Agency says Nevada has most heavy drinkers

By Cy Ryan

Saturday, Jan. 30, 2010 | 2:05 a.m.

CARSON CITY — Not many women would consider themselves heavy boozers for having one drink a day.

And a man might laugh if he was called a heavy drinker for downing two beers or two cocktails a day.

But the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says that constitutes heavy drinking and ranks Nevada as having the highest percentage of adults who drink heavily.

The statistic was delivered Friday by Michael Helmar, an analyst for Moody’s, at the second meeting of the 26-member Nevada Vision Stakeholder Group.

According to the federal agency, more than 8 percent of Nevadans are considered heavy drinkers.

Helmar told the group the statistics were gathered through a survey of residents in all states and do not include tourists.

“Nevadans consume more alcohol,” he said.

In the West, California has the next most heavy drinkers at 6 percent.

In 1999 and 2008, Nevada also ranked as the state with the most heavy drinkers, Helmar said.

Group Chairman Robert Lang noted with skepticism that the numbers mean a woman who has a glass of red wine once a day is considered a heavy drinker.

The group was created by the 2009 Legislature to look at Nevada’s tax structure and review proposals for broad-based taxes.

It must recommend long-range goals for five, ten and 20 years in education, health and human services, public safety, economic diversification, job creation, transit and energy use.

Nevada’s overall health is “pretty poor,” Helmar said.

For instance, 25 percent of Nevada’s adults are obese, top among the western states. “There are a lot of couch potatoes,” Helmar said.

Nevada continues to have the most smoker, with 30 percent of adults using cigarettes, Helmar said.

Committee member Keith Smith of Las Vegas said there has been a tremendous growth in population that distorts the data. And, he said, the data has no relation to predicting the future.

But Helmar said quality-of-life indicators have to be identified so goals can be set to improve them.

Susan Rhodes of Las Vegas said the group must look at energy and water.

She said people are getting $800 a month power bills they cannot afford, and there is a question whether there is enough water to serve a growing population.

Those two things could impact the drive to diversify the economy.

The group has seven more meetings to come up with its recommendations on where Nevada should be headed.

The resolution creating the committee was sponsored by Senate Majority Leader Steven Horsford, D-North Las Vegas, and Assembly Majority Leader John Oceguera, D-Las Vegas.

Cy Ryan may be reached at (775) 687 5032 or [email protected]