New Report Finds Alcohol-Related Deaths Rose Almost 25% in 2020

Friday, January 14th, 2022 -- 11:01 AM

(AP) A new report finds that alcohol-related deaths in Wisconsin rose almost 25% in 2020. The nonpartisan Wisconsin Policy Forum released data Thursday that shows 1,077 Wisconsin residents died of alcohol-related causes in 2020, up from 865 in 2019.

The data was compiled from U.S. residents’ death certificates. The report uses the U.S. Centers for Disease Control’s definition of alcohol-related deaths to mean deaths directly attributed to excessive drinking such as alcohol poisoning and liver disease.

The definition does not include deaths caused by drunken driving or alcohol-fueled violence. The report speculates that the increase in deaths may be driven by higher rates of binge drinking in Wisconsin and the state’s history of high alcohol consumption.

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