It’s no secret that folks in Dubois County like their beer and liquor, but the habit recently led to the finding that Dubois County is the third-highest county for excessive or heavy drinking in the state with 23 percent of adults reporting they engage in these practices.The data was compiled by the County Health Rankings and Roadmaps program — a collaboration between the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation and the University of Wisconsin Population Health Institute — that surveyed more than 300 Dubois County residents.Excessive drinking, also described as binge drinking, is defined as consuming more than four or five alcoholic beverages on a single occasion in the past 30 days, whereas heavy drinking is defined as consuming more than one or two drinks per day on average. Recently, a website called Only In Your State , a blog about things unique to each of the 50 states, published the ranking, with Dubois County coming in at No. 3.Dubois County Health Department Administrative Director Donna Oeding said that while she doesn’t like the title, there’s truth in the data.“Right now, we’re looking at what our cultural norms and policies are that affect the drinking in our county,” Oeding said. “This was pointed out as something we need to address for the last several county health rankings that have been published. Since 2010, every year (Dubois County) listed as top four (for) excessive drinking.”Oeding said her department is looking to find the overall factors that contribute to binge or heavy drinking such as a lack of entertainment or healthy choices, but the department’s work is still on the ground floor. She said the health department would like to form a coalition to address the issue and brainstorm solutions to help people in Dubois County make better decisions.“We need to find the root causes of this problem and address it from that point of view,” she said.Oeding also pointed out that County Health Rankings found Dubois County to be the fifth healthiest county overall based on a number of factors including walking and running paths, access to healthcare and percentage of residents with insurance coverage.County Health Rankings ranked Newton County along the Illinois border south of Gary No. 1 on the list and Ripley County near Cincinnati at No. 2. Newton County data indicated 25 percent of adult residents reporting heavy or binge drinking, while Ripley County’s participation came in at 24 percent.Spencer County, at 20 percent, ranked 11th on the list that stopped after the top 11 counties.The Center for Disease Control and Prevention points to excessive drinking as a risk factor for a number of adverse health outcomes such as alcohol poisoning, hypertension, acute myocardial infarction, sexually transmitted infections, unintended pregnancy, fetal alcohol syndrome, sudden infant death syndrome, suicide, interpersonal violence and motor vehicle crashes. According to CDC data, approximately 80,000 deaths are attributed annually to excessive drinking, and it is the third-leading lifestyle-related cause of death in the United States.From a law enforcement standpoint, Dubois County Sheriff Donny Lampert isn’t at all surprised by County Health Rankings’ finding. Some people, he said, are actually proud of it.“I think this county has had alcohol as its way of life for a long time,” Lampert said. “A lot of people don’t understand to what extent we do use alcohol in this area. I think when these reports come out, we need to look in the mirror and think, ‘How can I better my life?’ When we better our own lives that will in turn better other lives in this community.”As sheriff and a long-time law enforcement employee, Lampert is all too familiar with the evils of excessive alcohol consumption. He said the number of alcohol-related crimes dwarfs all other categories.“It’s difficult for law enforcement officers to have to go through that and see the people, the kids and adults, that alcohol affects in such a negative way,” he said.Lampert said he would love to be part of Oeding and the health department’s coalition to combat excessive drinking in Dubois County, and even went as far to suggest putting a former alcoholic or criminal charged with alcohol related crimes into the mix so that person might provide an account of how alcohol destroyed his or her life in order for everyone to better understand the situation.“So many people in jail talk about their parents as a source of their frustration and how alcohol was a release for them from stress. When people self-medicate (with drugs or alcohol), they don’t understand how to use good stress relievers like exercise or picking up a hobby,” Lampert said. “Alcohol is a quick fix: You get drunk and you don’t care anymore. But the long-term related effects aren’t being considered.”