States and Alcoholism

[Porterwake]

http://economix.blogs.nytimes.com/2010/03/16/the-beer-belly-of-america/?hp

I had always knew that Wisconsin had the most bars per capita in the top half of state population (1-25), but this recent map actually struck me.

The Midwest is known for alcohol consumption and especially my home state. This recent study seeing my midwest region, including Illinois and North Dakota covered by lots of red, and my home state of Wisconsin is almost exclusively covered by red with more bars than grocery stores. I honestly always thought there were always more bars than grocery stores country wide.

The Milwaukee Sentinel recently did a special on "Alcoholic Wisconsin" and a lot of the things I saw in there weren't anything strange to me, but a neutral reader from New York was appalled by what was read and wrote quite a harsh letter to the editor calling out legislation to control the OWI problem, underage problem and other associated problems. The last couple years saw Wisconsin finally becoming the last state to bring the legal limit down to .08 to drive and the Tavern League of Wisconsin is becoming extremely strict on regulations and ID checks in order to maintain the benefits of the club/union.

I am pretty ignorant when it comes to other states because this culture is what I've grown up with, so I'd like people to share what they were taught about alcohol growing up in their respective states, what kind of underage action there was (or is for younger readers), what kinds of regulations are in effect in your state, and if you think there is a problem in your home state.

[Faust]

I'm from WI and have travelled a lot, and come from a family of drinkers to boot... I always get a kick out of hearing people from other states brag about their drinking, drinking establishments, yada yada... I just keep quiet because I know

[Nor*Cal]

0.08 for DUI in CA this is also in effect on boats and watercraft. 0 tolerance for DUI if you're under 21. CHP and local law enforcement run check points all the time. If you're dumb enough to be driving in Downtown Sac drunk you deserve the consequences.

CA Alcoholic Beverage Control is so strict with underage drinking pretty much every bar and restaurant cards. They don't accept military ID's (not sure why?) and USA passports (lack descriptive details: height, weight, eye color). They're pretty strict out here in those regards. Most bouncers/doormen even black light or run the card through a scanner.

[Porterwake]

[_bruky]

[nmballa]

[ridininmd]

Woo Hoo I live in that little red dot in FL

[JV]

Judging from the map, I'd say the number of bars is more a reflection of cold weather than it is alcoholism. When I think of people routinely drinking at bars before 9pm, all I picture is fat regulars, drinking alone, trying to kill the brain cells that remind them of their boring, mediocre lives with hard liquor. That's all I've seen living in warm weather. But I assume that's not the culture in the midwest. You have to drink at bars because the other options are limited.

In east Texas, you're usually wasted long before you ever drag yourself to a bar, assuming you even make it to one. Buy your personal 30 pack every morning at the gas station then drag it along with you to the lake, beach, pool, fishing, shooting, etc. Then switch to bottom shelf whiskey and vodka when you're out of [insert favorite cheap siht] lite.

In summary, I just think warm states are less inclined to have a bar culture because you want to be outside (even at night), and $40 a day at the liquor store will do all the damage you could want. I can't think of the last time I walked into a bar sober or treated it as anything other than a nightcap.

In Cali, it seems like drinking throughout the day isn't as popular, and there isn't much of a beer binge culture, but they hit it hard with expensive drinks at happy hour.

[Aubs]

Nor*Cal - Same here. Bars are crazy about ID's in Connecticut. They even carded my dad (who is 50) one night when he ordered a drink with dinner near UConn.

[Porterwake]

[LS1_SE7EN]

[Nooga678]

So your state pride's itself in its binge driking, alcoholism, liver damage, alcohol related traffic accidents, and yet Tennessee is always catching stuff on here.

[fish6942]

10 years back or so we were at a bar near our cabin in Wisconsin. When the bar closed at 2am the bouncers stood by the door handing out plastic cups so you could take your unfinished drink "to go". Even now, it's all about beer and cigarettes around that area. Certainly nothing to be proud of.

[_bruky]

[chavez]

Map is absolutely NOT correct with respect to Southern Nevada (i.e. Vegas area).

There are WAY more bars than grocery stores. Like probably 5-1 ratio (maybe higher). No sh|t. My guess is their little Googley searsch didn't include a hell of a lot of places that serve food (don't show up as a 'bar') but are in fact, bars.

My in-laws house is walking distance to no less than 5 bars. And they live in a nice neighborhood. My old house is walking distance to 4 at last check. There may be more there now.

Total flip the other way here. It's unbelievably cost-prohibitive to get a full liquor license here (in the county I live in) because there are so few allotted to it. So the grocery to bar ratio is probably 20-1. The only ones who can afford a full license are big chains, so they gobble up the available licenses, paying massive premiums for them.

[_bruky]

I actually never noticed a difference anywhere in the U.S. So Wisconsin has the highest amount of bars per capita? By how much?

I live in one of those California "wine country" areas (although chavez is going to contest this), and we have what I thought was a lot of bars. Those of you who have been through Paso Robles or even San Luis Obispo...there are a lot of bars, aimed towards the college crowd or otherwise.

There are a lot of bars in Los Angeles no doubt, but I would say less per capita because they are packed with more people, and the locations are often larger. Makes sense, right?

So this taken into account, I would assume the states like Tennessee and Texas and all of those inland states which have populations that don't cluster like those in California would have more, smaller bars spread out amongst the state. I don't think this directly effects the amount of drinking. Last I checked, hicks drink more alcohol on their front porch than they do in expensive bars

chavez, what are full licenses going for in Roseville? Paid $24k here in SLO last year, with the purchase of property of course. Tobacco makes more money than liquor around here and only surpasses on holidays and game days.

[Porterwake]

Wisconsin has 5.88 taverns per 10,000 people.

The national average is 1.52 taverns per 10k.

[chavez]

_bruky, I've read of them changing hands for 150k+

These are existing licenses being sold, not new issues.

I won't contest Central Coast being a "wine" area. Hell, just about all of CA is a "wine" area nowadays.

[Faust]

[J-Ro]

[_bruky]

That's outrageous. Even with our slow growth B.S. on the Central Coast, the limited number of new licenses aren't much more than what I paid for an existing. I am sure this is because wineries and tasting rooms are indefinitely excluded from the businesses our local government does NOT want 'taking over our town'.

Took nearly a year to move a construction company (no yard, equipment, just admin) into a commercial office building we already owned. Took a month or so to approve a winery and associated facilities. The construction company moving into city limits would benefit local tax revenues 50 times more than the winery/tasting. Backwards thinking, IMO.

[Nor*Cal]

[chavez]

Nor*Cal, they live out in the 'burbs. You don't!!

[Nor*Cal]

Tasting rooms are exempt at a state level from a lot of liquor laws. Beer and Wine licenses are easier to get.

chavez, I live in the burbs also... Urban suburbs I guess.

[LS1_SE7EN]

[Jensen]

[BurkeViper]

J-Ro, thanks for backin' up Fresyes

[Nor*Cal]

Jensen, just realized this law changed January 1st. Last year my buddy (legislative staffer) was denied with a passport and they actually ran a bill on it last session and it passed.

[churchy]

So, I am from a red mass in MT, and currently live in one of the few red dots in ID.. coincidence?