Wausau Looks at the State of Drinking in Wisconsin
WAUSAU - Wisconsin's drinking problem - and potential cures for it - were topics of a public forum Thursday at Northcentral Technical College in Wausau.
Local sponsors joined with the AWARE (All-Wisconsin Alcohol Risk Education) Coalition to talk about how abusive drinking and drunken driving harm Wisconsin. The state leads the nation in such dubious categories as binge drinking and underage drinking. Yet Wisconsin hasn't raised its beer tax of less than a penny on a bottle of beer in 40 years. Speakers pointed out that a modest increase could help fight alcohol abuse and drunken driving, problems that cost the state more than $935 million a year in medical costs alone.
Local sponsors joined with the AWARE (All-Wisconsin Alcohol Risk Education) Coalition to talk about how abusive drinking and drunken driving harm Wisconsin. The state leads the nation in such dubious categories as binge drinking and underage drinking. Yet Wisconsin hasn't raised its beer tax of less than a penny on a bottle of beer in 40 years. Speakers pointed out that a modest increase could help fight alcohol abuse and drunken driving, problems that cost the state more than $935 million a year in medical costs alone.
Shannon Young, who works with students in the Wausau schools and is active in BRAVO (Building Responsible Alcohol Values and Options) said that the heart of Wisconsin has the same problems with abusive drinking as the state as a whole. "Many students in Wisconsin see the adults in their lives abuse alcohol. This can lead to them being much more likely to drink at a younger age, and to binge drink, than students in other parts of the country,'' she said.
And, sometimes young people are innocent victims of drunken drivers. Students from D.C. Everest Junior High in Schofield were on hand to talk about Lacey's Law, a petition they started to raise penalties for drunken driving in Wisconsin. Their classmate, 14-year-old Lacey Meinel, died in January on her way home from an ice-skating competition when her family's car was hit by a driver who was accused of having twice the legal blood-alcohol level and driving on the wrong side of the highway.
A researcher at the University of Wisconsin Law School told the group that there are effective ways to curb drunken driving - including "sobriety checkpoints" - but they cost money and would require a change in Wisconsin law.
"Research shows the most significant deterrent to drunk driving is the fear of being caught," said Nina Emerson, director of the Resource Center on Impaired Driving at the University of Wisconsin Law School.
"Research shows the most significant deterrent to drunk driving is the fear of being caught," said Nina Emerson, director of the Resource Center on Impaired Driving at the University of Wisconsin Law School.
Despite the fact that most drunken drivers involved in fatal accidents haven't been arrested before, they have driven with blood-alcohol levels above the legal limit, typically many times. But, because they don't fear getting caught, Emerson said, they continue to drive after drinking.
"What makes them stop is a reasonable fear of getting caught, with swift, serious consequences,'' she said.
"What makes them stop is a reasonable fear of getting caught, with swift, serious consequences,'' she said.
Currently, Wisconsin is one of a dozen states where sobriety checkpoints are illegal.
Dr. Rich Brown, associate professor of family medicine and an expert in alcohol treatment, told the gathering that another problem comes when people decide they need help to quit drinking, but can't afford a stay in a treatment center. Even after people are jailed for drunken driving, there are still long waiting lists for inmates who need to get into alcohol treatment.
While treatment can be expensive, Brown notes that abusive drinking costs the state $5 billion a year in health care, injuries, deaths and law enforcement costs.
Brown says that many primary-care providers need to be better educated about what they can do to intervene and help people struggling with alcohol problems. If patients cannot or will not receive treatment, Brown said that many primary-care providers could offer more help than they currently do. For example, medications that help curb cravings for alcohol, such as naltrexone and acamprosate, are vastly underprescribed, Brown said.
"We need to start education programs to let primary care providers know about them,'' Brown said.
Dr. Rich Brown, associate professor of family medicine and an expert in alcohol treatment, told the gathering that another problem comes when people decide they need help to quit drinking, but can't afford a stay in a treatment center. Even after people are jailed for drunken driving, there are still long waiting lists for inmates who need to get into alcohol treatment.
While treatment can be expensive, Brown notes that abusive drinking costs the state $5 billion a year in health care, injuries, deaths and law enforcement costs.
Brown says that many primary-care providers need to be better educated about what they can do to intervene and help people struggling with alcohol problems. If patients cannot or will not receive treatment, Brown said that many primary-care providers could offer more help than they currently do. For example, medications that help curb cravings for alcohol, such as naltrexone and acamprosate, are vastly underprescribed, Brown said.
"We need to start education programs to let primary care providers know about them,'' Brown said.
He directs a $12.6 million federal grant aimed at developing alcohol screening and assistance programs across the state.
Wausau Police Chief Jeffrey Hardel also talked about the toll alcohol takes on his community and on law enforcement budgets.
What all potential solutions to Wisconsin's drinking problem have in common is that they cost money - whether for law enforcement, prevention or treatment. Jon Sender of the AWARE Coalition said that a modest increase in Wisconsin's beer tax could help fund these initiatives.
He encouraged those in attendance to support a bill, sponsored by Madison Democrats Rep. Terese Berceau and Sen. Fred Risser, which would raise the tax on beer by two and a half cents per bottle. Currently, the tax is less than one penny per bottle, and hasn't been raised since 1969.
Wausau Police Chief Jeffrey Hardel also talked about the toll alcohol takes on his community and on law enforcement budgets.
What all potential solutions to Wisconsin's drinking problem have in common is that they cost money - whether for law enforcement, prevention or treatment. Jon Sender of the AWARE Coalition said that a modest increase in Wisconsin's beer tax could help fund these initiatives.
He encouraged those in attendance to support a bill, sponsored by Madison Democrats Rep. Terese Berceau and Sen. Fred Risser, which would raise the tax on beer by two and a half cents per bottle. Currently, the tax is less than one penny per bottle, and hasn't been raised since 1969.
"Pennies per bottle of beer could help prevent the tragedies that alcohol causes in Wisconsin,'' Sender said. "Our polling shows that most Wisconsin voters support paying a few more pennies if it helps protect them and their loved ones from drunken drivers and if it helps binge drinkers and alcoholics get the assistance they need."
Date Published: 05/29/2009
