Wisconsin Drug and Alcohol Addiction Statistics
Prescription drugs are the largest contributor to overdose deaths in Wisconsin. About 73% of drug-related deaths in Wisconsin are due to opioids, which include prescription pain medications and heroin. Because prescription drugs and heroin are related, prescription drug abusers often turn to heroin when prescription medications become too expensive or difficult to obtain. Deaths related to heroin alone climbed 50% in 2012, which may be related to the increase in purity of heroin available in Wisconsin.
Marijuana is the most commonly used drug in Wisconsin, though use by adolescents is slightly lower than national averages. Crack cocaine is somewhat prevalent throughout Wisconsin while powdered cocaine use is relatively more rare.
Wisconsin has the highest rates of drinking, including binge drinking and heavy drinking, in the country. Around 68% of adult Wisconsin residents have had at least one drink in the past 30 days, while national rates lie around 58%. Binge drinking – having five or more adult beverages on one occasion – has been performed by 22% of adult Wisconsinites in the past 30 days, while 7.4% of them are considered heavy drinkers (defined as having an average of two or more drinks per day). Alcohol alone counts for half of inpatient rehab admissions in Wisconsin.
Conversely, rates of drinking among high school students in Wisconsin closely mirrors national averages. About 39% of Wisconsin high school students have had at least one alcoholic beverage in the past 30 days.
Wisconsin has lower than average rates of gambling addiction and problem gambling compared with the rest of the country. About 1.4% of Wisconsin residents exhibit symptoms of problem gambling.
Wisconsin does not have other rates of behavioral disorders that vary significantly from national averages.