Wisconsin and Illinois Among the Worst States For Binge Drinkers

Winter is upon us. It (soon) will be cold. It will be windy. And it will be full of snow.

What to do? Unfortunately, a new report says too many Midwesterners decide drinking could be the answer:

More than one out of every four Wisconsin adults binge drinks, placing the state second to last in the nation, according to a new report assessing the health of Americans. The report from America's Health Rankings, which has been tracking health in the the U.S. for 25 years, found that 22.5 percent of Wisconsin's adult population — that's nearly 1 million people — are binge drinkers, a percentage exceeded only by North Dakota.

Wisconsin ranks 49th. Illinois ranks 48th. Iowa ranks 47th. When it comes to binge drinking apparently we are ground zero.

The CDC defines binge drinkers as people who reported having four (for women) or five (for men) or more alcoholic drinks within two hours in the last 30 days.

They also say Binge drinking is linked to several health problems, including alcohol poisoning, high blood pressure, cardiovascular disease and liver disease.

Given the news, perhaps it's not a surprise that there are more bars than grocery stores in Wisconsin. And in large parts of Illinois.