The Least Sober-Friendly Town In America Is Found In Montana

Montana Towns Among The Least Sober-Friendly In America

Part of me is not surprised by the findings of a new study, but it's still sad.

Turns out two Montana towns are among the WORST if you want to live a sober life.

SmartStart Study Reveals Sobriety Challenges

The company SmartStart, which manufactures the Ignition Interlock Device (IID), often known as a car breathalyzer, conducted a study of 162 cities throughout America to find the least sober-friendly cities.

They analyzed the 50 largest cities in America, along with the 3 biggest cities in each state.

Each city was then evaluated by the following criteria:

• Percentage of residents identifying as non-drinkers
• The average number of sober events per month per 100,000 residents
• Number of snack and nonalcoholic beverage bars per 100,000 residents
• Number of AA locations per 100,000 residents
• Number of treatment and recovery centers per 100,000 residents

This is where things get bad for Montana, especially for two cities in particular.

Great Falls, MT

Coming in as the #7 worst town to live sober is Great Falls, MT.

While they didn't give a reason for why Great Falls landed at #7, I feel the reason they give for the next Montana town describes Great Falls as well.

Missoula, MT

Missoula actually tops the list as the absolute WORST place to try and be sober, as SmartStart explains in their findings:

Montana’s Drinking Culture: Problem Or Statistical Artifact?

Montana appears frequently at the top of these lists. Does the state have a drinking problem (DUI fatalities say we might), or do studies based on per-100,000 residents skew the results?

I want to hear your opinion, either through our app or by emailing me your thoughts.

Source: SmartStart