Providence is America's 10th 'Drunkest City'

Maybe it's the cold. Maybe it's stress. Maybe we just like to party. Whatever the reason, it seems clear we Rhode Islanders like our liquor.

Providence is the 10th "drunkest" city in America, according to a new study released by The Daily Beast. The website contacted market researcher Experian Marketing Services for data on the average number of alcoholic drinks each adult consumes a month in each metro area. The site then pulled statistics from the Centers for Disease Control on percentage of people who are heavy drinkers and binge drinkers.

We Rhode Islanders each consume 14.1 drinks per month, on average, according to the 2012 statistics, the most recent data available. Binge drinkers make up 17.6 percent of the Providence population, according to the CDC, and 5.7 percent are classified as heavy drinkers. The CDC defines "heavy drinkers" as men who average more than two drinks a day and women who average more than one drink a day.

Drinking seems to be a trend not just in Rhode Island but throughout New England, according to the Daily Beast. Boston, the site says, is the drunkest city in the country. Bostonians consume 15.6 drinks a month, 20.1 percent are binge drinkers and 7.4 percent are heavy drinkers, the report indicates. Hartford-New Haven, CT is number 6 (15.2, 16.5%, 3.6%); Springfield, MA is number 14 (13.6, 19.5%, 9.2%); and Burlington, VT rounds out the list at number 25 (13.2, 19.4%, 7.5%).

Locations stereotypically considered drinking cities — New Orleans and Las Vegas — are also on the list, at number 7 and number 21, respectively.