Hoboken Ranks On List Of Top 100 NJ Towns With Most Alcohol-Themed Instagram Posts

HOBOKEN, NJ — Two years ago this month, New Jerseyans hunkered down to try to survive the pandemic. People spent more time on-line, and, according to various sources, more time drinking.

In May 2020, Gov. Murphy signed legislation to allow hotels, bars, and restaurants to sell and deliver alcohol, and people also began to experiment making their own craft cocktails.

National rehab directory Rehabs.com commissioned a study in which the 100 largest towns and cities in New Jersey were ranked for their number of alcohol-related Instagram posts over the course of the pandemic.

The researchers analyzed 5,000 Instagram posts starting from March 2020 — the unofficial start of lockdowns for most states — to identify how many were related to alcohol or being drunk. The results reveal which town/cities posted about it the most.

Rehabs.com determined that Bernards, which has a population of just 27,830, came in the number one spot with 392 alcohol-related Instagram posts (per 5,000 posts) during the pandemic. This represents 7.84 percent of all Instagram posts in that town during that period.

Not far behind came Atlantic City with 377 alcohol/drunk-related posts (per 5,000 posts) during the pandemic for a rate of 7.54 percent.

How did Hoboken do?

Depite having one of the highest numbers of liquor licenses per square mile in the United States, Hoboken came in at number 69. The city did better than Jersey City, at number 10.

Hoboken, with a population of 60,149, had approximately 97 liquor-themed posts during the time period, for a rate of 1.94 percent of all posts.

Princeton and Galloway were slightly ahead, at number 67 and 68 respectively.

See the top 100 NJ towns here.

Instagram, unlike Facebook and Twitter, focuses on photos and videos with a short summary and little back-and-forth.

Thus, it's usually less political than the other sites, and popular among businesses seeking to promote their wares.

Rehabs.com has included below signs that indicate a problematic relationship with alcohol:

• Difficulty controlling one’s level of alcohol consumption.
• Wanting to decrease or stop drinking alcohol but being unable to do so.
• Developing a higher tolerance for alcohol and needing more over time to reach the desired effects.
• Experiencing alcohol cravings when not drinking as well as withdrawal symptoms such as sweating, shaking and nausea.
• Facing personal problems at home, work, or school due to alcohol use.

Here is a link to the federal government's Substance and Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration's national helpline and resources.

Here are the state of New Jersey's hotline numbers for various mental health, addiction and counseling services.

Here is a fact sheet about internet addiction from a mental health nonprofit.

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