How Much Do Americans Drink on New Years?

As New Years approaches, Americans look forward to the holiday season and connecting with loved ones for one last hurrah before the year’s end. It has almost become customary to drink on New Year’s eve, especially in metropolitan cities, where there is a party on every corner.

Many feel the pressure to drink on this night, and it can especially be difficult with those struggling with alcohol addiction. It is no secret that New Years day has the most alcohol related accidents and injuries. In fact, half of all fatal crashes on January 1st are due to a driver having a blood alcohol level of at least 0.08.

In bigger party cities like New York, the number of alcohol-related ER visits can more than double on New Years day.

We conducted a survey across the United States, to see how many alcoholic drinks Americans consume on New Year’s Eve. We asked people if they drank 1,2,3 or 4+ alcoholic beverages. Here is what our study found:

Survey of Americans’ Drinking Habits on New Year’s Eve

Gender: Male vs Female Respondents

Ratio of Male & Female Respondents (neaddictions.com)

   Sex Number of Participants
  Male                   425
Female                   358

Of those who took our survey, 54.3% identify as males and 45.7% identify as females. But who consumes more alcohol on New Year’s Eve, males or females?

How Many Alcoholic Drinks Consumed by Males vs Females

 Quantity Male   Female
  1 Drink    90     96
  2 Drinks    81     96
  3 Drinks    87     80
  4+ Drinks   167     86

Our survey shows that 39.3% of men who drink on New Year’s Eve, said they drink 4+ alcoholic drinks. Compared to 24% of females saying that they drink 4+ alcoholic beverages on New Year’s Eve.

So how does this translate into actual drinks?

Based on our survey, this group of females will drink at least 344 alcoholic drinks, where as males will consume 668, nearly double the amount from females.

Next, we were wondering which state had the most alcohol consumption on New Year’s Eve.

Alcohol Consumption Across the United States on New Years

Based on the national average of alcoholic drinks consumed (49 drinks), here are the top 5 states with the most consumption and by how much they exceed from the national average.

Where does your state stand?

Top 5 States with the Highest Alcohol Consumption Rate on New Years

  1. Illinois at 126 drinks (260% above the national average)
  2. California at 118 drinks (243% above the national average)
  3. New York & New Jersey tied at 113 drinks (233% above the national average)
  4. Virginia at 98 drinks (202% above the national average)
  5. Pennsylvania at 97 drinks (200% above the national average)

Total Percentage of Alcohol Consumption on New Years by Age Group

Alcohol Consumption on New Year’s Eve by Age GroupMaleFemale18-2425-3435-4445-5455-6465+050100150200250300Age Range (neaddictions.com)

Age Male    Female
18-24   110       100
25-34   254       134
35-44   257       171
45-54   217       215
55-64   180       138
65+   140       90

Breakdown of All Alcohol Consumption on New Years by Age Group

  1. 45-54 account for 21.5% of total alcohol consumption
  2. 35-44 comes in a close 2nd at 21.3% of total alcohol consumption
  3. 25-34 account for 19.3% of total alcohol consumption
  4. 55-64 account for 15.8% of total alcohol consumption
  5. 65+ account for 11.4% of total alcohol consumption
  6. 18-24 only account for 10.4% of total alcohol consumption

Most people would assume that the age groups of 18 to 44 (the younger half of the population) would consume more alcohol on New Years than those in the age groups of 45 and older. However, our survey found that there is only a 1.3% difference in younger age drinking than their elders.

This static actually corresponds with a recent uptake in alcohol abuse by older adults.

Number of Drinks by Age Group18-2425-3435-4445-5455-6465+1 Drink2 Drinks3 Drinks4+ Drinks0102030405060Number of Alcoholic Drinks Consumed on New Year’s Eve (neaddictions.com)

Quantity 18-24    25-34    35-44    45-54    55-64    65+
1 Drink    20       26       31       42       35      27
2 Drinks    13       18       29       47       38      29
3 Drinks    12       30       33       36       25      27
4+ Drinks    32       59       60       47       33      16
Looking at the chart above, compare your alcohol consumption on New Year’s Eve with your peers. While measuring all age groups in alcohol consumption, we found the following:
  • Respondents between the ages of 25-44 are more likely to have 4 or more alcoholic drinks on New Years.
  • Respondents between the ages of 45-54 are more likely to have 1-3 drinks than any other age group on New Years.

How Much Alcohol is Safe to Drink Daily?

According to the Mayo Clinic, moderate alcohol consumption is defined as 1 drink per day for women and 2 drinks per day for men. “Drinks” are described as the following:

  • Beer: 12 fluid ounces (355 milliliters)
  • Wine: 5 fluid ounces (148 milliliters)
  • Distilled spirits (80 proof): 1.5 fluid ounces (44 milliliters)

Keeping the criteria mentioned by the Mayo Clinic above, 73% of the females surveyed are exceeding the moderate daily limit on New Year’s Eve. Meanwhile, 59% of the males surveyed are exceeding the moderate daily limit on New Year’s Eve.

What is Heavy Drinking?

Heavy drinking is considered to be more than 3 drinks on any given day for women and more than 4 drinks for men.

Risks for heavy drinking can include:

  • Risks of the following recognized cancers
    • Breast
    • Mouth
    • Throat
    • Esophagus
    • Liver
    • Pancreatitis
  • Serious damage to the heart muscle
  • Cardiovascular disease
  • Stroke
  • High blood pressure
  • Liver disease

Percentage of People Who Are At Risk For Being Heavy Drinkers on New Years

As defined by the Mayo Clinic above, 24% of the females surveyed are at risk for heavy drinking on New Year’s Eve. At the same time, 39% of the males surveyed are at risk for heavy drinking on New Year’s Eve.

Treatment for Alcohol Abuse

Our survey shows how common it is for people to go above the daily recommended limit on New Years. And with the holiday approaching, we hope the statistics we’ve shown will have people making more informed decisions on how they spend their New Year’s Eve. After all, you don’t want to start the new year with a hangover.

If you or someone you know is struggling with alcohol abuse, call our addiction treatment center today and speak with a specialist to find out your options.

Survey Methodology

This study is on 2,000 Americans and their consumption of alcohol on New Year’s Eve. The responses presented above only include those who said they drink 1 or more drinks on New Year’s Eve. We posed the question of “How Many Alcoholic Drinks Do You Have On New Year’s Eve?“. The respondents had 5 of the following options to choose from:

  • 0
  • 1
  • 2
  • 3
  • 4+

The respondents identified as the following:

  • Gender:
    • Male | 53.3%
    • Female| 46.7%
  • Age:
    • 18-24 | 10.7%
    • 25-34 | 15.9%
    • 35-44 | 18.5%
    • 45-54 | 19.8%
    • 55-64 | 19.6%
    • 65+ | 15.5%
  • Regions
    • Midwest | 27.3%
    • Northeast | 16.3%
    • South | 36.7%
    • West | 19.7%

Fair Use

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Written by
Northeast Addition Editorial Team

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This page does not provide medical advice.