Northern tier states nation's drunkest

The Peoples Republic of Brookings is not just home to South Dakota's most obese GOP blogger.

According to “Surveillance Report,” from the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism, “apparent” per capita alcohol consumption is trending:

According to their study, 43 states increased their inebriation, with the West leading the way by 3.4 percent, followed by 2.3 percent in the South, 2.1 percent in the Northeast, and 1.7 percent in the Midwest.

4. North Dakota 3.42
7. Montana 2.96
11. Idaho 2.76
12. South Dakota 2.76
16. Wyoming 2.67

God may not be enough for religious states: they lead the nation in anti-depressant use.

Brookings was ranked the fifth-drunkest city in America by an article published by Bustle.com, and the article is now circulating around Facebook and other social media outlets. According to a Metropolitan or Micropolitan Statistical Area study done by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 11.8 percent of the Brookings population is classified by the CDC as heavy drinkers. Heavy drinkers are defined as adult men having more than two drinks per day and adult women having more than one drink per day. In order to rank the top ten drunkest cities, the percentage of binge drinkers and heavy drinkers from the CDC studies were added – giving Brookings a total of 35.5 percent combined binge and heavy drinkers. [Jordan Smith Editor-in-Chief, SDSU Collegian]

Obesity and mental illness are closely linked, especially in northern tier states like South Dakota.

In fact South Dakota is slipping. Just last year, the state ranked 19th but even that ranking would put us well behind most of our neighboring states. But why does South Dakota rank so low and what's being done to improve that rank? It's a test South Dakota is failing.--Jake Iverson, KSFY.

Rapid City is a scary place: just look at the bags under Gordon Howie's eyes. Shorter days and longer nights especially around the winter solstice mean more people die by their own hands.

Alaska suffers as do northern tier red states where access to affordable health care is virtually non-existent. Megan Edge writes:

Alaskans have to wait until December 21 to see the light slowly increasing daily, and for most that day can’t come soon enough. “It looks like seasonal affective disorder (S.A.D.) is related to low light levels,” said psychologist and depression specialist Suzanne Strisik. “[That] is when we are around the holidays and we are trying to adjust to those low light levels.”

Cindy Uken reports from the Billings Gazette that Montana leads the nation in suicide rates:

The victims are military veterans, American Indians, senior citizens and teenagers. Often, they are depressed and hundreds of miles from the nearest mental health professional. Even where they can get help, they tend to "cowboy up," afraid their illness will be seen as weakness. People who live in areas with high concentrations of guns are more likely to die by suicide, according to a 2007 study by researchers at the Harvard School of Public Health.

Rich people can save themselves: they merely flee South and complain that immigrants are taking over the workforce; but, poverty chains those who live in despair year 'round.

Migration must be celebrated, not outlawed. Statehood for Mexico would mean more people could save themselves from brutal winters in the North.

Find something that works or die.

Rewild the West.