Study: Brown County has costly drinking problem

GREEN BAY - The Bay Area Community Council (BACC) released an alcohol abuse study suggesting Brown County has a drinking problem that needs to be addressed.

The council spent more than a year looking social, economic and health costs tied to alcohol abuse in the area.

"Immersed in a culture where consumption of alcohol, in its many forms, is as natural as having a hearty meal," said Rev. Paul Demuth, co-chair of the task force.

The BACC estimates alcohol abuse costs well more than $100 million every year in Brown County alone, from treatment to punishment and damages.

"You wouldn't recognize the legal system if you removed alcohol abuse," said John Zakowski, Brown County District Attorney. "Probably 2/3 of the crimes we see committed I would think there's a substance abuse issue."

BACC members say Wisconsin not only leads the nation in categories such as underage drinking, binge drinking and drunken driving, but Brown County ranks in the top five in many of those same categories in the state.

The council says it is not asking people to stop drinking, but says the problem can only be solved by a long-term, community wide effort to change a drinking-reliant culture. The BACC is organizing summits with area schools as well as other community groups.

The BACC is also promoting legislation statewide. That includes the suggestion of more than doubling Wisconsin's on alcohol from 6.5 cents per gallon to 17.5 cents per gallon. It says that would be more in line with surrounding states. Wisconsin's alcohol tax has not been raised on more than 40 years.

The Tavern League of Wisconsin has been a strong opponent of such an increase.

"The Tavern League get a lot of credit for that but the truth is the politicians understand that that's something that's made here in Wisconsin," said Sue Robinson, President of Brown County's Tavern League. "I think right now if we had to do a dramatic increase in our drink prices, it would really be a nail in our coffin."

BACC is also advocating for the drunken driving laws to be tightened even further, making the first offense a crime and the second a felony.