It’s five – er, 11 – o’clock somewhere

The three-day booze fest that marked last weekend (shout-out to ER staff and first responders, who just hate working the Fourth) is as good an excuse as any to consider our drinking habits.

A quintet of May and June surveys (with relatively small samples) may indicate Idaho’s attitude toward alcohol changed since that twilight zone we call 2020, when it was widely reported alcohol sales soared. Gem state residents have been drinking more but, oddly, may also be more inclined to consider less.

Bear with me.

Addiction treatment resource site Detox.net surveyed 3,000 legal-age drinkers and reported in June:

• Nationwide, 32 percent of drinkers say their alcohol tolerance has increased.

• Nearly one-third said they don’t alternate between alcoholic and non-alcoholic drinks as recommended for hydration and to reduce drunkenness.

• The average Idahoan's alcohol tolerance reportedly increased by a whopping 43 percent since spring 2020. An increase in alcohol tolerance denotes an increase in alcohol intake.

• One in 5 classified themselves as “heavyweight drinkers.” One in 10 admit to teasing friends who are “lightweights.”

Self-reporting probably understates fact, but if another June survey of 3,100 adult drinkers by AlcoholRehab.com is representative, applying percentages to overall population could suggest:

• Mid-morning, not the old rule of “after 5,” is fair game for a margarita, with an estimated 300,000 Idahoans now drinking alcohol before midday. That’s not as bad as Nebraska, where 27 percent admit it. In West Virginia, only 6 percent said so. Fifteen percent overall said they start earlier than they did before.

• Yet only 39 percent said they’d openly admit to drinking pre-midday, and 15 percent admit looking forward to occasions simply for the excuse to drink.

• More than 1 in 10 (13 percent) respondents said it’s more acceptable to smoke marijuana in the morning than to drink.

On the other hand, Americans are concerned about all the drinking we do. The Alcoholrehab survey found 63 percent would approach a family member or friend who drinks early in the day.

Another survey reported in May by Recoveryfirst.org found 60 percent of drinkers in Idaho (compared to 59 percent nationwide) would be willing to switch to a non-alcoholic beer at least for a month.

And maybe age isn’t the font of all wisdom. A survey by Recovery.org reported in May of 3,160 older women found more than 1 in 10 Idaho women over 50 admit to drinking more than they did in their 20s and 30s, and 19 percent of those admit to more in 2020 and 2021.

The smallest percentage was in South Dakota, where only 7 percent of women drinkers over 50 drink more than in youth. One in five women over 50 surveyed said reality TV drinking encourages them.

All this drinking has consequences, especially on the road. Despite apparently drinking more than before, Idahoans are only moderately tough on those who drink and drive. A May poll of 3,320 by Sunrise House Treatment Center found:

• One in 3 Idahoans think state drunk driving penalties aren’t strong enough. Compare that to 73 percent in New Mexico, and only 18 percent in Connecticut who want tougher penalties.

• More than a third (36 percent) believe laws should be changed to zero-tolerance (or a Blood Alcohol Content of 0) to drive.

• One-quarter of American drinkers admit they’d drive first thing in the morning after a binge-drinking night.

• And 28 percent think it’s worse to use a cellphone while driving than to drink and drive.

The NHTSA reports one person every 50 minutes is killed by drunk-driving in the U.S. Currently all states enforce a BAC limit of 0.08 percent to drive, but even less can be fatal. In 2018 NHTSA reported 1,878 people killed by drivers with BACs under the legal limit.

Those non-alcoholic beers are looking better. It’s supposed to be about the taste, right? A massive 79 percent in the Recoveryfirst poll agreed flavor matters more than buzz, implying the better beer manufacturers are at making non-alcoholic options, the more they should sell.

Especially in this festive, most accident-prone time of year, that’s good news.

See the survey infographics at:

https://alcoholrehab.com/guides/midday-drinking

https://sunrisehouse.com/american-attitudes-about-drunk-driving-penalties

https://www.detox.net/blog/american-alcohol-tolerance

https://recoveryfirst.org/blog/who-would-try-non-alcoholic-drinks

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Sholeh Patrick is a columnist for the Hagadone News Network who’s rather glad it all gives her a headache anyway. Email sholeh@cdapress.com.