Huntington Instagrammers topped all other communities on Long Island with the number of posts about intoxication or alcohol use during the Covid-19 epidemic, according to a study from Rehabs.com.
The town is ranked third in New York State, after Saratoga Springs and Rochester.
Whether the number of posts is influenced by drinkers or by Huntington’s many bars and restaurants, which were trying to keep their heads above water during the cutbacks imposed by the epidemic, was unknown. The study counted posts starting in March 2020, when the epidemic first began rolling across New York State. The Rehabs survey links the social isolation of the epidemic to the number of Instagram posts.
“As the pandemic well and truly set in, two things happened: people began to consume more alcohol, and they spent more time on social media – their primary channel with the outside world. In March 2020, state officials introduced a crowd-pleasing salve: a temporary legalization of to-go alcoholic drinks from bars and restaurants. As the months progressed, the term ‘Quarantini’ entered our mainstream lexicon, becoming a catch-all term for any cocktail made during lockdown, and soon social media was flooded with alcohol-related content. In one study, New Yorkers’ favorite homemade cocktail during the pandemic was found to be a Vodka Fizz,” it concludes.
“The results reveal which town/cities posted about it the most, which could possibly indicate a problematic relationship with alcohol,” Rehabs said.
Parts of the town of Huntington are not included or have their own ranking, including Dix Hills (#14), East Northport (#45), Commack (#52) and Melville (#35).