Posted in North Carolina
May 16, 2016
Uh Oh…Here Are The 8 Drunkest Cities In North Carolina
North Carolina is a “control state,” which means that state government oversees the purchase and consumption of alcohol. According to the North Carolina Alcoholic Beverage Control Commission, our state ranks 48th in the nation for per capita consumption of spirits. The state has 408 ABC liquor stores. Even though North Carolina ranks fairly low for alcohol consumption in general, some cities have worse reputations than others.
According to Wallstreet 24/7, Jacksonville has the most binge-drinkers in the state. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention considers five or more drinks per sitting (or 15 drinks per week), binge drinking, and 17.5 percent of residents in Jacksonville reported this level of imbibing.
Carolina Beach is full of tourists and bars, the combination of which results in a LOT of drinking. According to Roadsnacks.net, this town has the most bars per capita in the state.
In a study by Insurance.com, Charlotte ranked third-highest in the nation for DUI convictions. That number takes into the account the total number of DUIs in a particular year.
While Charlotte might have the highest number of DUIs, your odds of dying in an alcohol-related crash are highest in Fayetteville. It’s ranked 15th in the nation by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration for fatal car crashes due to alcohol per capita.
When RoadSnacks.net created its list of Most Drunk Cities in North Carolina, it took into consideration the number of tweets on Twitter that include tags such as #Drunk, #Party, #Beer and #Cocktails. Asheville was a frontrunner in this category, with this one quoted, “Come to Asheville. I’ll get you drunk as hell.” RoadSnacks.net considers Asheville as the second-most drunk city in North Carolina.
Underaged drinking is a problem in all of North Carolina’s college towns, but Chapel Hill made the news last year when a 20-year-old college student killed three people while driving drunk the wrong way on I-85. Last summer, seven Chapel Hill businesses were busted in a compliance sting for selling to underaged kids.
Greenville is ranked third on ShareCare.com’s list of worst states for alcohol abuse. The site notes the high level of stress and unemployment as a factor.
RoadSnacks.net also considered the divorce rate when compiling its list - assuming that unhappy people are more likely to drink heavily. Kill Devil Hill’s divorce rate was 18.5 percent, putting it near the top of the list for potentially heavy drinkers.
Which city would you nominate as the “drunkest?”
