Massachusetts Residents Destroying Themselves With Booze

Considering Massachusetts is among the smallest states in the nation, we make up for it with our big appetite for alcohol. We're boozers in the ol' Bay State.

According to a 2022 Boston University report, 21.2 percent of adults in Massachusetts binge drink. The national average is 16.2 percent.

The report says, "Massachusetts ranks 14th highest among the states for binge drinking." It further states, "Roughly 59 percent of Bay State adults (18+) drink, and 26 percent binge drink."

Here are some sobering statistics from the Boston University report, "Alcohol accounted for 4.74 percent of all deaths in Massachusetts on average from 2015-2019, killing on average 2,760 people per year, from poisonings (641 per year), alcoholic liver disease (350), alcohol-attributable cancers (294), and liver cirrhosis (211)."

BU finds, "Alcohol's role in death and disability in the Bay State has risen by 13.8% since 2009 – faster than lung cancer, diabetes, hypertension, dietary risks, and tobacco use."

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That's not all.

Boston University's research found that "In 2020 in Massachusetts, there were 3,700 assaults, 99 homicides, and 148 suicides that would not have happened if alcohol had not been involved."

The complete Boston University report, "Alcohol, Health, and Safety in Massachusetts," can be found on the school's website.

Parkstreet.com says, "Despite its smaller population, the state (Massachusetts) ranks ninth in terms of the most valuable spirits markets in the United States."

In other words, we buy a lot of alcohol in Massachusetts.

The site says, "With a strong sports culture, particularly around teams like the Boston Red Sox, New England Patriots, and Boston Celtics, tailgating and sports bars are integral to the state's drinking traditions."