Submitted by LCO Health Center
Where as; excessive alcohol consumption, which includes binge drinking, heavy drinking, underage drinking, and drinking during pregnancy, is a serious public health and safety concern in Wisconsin; and
Where as; in 2021, at least 3,207 people died in Wisconsin due to their own or someone else's alcohol use, which is a 22 percent increase in alcohol-attributable deaths from 2019 and a 59 percent increase since 2014, reflecting a larger trend of rising alcohol attributable-deaths in Wisconsin over the past two decades; and
Where as; consuming alcohol, and binge drinking in particular, can have a negative impact on an individual's personal life, professional life, and mental and physical health, and can increase one's risk of developing certain diseases and cancers; and
Where as; excessive alcohol use can also have a negative impact on Wisconsin's communities, posing innumerable societal costs to law enforcement, judicial systems, school systems, and employers throughout the state, in addition to being a major factor in reported motor vehicle crashes, injuries, poisonings, falls, drownings, hypothermia, homicides, and suicides; and
Where as; the percentage of adults in Wisconsin who regularly consume alcohol is higher than in most other states, as is the percentage of those adults who binge drink; and
Where as; this occasion presents all Wisconsinites with the opportunity to reflect on community alcohol policies and examine their own drinking habits, assess the effects on their overall health and well being, and utilize resources, such as those available through the Wisconsin Department of Health Services (OHS) website, to learn more about alcohol and its impacts; and
Where as; this month, the state of Wisconsin joins OHS in supporting data-driven policies to prevent underage drinking, reduce excessive alcohol use among all Wisconsinites, provide resources and services to individuals who need professional help, and assist friends, family members, and neighbors in their recovery;
NOW, therefore, I, Tony Evers, Governor of the State of Wisconsin, do hereby proclaim April 2023 as ALCOHOL AWARENESS MONTH throughout the State of Wisconsin and I commend this observance to all our state's residents.