{"id":1314830,"date":"2026-03-05T09:00:00","date_gmt":"2026-03-05T15:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/wisconsinwatch.org\/?p=1314830"},"modified":"2026-03-05T15:56:41","modified_gmt":"2026-03-05T21:56:41","slug":"wisconsin-alcohol-harm-drinking-culture-public-health-addiction-opinion","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/wisconsinwatch.org\/2026\/03\/wisconsin-alcohol-harm-drinking-culture-public-health-addiction-opinion\/","title":{"rendered":"Opinion: To curb alcohol harm, Wisconsin must rethink its drinking culture","gt_translate_keys":[{"key":"rendered","format":"text"}]},"content":{"rendered":"Reading Time: <\/b><\/span> 2<\/span> minutes<\/span><\/span>\n

If we care about addressing alcohol addiction in Wisconsin, we must start thinking about it as a public health issue. Alcohol use is deeply embedded in Wisconsin’s history and has maintained its prevalence through the socialization and normalization of drinking culture. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Rather than focusing on an individual\u2019s capacity to remain sober in a state known for its beer-battered you-name-its, pub crawls, wine walks, and pedal taverns, we need to shift our focus toward making our communities more welcoming spaces for sobriety.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

To consider something a public health issue, it must pose a physical or mental health risk to populations rather than just individuals. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Alcohol use is a highly socialized activity and has been embraced by Wisconsin since its inception, due largely to its population of German immigrants in the 1800s. German-founded breweries laid the economic groundwork in Wisconsin\u2019s early years, supporting farmers, employing families, fostering community and generating profit. With a culture that has prospered from the industrial, financial and social aspects of brewing throughout the years, it is no wonder that Wisconsin carries on this tradition.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In a state where drinking runs generations-deep, so do the health effects, and addressing a widespread issue calls for widespread changes. <\/p>\n\n\n\t\n\t\t

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Wisconsin\u2019s \u2018death grip with alcohol\u2019 is killing more residents\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0<\/a><\/h3>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t<\/article>\n\n\t\t\n\t
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DataWatch: Wisconsin residents of legal drinking age consumed 35+ gallons of alcohol a person in 2022<\/a><\/h3>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t<\/article>\n\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\n\t<\/div>\n\t\n\n\t\n\t\t
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How alcoholism derailed former Wisconsin running back Montee Ball\u2019s football career<\/a><\/h2>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t<\/article>\n\n\t\t\n\t
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Do Wisconsin residents report excessively drinking more alcohol than those in other states?<\/a><\/h2>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t<\/article>\n\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\n\t<\/div>\n\t\n\n\n

Alcohol addiction must be considered a community risk rather than an individual\u2019s shortcoming. The majority of Wisconsinites, more than six in 10 adults, reported consuming alcohol within the past month, and nearly 20% reported binge drinking. In 2024, alcohol-related hospitalizations in Wisconsin reached their highest number since 2015. Reports from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention show that more than 3,450 Wisconsinites die from excessive drinking each year.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Wisconsin is the only U.S. state in which every county has reported<\/a> engaging in excessive alcohol consumption among at least 23% of its adult population. We are also home to 10 out of 20 of the \u201cdrunkest cities in America\u201d as reported by 24\/7 Wall St. <\/em>last year<\/a>. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The average number of alcoholic beverages consumed throughout Wisconsin has decreased in recent years, but people are consuming more ethanol over the same time span. This means people are tending to consume drinks with higher alcohol content. As the data illustrates, this is a statewide concern, not a private matter.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

We can make our communities easier places to be sober, not only in the interest of addiction recovery, but for the sake of promoting community well-being. On a structural level, this looks like advocating for greater access to recovery facilities and services. It also looks like supporting and sustaining local third spaces that are sober-friendly<\/a>. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Want to be part of the solution? Then consider hosting alcohol-free gatherings, socializing at a caf\u00e9 or a mocktail lounge and welcoming conversations about your choice to do so. Setting the bar starts with us, and this time, it\u2019s not a bar with alcohol.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Kayla Doege is a graduate student at University of Wisconsin-Whitewater\u2019s Master of Social Work program. She lives in Neosho and has spent five years working in youth mental health and substance use intervention.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Guest commentaries<\/em><\/a> reflect the views of their authors and are independent of the nonpartisan, in-depth reporting produced by Wisconsin Watch\u2019s newsroom staff. Want to join the Wisconversion? See our <\/em>guidelines for submissions<\/em><\/a>.<\/em><\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>\n","protected":false,"gt_translate_keys":[{"key":"rendered","format":"html"}]},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Alcohol misuse is woven into the state\u2019s history and identity, but its health consequences are widespread. Treating addiction as a public health issue \u2014 not an individual failing \u2014 is the first step toward meaningful change.<\/p>\n","protected":false,"gt_translate_keys":[{"key":"rendered","format":"html"}]},"author":792,"featured_media":1314828,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"single-feature.php","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"gigafact_has_fact_brief":false,"gigafact_remote_fact_brief_post_id":0,"gigafact_remote_sync_timestamp":"","gigafact_remote_sync_status":"","gigafact_remote_sync_response":"","gigafact_has_been_published":false,"newspack_ads_suppress_ads":false,"newspack_popups_has_disabled_popups":false,"newspack_sponsor_sponsorship_scope":"","newspack_sponsor_native_byline_display":"inherit","newspack_sponsor_native_category_display":"inherit","newspack_sponsor_underwriter_style":"inherit","newspack_sponsor_underwriter_placement":"inherit","jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"apple_news_api_created_at":"","apple_news_api_id":"","apple_news_api_modified_at":"","apple_news_api_revision":"","apple_news_api_share_url":"","apple_news_cover_media_provider":"image","apple_news_coverimage":0,"apple_news_coverimage_caption":"","apple_news_cover_video_id":0,"apple_news_cover_video_url":"","apple_news_cover_embedwebvideo_url":"","apple_news_is_hidden":"","apple_news_is_paid":"","apple_news_is_preview":"","apple_news_is_sponsored":"","apple_news_maturity_rating":"","apple_news_metadata":"\"\"","apple_news_pullquote":"","apple_news_pullquote_position":"","apple_news_slug":"","apple_news_sections":[],"apple_news_suppress_video_url":false,"apple_news_use_image_component":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_newspack_byline_active":false,"_newspack_byline":"","newspack_content_restriction_is_exempt":false,"newspack_featured_image_position":"","newspack_post_subtitle":"Alcohol misuse is woven into the state\u2019s history and identity, but its health consequences are widespread. Treating addiction as a public health issue \u2014 not an individual failing \u2014 is the first step toward meaningful change.","newspack_article_summary_title":"Overview:","newspack_article_summary":"","newspack_hide_updated_date":false,"newspack_show_updated_date":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2},"_wpas_customize_per_network":false},"categories":[3429],"tags":[240,3157],"partner":[],"newspack_spnsrs_tax":[],"type-of-work":[],"coauthors":[19437],"class_list":["post-1314830","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-opinion","tag-alcohol","tag-drinking","entry"],"fact_brief":null,"apple_news_notices":[],"parsely":{"version":"1.1.0","canonical_url":"https:\/\/wisconsinwatch.org\/2026\/03\/wisconsin-alcohol-harm-drinking-culture-public-health-addiction-opinion\/","smart_links":{"inbound":0,"outbound":0},"traffic_boost_suggestions_count":0,"meta":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","headline":"Opinion: To curb alcohol harm, Wisconsin must rethink its drinking culture","url":"http:\/\/wisconsinwatch.org\/2026\/03\/wisconsin-alcohol-harm-drinking-culture-public-health-addiction-opinion\/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"http:\/\/wisconsinwatch.org\/2026\/03\/wisconsin-alcohol-harm-drinking-culture-public-health-addiction-opinion\/"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/wisconsinwatch.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/asse6516472-scaled.jpg?fit=140%2C93&quality=100&ssl=1","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/wisconsinwatch.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/asse6516472-scaled.jpg?fit=2560%2C1696&quality=100&ssl=1"},"articleSection":"Opinion","author":[{"@type":"Person","name":"Kayla Doege"}],"creator":["Kayla Doege"],"publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"Wisconsin Watch","logo":"https:\/\/wisconsinwatch.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/02\/ww-logo-footer-1.png"},"keywords":["alcohol","drinking"],"dateCreated":"2026-03-05T15:00:00Z","datePublished":"2026-03-05T15:00:00Z","dateModified":"2026-03-05T21:56:41Z"},"rendered":"