I don't remember the party in power here addressing the annual alcohol-related loss of lives and nearly $7 billion.
You can add Wisconsin's persistent and widespread alcohol abuse to this compilation of negative state rankings, as Wisconsin - - as it did last year - - put ten cities on this list of the country's 20 most-drunken.
No other state came close, so call it life in the state of denial.
They reflect many of the same outcomes published in 2012 by the same officials 21 months after Walker came to power. In other words, little progress.
Also for the record:
This guest post here more than ten years ago, this one six years ago and these 2015 state findings about alcohol abuse which have not translated themselves into meaningful, top-priority policy directives:
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You can add Wisconsin's persistent and widespread alcohol abuse to this compilation of negative state rankings, as Wisconsin - - as it did last year - - put ten cities on this list of the country's 20 most-drunken.
No other state came close, so call it life in the state of denial.
Green Bay named drunkest city in the US; 10 Wisconsin cities listed as top 20 drunkestThe consequences in Wisconsin lives lost, families damaged and money wasted is well-known and heavily, repeatedly documented by public officials:
The per capita alcohol consumption rate in Wisconsin is 1.3 times higher than the national rate. The alcohol consumption rate for adults is 10 percentage points above the national rate (63% vs. 53%). Heavy drinking among adults is more common in Wisconsin than the nation as a whole. Wisconsin’s rate of adult binge drinking (22%) is third highest across all states and U.S. territories. Wisconsin women of childbearing age consume alcohol at levels higher than their national peers.
Consequences of Alcohol Consumption Outpace National Rates
Given Wisconsin’s alcohol consumption patterns, it is not surprising that the rates at which Wisconsin experiences the consequences associated with alcohol use have also tended to be higher than national rates. Since 2008, rates of alcohol abuse and dependence have been higher in Wisconsin than the nation as a whole. Wisconsin's rate of death from alcohol-related liver cirrhosis has risen since 2008 as has the rate of alcohol-related deaths from causes other than liver cirrhosis. The latest available data show that Wisconsin has 1.2 times the national rate of arrests for operating while intoxicated (OWI) and almost three times the national rate of arrests for liquor law violations. However, since 2010, Wisconsin’s rate of alcohol-related motor vehicle deaths has been similar to the national rate.
Alcohol is the most frequently consumed substance of use and misuse in Wisconsin, contributing to consequences that affect all state residents.
In 2015, alcohol was a factor in at least 2,008 deaths and 2,907 motor vehicle crash injuries in Wisconsin. In 2013, the economic burden resulting from excessive alcohol use totaled $6.8 billion dollars.Those data were published in 2016, nearly six years after Walker and the GOP took over state government.
They reflect many of the same outcomes published in 2012 by the same officials 21 months after Walker came to power. In other words, little progress.
Also for the record:
This guest post here more than ten years ago, this one six years ago and these 2015 state findings about alcohol abuse which have not translated themselves into meaningful, top-priority policy directives:
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Alcohol and Drug Use
According to America’s 2015 Health Rankings, Wisconsin ranks 49th for Binge Drinking and 45th for Chronic Drinking. Wisconsin ranks 23rd for drug deaths.
Alcohol Abuse and Binge Drinking in Wisconsin
Binge Drinking
Binge drinking is the practice of consuming large quantities of alcohol in a single session, which is considered four drinks in one sitting for women and five drinks for men. Heavy drinking is defined as more than two drinks per day for men and more than one drink per day for women. Adverse health outcomes associated with excessive alcohol consumption include cirrhosis of the liver and other chronic diseases, alcohol dependence, and fetal alcohol spectrum disorder.
Wisconsin continues to rank among the worst in the nation for both heavy drinking and binge drinking among adults. Approximately one in four (24.3%) Wisconsin adults engaged in binge drinking in the previous month, compared to the national median of 18.3%; and 9.8% of Wisconsin adults engaged in heavy drinking, compared to the national median of 6.6% (data not shown).14 More than one in three high school students in Wisconsin drank alcohol within the past 30 days.
In 2012, the estimated annual costs associated with excessive alcohol consumption in Wisconsin totaled $6.8 billion. In 2010, at least 1,732 people died (3% of all deaths), 3,511 were injured, and 67,345 were arrested as a direct result of alcohol use and misuse in Wisconsin. The death rate due to alcoholic liver disease has increased by 28% since 2001.
While Whites have the greatest number of deaths, American Indians have the highest age-adjusted death rate from alcoholic liver disease.
Alcohol Abuse and Binge Drinking in Wisconsin
Binge Drinking
Binge drinking is the practice of consuming large quantities of alcohol in a single session, which is considered four drinks in one sitting for women and five drinks for men. Heavy drinking is defined as more than two drinks per day for men and more than one drink per day for women. Adverse health outcomes associated with excessive alcohol consumption include cirrhosis of the liver and other chronic diseases, alcohol dependence, and fetal alcohol spectrum disorder.
Wisconsin continues to rank among the worst in the nation for both heavy drinking and binge drinking among adults. Approximately one in four (24.3%) Wisconsin adults engaged in binge drinking in the previous month, compared to the national median of 18.3%; and 9.8% of Wisconsin adults engaged in heavy drinking, compared to the national median of 6.6% (data not shown).14 More than one in three high school students in Wisconsin drank alcohol within the past 30 days.
In 2012, the estimated annual costs associated with excessive alcohol consumption in Wisconsin totaled $6.8 billion. In 2010, at least 1,732 people died (3% of all deaths), 3,511 were injured, and 67,345 were arrested as a direct result of alcohol use and misuse in Wisconsin. The death rate due to alcoholic liver disease has increased by 28% since 2001.
While Whites have the greatest number of deaths, American Indians have the highest age-adjusted death rate from alcoholic liver disease.
- Binge drinking rates were significantly higher among males and younger age groups.
- Wisconsin’s rate of binge drinking among women of childbearing age is the highest in the nation
- Binge drinking rates were significantly lower for Black adults compared to Whites.
- White students were significantly more likely to
binge drink than were Black, Hispanic, and Asian
students. - Early initiation of alcohol use (before age 13) was
most prevalent among Latino and Black students. - Sexual minority students had higher rates of early
initiation of alcohol than sexual majority students.
DRAFT – NOT FOR DISTRIBUTION
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