61 New Recommendations to Reduce Excessive Alcohol Consumption
Medical College of Wisconsin Comprehensive Injury Center Key in Informing Report Guidance
Wisconsin leads the nation in excessive use of alcohol. In the last year, there have been reports showing increased alcohol sales and a rising death toll. In addition, there has been a 54% increase in alcohol-related deaths since 2014 in Wisconsin. The question is: What can we do about it? The State Council on Alcohol and Other Drug Abuse (SCAODA) released a report today called: Moving Forward: Policies and Strategies to Prevent and Reduce Excessive Alcohol Use in Wisconsin. The report outlines 61 policy and systems recommendations that give nearly everyone the chance to help modify the factors that encourage excessive alcohol consumption.
Entities encouraged to make changes focused on reducing excessive alcohol use include:
- Local government (counties; tribes; municipalities including cities, villages, and towns; and their various departments, such as law enforcement, etc.)
- State government and state agencies
- Civic, community, educational and religious organizations
- Healthcare systems and providers
- Alcohol industry
Excessive alcohol use is defined as:
- Binge drinking (4 - 5 drinks in a single occasion)
- Heavy drinking (1 - 2 drinks a day)
- Pregnant women drinking any alcohol
- Anyone under 21 drinking alcohol
In developing the report, the SCAODA Prevention Committee appointed an Alcohol Prevention Ad Hoc Workgroup that analyzed the evidence, engaged experts, and heard testimony about the most effective ways to reduce excessive alcohol consumption. The members of the committee included alcohol prevention, medical, mental health, law enforcement, and community engagement experts as well as tribal members and community members impacted by excessive alcohol use. Maureen Busalacchi, Director of the Wisconsin Alcohol Policy Project in the Comprehensive Injury Center (CIC) at the Medical College of Wisconsin (MCW), chaired the workgroup which ultimately developed a wide range of policies and practices that can help reduce excessive alcohol use in Wisconsin.
“I recognize all the time and effort that went into putting this report together by members of the workgroup,” said Roger Frings, Chair of SCAODA. “This report helps us see how we can make our communities safer and protect people from a path to addiction as well as reduce operating while intoxicated (OWI), alcohol- related fatalities, violence, and suicide, among other harms.”
Wisconsin leads the nation in many alcohol-related factors that cost taxpayers billions related to OWI traffic crashes, health care costs, law enforcement resources, and in deaths and disease. The Wisconsin Department of Health Services estimated over 3,100 deaths in Wisconsin could be attributed to alcohol use in 2020 alone, which represents an increase of 54% in alcohol-related deaths since 2014. Information can be found here on state and county level costs of binge drinking in Wisconsin.*
“It’s time we stop thinking that drinking a lot of alcohol is normal and start working on the culture around alcohol,” said Terri deRoon-Cassini, PhD, director of the Comprehensive Injury Center and associate professor of surgery (trauma and critical care). “Alcohol impacts much of the work we do at the Comprehensive Injury Center and is a major factor in violence, crashes, injury, trauma and suicides. We see reducing excessive alcohol use as a very important way to reduce harm and trauma, as well as an important factor in many health issues like liver disease, cancer, mental health issues and others. By bringing the Wisconsin Alcohol Policy Project to the CIC, we are able to provide communities with effective tools they can use to change their alcohol environment and reduce excessive drinking.”
Most excessive drinkers have not been diagnosed with an alcohol use disorder. Excessive alcohol use is a result of an environment created around alcohol use and is also related to an increase in the number of places that sell alcohol and changes in local and state laws that have increased access including when and where alcohol is available. It is important to continue to make treatment available and support recovery for those with an alcohol use disorder; however, much of the damage and cost around excessive alcohol use can be changed if the top tier recommendations of the report are implemented.
Every county in Wisconsin has an excessive alcohol consumption rate higher than the national average. Allowing this culture to continue models an unhealthy behavior for kids. Education alone will not change these statistics; but people in Wisconsin, from community organizations to local and state government to health care, can work together to implement the proven recommendations.
*2019 Binge Drinking report
America's Health Rankings analysis of CDC, Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System, United Health Foundation,
AmericasHealthRankings.org, Accessed 2022.