Happy Hour Is Too Late for Texans to Begin Drinking, Study Shows

SAN ANGELO, TX - It's happy hour somewhere, the old saying goes. However, for Texans, taking a sip could begin even earlier than 5 p.m., based on a new study by Zinnia Health, a behavioral health treatment network. 

Analysts at Zinnia Health surveyed 3,000 people to determine when having the day's first drink is acceptable. 

According to the results, Texans considered 2:36 p.m. an ideal time to begin sipping. 

As part of the study, researchers learned that 38 percent of consumers of alcohol dub weekends as a "judgment-free zone for advancing the hour of their first alcoholic beverage." 

Additionally, on holidays, 36 percent of people tested in the survey found drinking one to two hours earlier than usual acceptable.

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, excessive alcohol abuse leads to 178,000 deaths in the United States every year. It also "shortens the lives of those who die by an average of 24 years." Data shows more than 13,700 Texans die from excessive drinking each year.

The CDC defines excessive drinking as "consuming five or more drinks for men" and "four or more drinks for women on occasion." The organization says heavy drinking results in "15 or more drinks for men plus eight or more drinks for women per week and any alcohol use by pregnant women or people younger than 21."

Health risks associated with excessive drinking include cancer, liver disease, and high blood pressure, among other issues. 

To prevent excessive drinking, the CDC recommends limiting one's intake of alcohol to two drinks or less in a day for men and one drink or less in a day for women or choose not to drink at all.