Addicted America: Analysis reveals 16 states where drug, alcohol and cigarette use is highest
A new report has revealed which states have the highest levels of drug and alcohol addiction.
Colorado ranked highest in addiction as a whole, with a fifth of the population being 'excessive' drinkers and 21 percent using illicit drugs.
The Mile High State — which has some of the most lax drug regulations in the country — received an addiction score of 6.95, according to the analysis of federal data.
Montana and Alaska ranked second and third for overall addiction, followed closely by Louisiana and Ohio.
Colorado was the top state for addiction, a report from Universal Drugstore found
Colorado was the top state for vaping addiction, with one in 13 residents dependent on it
The report used federal data, including surveys from the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMSHA) and the National Library of Medicine, to calculate the percentage of residents in each state affected by common addictions.
The researchers also looked at the countries with the highest addiction rates. Latvia took first place, especially in alcoholism. Latvians consumed 12.2 liters (412 ounces) per capita. This corresponds approximately to 2.6 bottles of wine or 4.9 liters of beer per week.
The report, conducted by online pharmacy Universal drugstoregave each state and country a score out of 10. This was an average of the percentages of people who were addicted to vaping, smoking, drinking or using illegal drugs.
The researchers found that Colorado ranked first in addiction, with a score of 6.95/10.
Montana took second place, with an addiction score of 6.9/10. Alaska came third and scored 6.8/10.
When it comes to vaping, Utah ranks right behind Colorado, with 7.2 percent affected by e-cigarette addiction. Oklahoma took third place with 7.1 percent.
Wisconsin was the top state for people affected by alcoholism, with 26 percent of adults regularly drinking to excess
The US was the country hardest hit by drug addiction, closely followed by Canada and Britain
The data is consistent with a study published last month in JAMA Network, which found that Oklahoma had the highest vaping rate in the US.
According to the researchers, 9.5 percent of adults in Oklahoma were vape users and 4.6 percent used them every day.
Although Colorado topped the list for vaping, it didn't crack the top 25 states for smoking. The state ranks 38th in smoking.
West Virginia ranks first in smoking, with nearly a quarter of adults affected by the habit.
At 24 percent, the state had more than twice the national average of 11.5 percent. The state also ranked 12th in overall addiction.
West Virginia has long been the epicenter of the opioid epidemic raging in the US, with the drug overdose death rate per 100,000 people being the highest in the country.
Vermont had the highest number of adults affected by illicit drug addiction.
According to the survey, 24.9 percent of adult residents fell into this category.
“Vermont has among the highest rates of substance abuse in the U.S., including higher rates of cannabis and heroin use among people ages 18 to 25,” the report said.
Alaska, which also ranked third in overall addiction, ranked third in illegal drug use.
Wisconsin was the top state for people affected by alcoholism, with 26 percent of adults regularly drinking to excess.
The researchers also noted that in 2021, 41 of the 50 top drinking counties in the U.S. were in Wisconsin.
The team also looked at addiction rates around the world and concluded that Latvia was the most addicted country in the world.
The European country scored 8.71/10, closely followed by Estonia (7.8/10) and Austria (7.65/10).
Alcoholism was largely responsible for this. Latvians consumed 12.2 liters (412 ounces) per capita. This corresponds approximately to 2.6 bottles of wine or 4.9 liters of beer per week.
The team also found that men consume 20.9 liters per capita, while women drink 6.1 liters.
The country is also in the top 10 for smoking.
The US was found to be the twelfth most addicted country, tied with Hungary. Great Britain took 11th place.
The US was also found to be the country hardest hit by drug addiction, which could be due to the increase in substances such as fentanyl and xylazine.
“In 2020, approximately 37 million Americans aged 12 or older were illicit drug users, highlighting the ongoing problems with drug addiction in the US,” the researchers wrote.
Indonesia topped the list of countries that smoke the most, with 32.6 percent of the population addicted.