5. Wyoming
> Binge drinking: 25.1% (5th highest)
> Driving after drinking alcohol: 11.7% (tied for the highest)
> Drank alcohol before age 13: 23.5% (7th highest)
Wyoming has the fifth-highest percentage of binge drinking and the highest percentage of high schoolers who drink and drive. This is in line with overall population of the state, which ranks first for the incidence of drinking and driving per 100,000 people at 1,039 (almost 35% more than the next highest state, South Dakota, with 772 incidences per 100,000 people). Wyoming also happens to rank seventh for the percentage of high school students who reported drinking before the age of 13. This stat is notable when considering that the American Psychological Association reports that children who begin drinking before the age of 13 have a 38% higher chance of developing alcohol dependence.
4. Montana
> Binge drinking: 25.2% (4th highest)
> Driving after drinking alcohol: 10.6% (6th highest)
> Drank alcohol before age 13: 21.4% (12th highest)
Montana has the fourth-highest incidence of binge drinking among high schoolers and the second-highest percentage who have ever consumed alcohol. The state’s youth also rank in the top five for students having ridden with a driver who has been drinking. Montana also reports the third-highest percentage of traffic fatalities involving alcohol (almost twice the national average). The Underage Drinking Enforcement Training Center estimates that underage drinking costs the state $200 million a year. That’s more than $2,500 per youth.
3. North Dakota
> Binge drinking: 25.6% (3rd highest)
> Driving after drinking alcohol: 11.7% (tied for the highest)
> Drank alcohol before age 13: 16.7% (32nd highest)
North Dakota, which has the third-highest percentage of teens who binge drink, has the highest percentage of teens who drink and drive. According to the report, 11.7% of North Dakota teens have driven after drinking in the past 30 days, which is almost 43% more than the national average of 8.2%. Incidence of underage drinking and driving has increased 20.9% from 2000 to 2010. Even 19-year-old John Mitzel, the North Dakota House of Representatives candidate who has a Republican endorsement, was caught for underage drinking this March while riding as a passenger in a car.
Also Read: The States with the Safest Hospitals
2. South Dakota
> Binge drinking: 26.2% (2nd highest)
> Driving after drinking alcohol: 10.9% (5th highest)
> Drank alcohol before age 13: 19% (21st highest)
South Dakota high schoolers rank second in terms of their binge drinking and third in the country for having seriously considered attempting suicide. They are also big smokers. Over 23% of South Dakota 9th to 12th graders currently smoke, compared to the national median of 17.4%. South Dakota ranks fifth in the percentage of teens reporting having driven after drinking. This is an expensive problem for a state with a population of just over 800,000. The Underage Drinking Enforcement Training Center estimates that underage drinking costs the state $300 million a year. That’s more than $3,436 a year per each youth.
1. Arizona
> Binge drinking: 26.5% (the highest)
> Driving after drinking alcohol: 9.3% (11th highest)
> Drank alcohol before age 13: 21.3% (13th highest)
Arizona has the highest percentage of high school students who binge drink at 26.5%. Unlike the rest of the states in the top 10 for binge drinking, Arizona ranks in the top 10 for the percentage of high schoolers who have reported the use of methamphetamines (sixth), inhalants (sixth) and heroin (eighth). Arizona also reports the second-highest percentage of 9th to 12th graders who have seriously considered attempting suicide at 18.7%.
-Michael A. Sauter and Elisabeth Uible
