NH is No. 1 in Alcohol Consumption, But ...

New Hampshire is tops when it comes to alcohol consumption per capita, according to new research. But, while some like the Boston Globe report "there isn't a drunker state," the findings are based on alcoholic beverage sales, and New Hampshire remains a popular travel and tourism destination.

And, of course, the state liquor stores are on the highway.

Not that Granite Staters aren't proud of any boozy, beery street cred – to wit, a thriving craft brewing industry.

New Hampshire has a population of about 1.3 million people. By comparison, according to the state Division of Travel and Tourism Development, there were an estimated 33.95 million "recreation and business" trips in New Hampshire in 2012.

The National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism report includes consumption data based on the sales of spirits, wine and beer. The report on "Apparent per capita alcohol consumption: National, State and Regional Trends, 1977-2012, was released in April 2014.

Consumption trend highlights include:

• In the United States, per capita consumption of ethanol from all alcoholic beverages combined in 2012 was 2.33 gallons, representing a 2.2 percent increase from 2.28 gallons in 2011.

• New Hampshire – along with Maine, Massachusetts, Vermont and Rhode Island – were above 2.50 gallons, per capita.

• Between 2011 and 2012, changes in overall per capita consumption of ethanol included increases in 43 States and the District of Columbia and decreases in 7 States.

• Analysis of overall per capita alcohol consumption by census region between 2011 and 2012 indicated an increase of 3.4% in the West, 2.3% in the South, 2.1% in the Northeast, and 1.7% in the Midwest.

• Healthy People 2020 has set the national objective for per capita alcohol consumption at no more than 2.1 gallons. Per capita consumption would need to decrease by 1.3% each year for the next 8 years to achieve this goal.