Alcohol misuse is defined as binge drinking (>4 drinks in one sitting for women, > 5 for men), heavy drinking (>8 drinks/week for women, >15 for men), underage drinking, and drinking during pregnancy.
Why is this an important health issue in Eau Claire?
All members of a community are subject to the health or economic effects of alcohol misuse. Alcohol misuse results in significant health and economic consequences for the community. Incidents, injuries, and deaths related to alcohol misuse happen frequently in Eau Claire County and affect the health, safety, and finances of residents. Associated costs related to health care, involvement with the criminal justice system, and lost productivity, represent a significant economic burden for community members. In recent years, the estimated annual cost of binge drinking in Eau Claire County was $80.4 million, or $787 per each resident.
Alliance for Substance Misuse Prevention
The Alliance for Substance Misuse Prevention (Alliance) is an Eau Claire County community-based coalition. The Alliance aims to improve the lives of children, youth, and adults by mobilizing communities to prevent and treat alcohol, tobacco, and other drug misuse in Eau Claire County. To find out more and how you can get involved, visit www.getinvolvedasap.org.
Goals and Objectives: 2021-2024
Healthy Communities action teams identify goals and objectives based on root cause analysis, current evidence, state and national plans, and community input, assets, and readiness. More information on this process can be found in our Community Health Assessment and Community Health Improvement Plan.
Goals and objectives are developed based on root cause analysis, current evidence, state and national plans, and community input, assets, and readiness. More information on this process can be found in Eau Claire County’s Community Health Assessment and Community Health Improvement Plan.
Projects
Some policies and practices considered by the Alliance and community partners to discourage unhealthy use of alcohol:
- Support the implementation of best practices/policies for serving alcohol at community events
- Continue and expand education and training with alcohol establishments, retailers, and staff to prevent underage drinking, over-serving, and other risky use of alcohol
- Collaborate with community partners to reduce barriers to treatment and support services
- Initiatives to reduce stigma and normalize dialogues around substance use disorder (SUD) and seeking help
- Mass media campaign against alcohol-impaired driving
Coming soon! Action plans with current goals, objectives, and ongoing work will be available here.
Accomplishments
- Assisted with passing Public Excessive Intoxication ordinance in the City of Eau Claire and developed and facilitated Public Excessive Intoxication educational program as a result of the ordinance.
- Hosted Students Against Destructive Decision (SADD) advocacy trainings for youth to learn about vaping, underage drinking, and substance misuse. More than 100 Eau Claire County youth attended the trainings. 100% of youth who attended reported confidence to create an accurate and valid activism targeted at youth risk behavior.
For a full list of accomplishments over the course of 2021-2024 for alcohol misuse and all of our community’s health priorities, please see the final pages of Eau Claire County’s Community Health Improvement Plan.