The Drunkest Cities
WebMD Feature from "Men's Health" Magazine
By Denny Watkins
New Year's Day 1916 was rough for Colorado
residents looking for a little hair of the dog.
On that Saturday, the state stopped all liquor sales,
predating Prohibition by 4 years. Today, Colorado
once again leads the nation in its attitude toward
alcohol--but now, the mandate seems to be
"drink till you drop." In our second ranking of
urban inebriation, Aurora comes in 82nd, Colorado
Springs finishes 98th, and, once again, Denver is
Most Dangerously Drunk.
We looked at annual death rates due to alcoholic
liver disease, as well as who's headed there by
regularly downing five or more drinks in a sitting
(CDC). Next, we factored in drunk-driving arrests
(FBI) and the percentage of fatal accidents
involving intoxicated motorists (U.S. Dept of
Transportation). Then, after tallying the MADD
report card of state efforts to cut down on
excessive drinking, we had our ranking and, for
the state of Colorado, an invitation to AA.
Most Dangerously Drunk
100 Denver, CO F
99 Anchorage, AK F
98 Colorado Springs, CO F
97 Omaha, NE F
96 Fargo, ND F
95 San Antonio, TX F
94 Austin, TX F
93 Fresno, CA F
92 Lubbock, TX F
91 Milwaukee, WI F
90 El Paso, TX F
89 Spokane, WA F
88 Washington, DC F
87 Columbia, SC F
86 St. Louis, MO D-
85 Bakersfield, CA D-
84 San Diego, CA D
83 Cheyenne, WY D
82 Aurora, CO D
81 Houston, TX D
80 Portland, OR D
79 Seattle, WA D
78 Boise, ID D
77 Tucson, AZ D+
76 Dallas, TX D+
75 Jacksonville, FL D+
74 Toledo, OH D+
73 Madison, WI D+
72 Oakland, CA D+
71 Modesto, CA D+
70 Billings, MT D+
69 Fremont, CA D+
68 Oklahoma City, OK D+
67 San Francisco, CA D+
66 Sacramento, CA D+
65 Los Angeles, CA D+
64 Phoenix, AZ D+
63 Albuquerque, NM D+
62 Chicago, IL D+
61 Providence, RI D+
60 Fort Wayne, IN C-
59 Manchester, NH C-
58 Charleston, WV C-
57 Burlington, VT C-
56 Lincoln, NE C-
55 Corpus Christi, TX C-
54 Des Moines, IA C-
53 Indianapolis, IN C-
52 Pittsburgh, PA C-
51 Honolulu, HI C-
50 St. Paul, MN C
49 Tampa, FL C
48 Greensboro, NC C
47 Las Vegas, NV C
46 Baltimore, MD C
45 Riverside, CA C
44 Norfolk, VA C
43 Detroit, MI C+
42 Arlington, TX C+
41 Grand Rapids, MI C+
40 San Jose, CA C+
39 St. Petersburg, FL C+
38 Nashville, TN C+
37 Charlotte, NC C+
36 Wilmington, DE C+
35 Orlando, FL C+
34 Minneapolis, MN C+
33 Kansas City, MO C+
32 Fort Worth, TX C+
31 Tulsa, OK C+
30 Anaheim, CA B-
29 Wichita, KS B-
28 Lexington, KY B-
27 Philadelphia, PA B-
26 Montgomery, AL B-
25 Rochester, NY B-
24 Raleigh, NC B
23 Cincinnati, OH B
22 Louisville, KY B
21 Bangor, ME B
20 Memphis, TN B
19 Boston, MA B
18 Hartford, CT B+
17 Sioux Falls, SD B+
16 Birmingham, AL B+
15 Baton Rouge, LA B+
14 Columbus, OH B+
13 Cleveland, OH B+
12 Atlanta, GA B+
11 Newark, NJ B+
10 Jersey City, NJ B+
9 Richmond, VA B+
8 New York, NY B+
7 Little Rock, AR A-
6 Salt Lake City, UT A-
5 Yonkers, NY A-
4 Jackson, MS A
3 Buffalo, NY A
2 Miami, FL A
1 Durham, NC A+
Last Call
Studies show that state laws that put
strict limits on where and when alcohol
can be sold help cut the number of booze-
induced trips to the E.R.--and the morgue.
That's because self-destructive drinkers
tend to buy alcohol impulsively and at late
hours. Go to alcoholpolicy.niaaa.nih.gov to
see if your state could use a stronger stance.
Deputize Yourself
Roughly 1.4 million people are arrested for
DUIs each year, but Mothers Against Drunk
Driving estimates that for every driver cuffed,
another 88 are never pulled over. Use your
cellphone to lower that number. Besides the
obvious indicators of intoxication, the National
Highway Traffic Safety Administration also
cites subtler signs, such as someone making
extra-wide turns, going straight through a
turn-only lane, or driving with his or her face
close to the windshield. If the clues accumulate,
make the call. (In many states, 311 is
nonemergency dispatch.)
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