Quad Citizens Say Beer Is Their Favorite Winter Beverage

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We are in the middle of winter here in the Quad Cities, and with snow on the ground and a pandemic happening, there isn't a lot to do. A lot of people are turning to booze for entertainment and because leftover meatloaf will probably go down a little easier with a few drinks in you.

A new study has come out showing how many people in each state drink more when it's colder, the favorite beverage of choice when it's colder out, and other fun facts.

Rehabs.com, a leading provider of addiction treatment resources, conducted a survey among 3,000 adults to find out what percentage of people drink more when it's cold outside. We know that not all states get what we in the Quad Cities would consider "cold", but it's not our survey.

Before we get to Iowa and Illinois numbers, here are some key facts that they found in their survey:

Beer revealed as American's top winter boozy beverage.
More than 1 in 10 people admit to drinking to keep warm.
And 1 in 10 wrongly believe alcohol can protect against hypothermia.

By the way, drinking alcohol doesn’t protect you from hypothermia. According to Cherry Digital, the company who sent us this survey from Rehabs.com, alcohol acts as a vasodilator and causes blood vessels to dilate. This effect creates a sensation of feeling warm. However, alcohol actually takes heat from your vital organs and conversely lowers your core temperature.

What percentage of Quad Citizens say they drink more when it gets cold outside? Let's break it down by state to be safe.

According to Rehabs.com, only 14% of Illinoisans say they drink more when the weather turns colder. A lot less alcohol being consumed on the east side of the Mississippi River.

Rehabs.com found that over 1 in 3 (34%) Iowans say they drink more when the weather is cold out. Since Iowans turn to the bottle more in the winter than Illinoisans, we got some extra data.

83% of Iowans say they’re more likely to turn to alcohol when they are feeling low during winter months rather than summer
36% of Iowans say they would choose to have a drink on a cold winter's night over a hot summer's day

Rehabs.com, also gave of the top five drinks (in order) Iowans prefer to drink on a chilly winter’s night: