10 Louisiana Parishes With the Highest Excessive Drinking Rates

LOUISIANA - Louisiana and having a good time go together pretty well.

Give us some live music, a festival, a crawfish boil, Mardi Gras or pretty much any excuse to get together with friends, and somebody will probably have a cooler nearby.

But according to a recent ranking of drinking habits across Louisiana, some parts of the state are reporting considerably higher rates of excessive drinking than others.

And here's the part that might get the attention of folks around Acadiana: Lafayette Parish ranks near the very top of the list.

Yep. Lafayette made the list.

What Counts as Excessive Drinking?

Before we start pointing fingers at our neighbors, it's important to understand what researchers mean when they use the term "excessive drinking."

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention considers several different types of alcohol use when looking at excessive drinking. That includes binge drinking, which the CDC defines as four or more drinks for women or five or more drinks for men during a single occasion.

Heavy drinking is another category, defined as eight or more drinks per week for women or 15 or more drinks per week for men.

a store filled with lots of bottles of wine — Photo by Richard Bell on Unsplash

Louisiana Ranks High, But Not No. 1

According to data compiled by IntoxiStates, Louisiana ranks 13th in the United States for the percentage of residents who report excessive drinking.

That's certainly high enough to get our attention, but it also means Louisiana isn't technically the biggest drinking state in America.

Still, once you break the numbers down by parish, things get a little more interesting.

These Louisiana Parishes Report The Most Excessive Drinking

Here are the 10 Louisiana parishes with the highest reported percentages in the ranking:

1. Orleans Parish — 22.06%
2. Lafayette Parish — 20.95%
3. Vernon Parish — 20.79%
4. St. Charles Parish — 20.11%
5. Ascension Parish — 20.01%
6. Calcasieu Parish — 19.70%
7. Terrebonne Parish — 19.52%
8. Cameron Parish — 19.43%
9. Vermilion Parish — 19.43%
10. Beauregard Parish — 19.37%

Lafayette Parish Comes In At No. 2

Lafayette is famous for its food, festivals, nightlife and general love of getting together with friends.

But seeing Lafayette Parish ranked second in Louisiana at 20.95% is still a little surprising. That puts Lafayette ahead of several other Louisiana Parishes that are also known for their party scenes.

Of course, this doesn't mean that one out of every five people in Lafayette is walking around with a beer in their hand, the number represents the percentage of residents reporting excessive drinking based on the criteria used in the data from the CDC.

Vermilion Parish Also Makes The Top 10

Vermilion Parish comes in at 19.43%, tying Cameron Parish for eighth place on the list.

So between Lafayette and Vermilion, Acadiana has a couple of Parishes showing up among Louisiana's highest reported drinking rates.

And considering how much this part of Louisiana loves a good festival, live music, and a good weekend get together, maybe that shouldn't come as a huge surprise.

Lafayette Late Night Eats - 10 Perfect Spots for the "After Party"

Lafayette and South Louisiana have a rather vibrant nightlife scene. We're always hosting festivals, concerts, fundraisers, dances, and parties. That means when those events are done, we need a place to go grab a snack, a meal, a sandwich, or just something to soak up some of the "party beverages". We think we've found 10 great places that don't mind you coming in at midnight or later. Here are Lafayette's 10 Best Spots for Late Night Eats.

Gallery Credit: Bruce Mikells

Source: Louisiana Parishes With the Highest Rates of Excessive Drinking

Categories: Louisiana News