Are people in Oregon drinking less alcohol?

(FEBRUARY 11, 2022) Many people drink alcohol. Beer and wine are examples. Some people drink too much. They can't stop. Some people don't drink any alcohol.

Stress sometimes causes people to drink alcohol. People had a lot of stress last year. The pandemic was very strong. However a new survey brings surprising news.

Oregonians drank less alcohol in 2021. Oregonians had an average of 669 drinks for the year. That is an average of 12.9 drinks each week. That number is lower than in 2020. But it is still a lot. It is higher than the government's recommendations. The government says:

• • • For women: More than 7 alcoholic drinks per week is "heavy drinking."

    • For men: More than 14 drinks per week is "heavy drinking."

But the numbers might not be complete. The survey was small. Only 6,370 drinkers in the whole country answered questions in 2020. Only 3,584 in the whole country answered questions in 2021. A survey of fewer people is less helpful.