MADISON, WI (WTAQ) – A new study reveals Wisconsin has the fourth highest rate of underage drinking problems in the United States. Wisconsin follows behind North Dakota at number 1, Montana at number 2, and Vermont at number 3.
The study, conducted by addiction experts at Lantana Recovery, examined alcohol use, binge drinking, alcohol use disorder, alcohol-attributable deaths and DUI arrests among youth aged 12-20 across all 50 states by analyzing data from the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA), Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), and Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI).
Alcohol use among youth in Wisconsin is significantly high at 21.54% (ranked 3rd), which is 40.15% higher than the national average. Wisconsin’s youth binge drinking rates are the highest in the nation, with 13.78% of youth reporting binge drinking in the past month (ranked 3rd), 64.05% above the national average. Additionally, youth alcohol use disorder is at 6.95% (ranked 5th), 21.50% higher than the national rate.
Maureen Busalacchi, director of the Division of Alcohol Policy, Prevention, and Research at the Medical College of Wisconsin, says that although Wisconsin’s drinking rates have dropped over the years, it’s still higher than the national average.
“I think part of that is accounted for the fact that we have so many more places that you can sell and serve alcohol in Wisconsin compared to other states,” said Busalacchi. “We are one of the least restrictive states to allow sales of alcohol, but we can make decisions on the local level to say ‘no’, and that we don’t need every business serving alcohol.”
Binge drinking in youth can have a significant impact on their brain development, causing problems with academic performance at school. Lindsay Richerson, addiction expert and Executive Director at Lantana Recovery, says studies show that people who start drinking before age 15 are 3.5 times more likely to develop alcohol use disorder later in life.
To combat the issue, Busalacchi says it’s important to keep youth engaged in activities like sports, music, or other extracurricular activities they have an interest in.
Alcohol age compliance checks, where an underage young adult, aged 18‐20 works with a law enforcement agency by attempting to purchase alcohol, can also work towards preventing the sale of alcohol to underage kids.
“We have released a manual on how to run alcohol age compliance checks with field-tested materials,” said Busalacchi. “It has been proven to reduce youth fatalities in motor vehicle crashes.”
Communities and families can also help by having conversations with youth in their lives, and by modeling good behavior by showing them that you don’t always need to be consuming alcohol at events and gatherings, and that alcohol doesn’t need to be used as a coping mechanism.
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