Baltimore Ranks As 'Drunken City' (VIDEO)

When it comes to cutting someone off at the bar, Ellicott City bartender Kate Bennett knows the drill well.

“You just walk up to them…If they ask for another drink, be like, ‘Why don’t we get you water for right now, it might just seem a little safer for you,’” Bennett explains. “Some people handle it pretty well, some people don’t.”

With New Year’s Eve around the corner, bartenders across the country are gearing up for one of the biggest party nights of the year.

When the booze starts flowing on New Year’s Eve, there also comes a certain amount of risk.

According to the Maryland State Police, which is in the midst of promoting its “Drive Sober or Get Pulled Over” campaign, there were 193 DUI arrests on the night of New Year’s Eve in 2010.

Meanwhile, Baltimore ranked 37th out of 40 of America’s drunkest cities in a (non-scientific) Daily Beast list. The analysis included data from a market-research firm and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Baltimore ranked right after Las Vegas and just before Cedar Rapids, IA, with Milwaukee ranking No. 1 and Jacksonville, FL, ranking last. Washington, D.C., did not make the list.

The average Baltimorean consumes approximately 12 alcoholic drinks a month, according to The Daily Beast. In addition, the analysis showed that 5 percent of the adult population of Baltimore could be described as “heavy drinkers” while about 15 percent are binge drinkers.

In the meantime, New Year’s Eve isn’t necessarily the most popular night to drink. According to Mothers Against Drunk Driving, Thanksgiving eve has become the most popular night to imbibe.

Ellicott City’s Phoenix Emporium owner Mark Hemmis says that his bar does the best business the night before Thanksgiving and the day after Christmas.

“St. Patrick’s Day is also big for us,” Hemmis said.

But that doesn’t mean he isn’t gearing up for New Year’s festivities. He will be keeping the downstairs of his restaurant open through the wee hours of New Year's Day.

Before the big night, here are some additional alcohol-related statistics to keep in mind.

• Fatalities from alcohol-related crashes account for one in three U.S. roadway deaths each year. In 2010, 154 people died in alcohol-related car crashes in the state of Maryland. —National Highway Traffic Safety Administration
• More than half of the adult U.S. population drank alcohol in the past 30 days, and 15 percent took part in binge drinking. The CDC defines binge drinking for women as having four or more drinks during a single occasion; for men, having five or more. —Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)
• Excessive alcohol use is the third leading lifestyle-related cause of death for Americans each year. —CDC
• For underage drinkers, alcohol is the most commonly abused drug. People ages 12–20 drink 11 percent of all alcohol consumed in the United States. More than 90 percent of that alcohol is consumed by binge drinking. —CDC

Bennett's advice is to make sure you have a designated driver if you're going to imbibe on New Year's Eve, or call a cab.

See below for local cab information:

• Yellow Cab of Howard County, Jessup: 410-799-0000
• Columbia Taxi Service, Elkridge: 240-210-6688
• Safe-T-Ride USA,  Southern Maryland: 301-910-9854
• Tipsy Cab Service, Baltimore area: 877-963-8294