Survey finds Kansas No. 4 in alcohol and caffeine use. Can we get to No. 1? | Opinion

I’ve got an intriguing piece of news today: A survey by the national website DrugGenius.com has found that Kansas is No. 4 in the nation for consumption of caffeinated and alcoholic beverages.

The survey showed that 44% of Kansans’ total fluid intake is either caffeinated or alcoholic.

The only states with higher consumption rates were Maine, 49%; Arkansas, 48% and Montana, 46%.

There’s a lot to be proud of here.

We doubled up Washington, the home of Seattle and its coffee-cafe society, which came in a disappointing 43rd at 22% consumption.

And we even beat Nevada, (10th at 38%), and I’m pretty sure there’s a state law there that requires all adults to have a drink in their hand at all times.

You know, it’s not often that Kansas has the opportunity to lead the nation in something. And we’d be fools to squander this opportunity just to avoid potential liver damage and/or a few heart palpitations.

Increasing our alcohol and caffeine intake doesn’t “just happen.”

I really think we’re finally starting to see some payoff from Wichita’s economic development efforts of recent years.

Wichita’s spent untold millions to turn Old Town into one of the premiere bar districts in the Midwest and new coffee bars are springing up on what seems to be an almost weekly basis. (Welcome to town, Dutch Bros).

But progress marches on . . .

City Hall subsidized Chicken N Pickle by $2 million and spent $10 million on the newly opened Top Golf, bringing new and exciting opportunities for increased consumption of alcohol while playing pickleball and golf — and you thought it couldn’t be done.

And on Tuesday, Park and Recreation Director Troy Houtman told the Park Board that the city is ending its contract with the Wave venue to provide entertainment and alcohol at Naftzger Park, because alcohol sales there have been disappointing (hat tip to Wichita State University sociologist Chase Billingham for posting the transcript on the Naftzger Park Facebook page). When our city spends $5.2 million rebuilding a park that small, we have the right to expect it to be alcohol-soaked day and night.

On the caffeine front, not many years ago, local grocery stores used to stock caffeine-free(!) Coke, Pepsi, Dr. Pepper and even Mtn. Dew — the real stuff, not diet.

Today, those products have all but disappeared from the shelves.

They’ve been replaced by Coca-Cola with Coffee (69 mg of caffeine in 12 ounces, compared to only 53 for regular Coke) and Nitro Pepsi, which clocks in at an impressive 77 mg per 13.65 ounce can.

Drive-through margaritas and screwdrivers at Spangles — thank you Gov. Laura Kelly — have also contributed their part to our consumption record.

And the Legislature approving the sale of full-strength beer at grocery stores and gas stations has no doubt made a difference too.

But there’s always more that could be done.

Some local venues require a measly two-drink minimum to get into their shows. We could easily up that to five — 10 if we want to stretch ourselves. Ad Astra per Aspera!

But we’ve got to stop our dependence on government and private enterprise before we’ll be able to say “We’re No. 1.”

It’s up to all of us.

So if you’re one of those people sitting there with a bottle of Gatorade, or Evian, or heaven forbid, fruit juice in your hand, shame on you.

If you coulda had a V8, you coulda snarfed down a venti Caffe Americano — USA! USA! USA! — or shotgunned a 25-ounce Natty Ice. That extra ounce over everybody else’s 24-ounce beer can could make all the difference.

It’s easy. Just pretend you’re in college.

Note: If you’re actually in college, especially at K-State, you’re already doing enough.