A new report says Wisconsin has the second highest binge drinking rate in the U.S. Binge drinking here costs almost $4 billion a year or about $700 per state resident. The report from the University of Wisconsin-Madison’s Population Health Institute found that over two-thirds of the economic cost of binge drinking is in lost productivity.
The Burden of Binge Drinking in Wisconsin report found that in 2018, excessive consumption contributed to approximately 79,000 alcohol-related hospitalizations, 25,000 drunk driving arrests, and 2500 alcohol-related deaths.
It’s a critical public health concern, according to the report.
