Here & Now

Wisconsin's Pandemic Alcohol Surge

Zac Schultz:

A new report shows Wisconsinites have been drinking a lot more since the start of the pandemic. The Public Policy Forum says tax revenue from alcohol sales in the state increased by nearly 17% in the last fiscal year. That’s the largest increase since 1972 when the state lowered the drinking age. While many take pride in Wisconsin’s cultural heritage of drinking and fellowship there are those who deal with the ramifications of alcohol abuse and we’re joined now by Luke Fedie, a behavioral health administrator with Eau Claire County. Thanks for your time today.

Luke Fedie:

Thanks for having me, Zac.

Zac Schultz:

What are you seeing in Eau Claire when it comes to alcohol and other drug abuse?

Luke Fedie:

So we’re certainly seeing an increased use, particularly for a number of different reasons. So many individuals throughout the pandemic have lost some of the healthy ways that they’ve typically worked to manage stress or cope. Those individuals who spend time with friends, participate in social events to help manage stress have had to find different ways to cope and unfortunately sometimes because of the availability of alcohol and acceptability of the use of alcohol, that can be a quick fix for people to lean into. You know, as mental health providers, it’s imperative that we always continue to assess a client’s use of alcohol and look for those symptoms of dependence and abuse. Alcohol in and of itself, moderate use of alcohol can be relatively innocuous. What we want to look for are times when an individual feels like they might need that alcohol in order to function. Say they need it to go to work in the morning, they need it to go to bed at night. That’s when it becomes dysfunctional and that’s when we really want to do a further level of assessment to look at what’s getting in the way of them functioning without that drug. The other thing to think about is this could lead to larger issues, like legal problems, poor physical health and can certainly exacerbate the symptoms of mental illness.

Zac Schultz:

Did you see an increase at the beginning of the pandemic or was there a lag before you started seeing an increase for people needing services?

Luke Fedie:

So we’re starting to see an increase now. We certainly saw a little blip at the beginning of the pandemic. But as time has gone on, we’re seeing more and more people kind of regress into using alcohol as a coping skill. Unfortunately, it’s not the most effective coping skill. If anything oftentimes it can worsen someone’s symptoms of mental illness. It is in and of itself a central nervous system depressant. Sometimes what we end up seeing is symptoms become worse when someone’s using alcohol. So they fall into this cycle of drinking because they’re depressed and stay depressed because they’re drinking. So as the level of anxiety and depression rises for individuals, really across the entire world, in the event of the pandemic, you know, because that’s part of what we’ve seen as well is an increased level of anxiety and depression. People are resorting to finding ways to cope, some more healthy than others.

Zac Schultz:

How much of this is people being isolated, either working from home or having lost a job? Is there a tendency for people to be day drinking or is this more of binge drinking?

Luke Fedie:

So it’s an interesting question because certainly isolation is easier now than it had been in the past. Because again, some of those social events aren’t happening and so it’s easier for people to withdraw or to stay withdrawn. You know, I can’t speak to every case that’s happening, but we do know that it’s easier for individuals to isolate, withdraw and oftentimes alcohol abuse is a secretive behavior. So when someone doesn’t have that kind of check and balance of having people around them, it might be easier for them to fall into that use.

Zac Schultz:

Now, how has the pandemic impacted the ability of people to seek help if they need it or if they recognize they need it?

Luke Fedie:

Sure. So many, many clinics have shifted into providing some telehealth services. That’s been a blessing because we have the technology to be able to do that. We also know that that doesn’t work well for everybody. Some people need that face-to-face connection. And there certainly are clinics that with the proper PPE and protection can provide that face-to-face level as well. We here at Eau Claire County Department of Human Services have a clinic that’s certified in AODA or alcohol and other drug services and we will often provide telehealth services for individuals and if they need that level of face-to-face care, we find ways to make that work as well. The good news is we have the technology to do telehealth, to offer it to really anybody anywhere. The bad news is it doesn’t always fit for everybody. So we want to make sure we’re doing what’s clinically indicated for the folks we’re seeing.

Zac Schultz:

What should family and friends be looking for and how can they help if they recognize the signs?

Luke Fedie:

Well, certainly one of the things to look for is again that social isolation or that withdrawal. Checking in with somebody, really just asking the question, “How you doing,” right? I know in the Midwest it’s easy for us to say, “Fine” and move on and really thinking about digging a little bit deeper. How you doing. I haven’t seen you. This is what I’m concerned about. If there are specific behaviors an individual is engaging in that’s concerning, bring those behaviors up with that individual. Tell them you’re concerned about them. Ask them what’s going on. If they say that they need help or are indicating that they may have a problem, encourage them to seek help and maybe even help them connect with the resources available.

Zac Schultz:

Now, does the state and do the counties have enough resources to handle this increase in need?

Luke Fedie:

So, Zac, that always becomes the biggest issue, right? It’s the capacity to manage the need. I can tell you that we here at Eau Claire Department of Human Services have a wait list in our clinic. We try to continue, in most clinics try to triage as folks come in and depending on the level of need and level of care they’re needing, respond immediately. So if someone comes in with an emergent or crisis-based need, we’re certainly trying to respond to that. And at the same time there’s always going to be room for growth. I would love to have more services within our community, more sober living kinds of homes, things that really tend to serve the community well. We’re always looking for more because this is not an issue that’s going to go away and it’s probably not an issue that’s going to slow as time goes on.

Zac Schultz:

All right. Luke Fedie from Eau Claire County, thank you for your time today.

Luke Fedie:

Thank you, Zac.