Idaho is an Island in an Ocean of Drunkenness

Credit the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints.  Idaho is among the least inebriated states in America.  Utah is the least drunken state in the country.  What do they have in common aside from geography?  A culture defined by the proximity of the LDS Church.

Some of the other states near the top of the list when it comes to sobriety are in the Bible Belt.  Evidence that ingrained culture is a difficult thing to dislodge.

In Montana and North Dakota, they can knock them back.  Cold states in the Northern Midwest do a lot of imbibing.  When you’re isolated on a winter night when it’s 25 below outside, getting stewed is seen as a means of banishing boredom.  None of those states drink as much as New Hampshire and Washington, D.C.  Maybe the many libertarians in New Hampshire do it as a means of social protest.  How do we explain the District of Columbia?  Maybe the House and Senate members are perpetually three sheets to the wind.

I bring this up because local law enforcement tells me that we’re seeing a spike in DUI arrests and alcohol-related crimes.  We’ve had a few periods over the last ten years where it appeared drivers were getting the message, but these appear to be anomalies.  Our culture is changing as we see a spike in population growth, and many people give up on faith.

I don't have a problem with what you do at home, but please, stay off the roads.  The rest of us have hopes of a safe drive to and from work.

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