, that’s not how it goes? 

Well, a new report from Pew Research Center found out just how much alcohol the people of the United States consumed last year and you’re going to want to read it, especially if you’re participating in Dry January.

The report broke it down into gallons of pure alcohol (ethanol) consumed by adults 21 and older in each U.S. state.

Read on to see how much alcohol Georgians drank last year and which state drank the most.

How much alcohol did the average Georgian drink last year?

Scotch, whiskey, wine or beer, take your pick. 

Whatever you choose, it’s sure to add up at the end of the year, but how much?

The Pew Research Center reported that in 2023, the average Georgia resident consumed between 2 and 2.49 gallons of alcohol.

Caption

Pew Research Center revealed how much alcohol was consumed per capita in each U.S. state.

Credit: Pew Research Center

A “standard drink” contains about 0.6 ounces of pure alcohol, so that means residents drank between 426 and 531 drinks in 2023.

At first glance, that may seem high, but the average American drank 2.83 gallons of alcohol in 2021, which adds up to 603 standard drinks.

And in the early '80s, drinking alcohol was at an all-time high.

“Per-capita alcohol consumption peaked in the early 1980s at 3.28 gallons, or almost 700 drinks. It bottomed out in the late 1990s at 2.45 gallons per person, or about 523 drinks,” experts at Pew Research Center said.

So, which states out-drank Georgia? 

Which state and region drank the most in 2023?

New Hampshire and Delaware have the highest rates per capita of alcohol consumption, with more than 3.99 gallons consumed.

Nevada, Florida and Washington D.C. also had high rates of alcohol consumption per person, but Pew Research Center attributed this to factors such as tourism, alcohol taxes and sales from neighboring states.

On the other end of the scale, Utah has the lowest rates of alcohol consumption per person.

And when you look at each region in the U.S., Western states drank more alcohol than any other region.

Are you surprised by this report? Comment below or email me at cmadden@mcclatchy.com

This story comes to GPB through a reporting partnership with Ledger-Enquirer.