When you think of India’s party capital Goa, what’s the first thing that comes to your mind? Lots of drinking right? Well wrong. Because there’s another state that has overtaken Goa for the consumption of alcohol. According to the National Family Health Survey (NFHS-5) 2019-20, men in the dry state, Bihar drink more alcohol than Goa. Despite Chief Minister, Nitish Kumar banning alcohol consumption in Bihar in 2016, nearly 15.5 per cent of men above the age of 15 years consume alcohol in the state. Now, this is quite surprising. So, read on to know more.
Dry State Bihar Consumes More Liquor Than Liberal Goa
The NFHS-5 report states that alcohol consumption in rural areas is higher than in urban areas of Bihar. Around 15.8 per cent of people consumed alcohol in rural Bihar as compared to 14 per cent in urban areas. In the happening state of Maharashtra, where alcohol prohibition isn’t in place, only 13.9 per cent men consume liquor. Interestingly, Maharashtra’s urban and rural areas have lower liquor consumption than dry state Bihar. Only 0.4 per cent of women in both Maharashtra and Bihar consumed alcohol.
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What comes as a surprise in this survey is the fairly low consumption of alcohol in Goa as compared to other states. Goa, known for its liberal booze culture witnessed 36.9 per cent of men drinking alcohol. On the other hand, a whopping 43.3 per cent of men in conservative Telangana consumed more liquor. This is much higher than Goa. This survey concludes that rural India consumes more liquor than urban areas. India Today reports from the survey that among all states, Gujarat and Jammu & Kashmir witness the lowest alcohol consumption of 5.8 per cent and 8.8 per cent of men respectively.
Also Read:7 Local Drinks From Goa You Must Try In Your Next Trip
Sikkim Has Highest Percentage Of Women Drinking Alcohol In India
The NFHS-5 also analysed that consumption of tobacco is more than liquor in India. Mizoram records 75 per cent of men and 65% of women consuming tobacco. When it comes to women, Sikkim has the highest percentage of women drinking liquor in India. The consumption of liquor by women in rural areas is significantly higher than in urban areas. The NFHS-5 conducted this survey using 6.1 lakh sample households. If you like your liquor, then watch this video to try out 5 alcohol-infused dishes in Mumbai.