Alcohol Awareness Month

April is Alcohol Awareness Month. To raise awareness about alcohol-related harms and the importance of alcohol safeguards in Wisconsin, the Wisconsin Alcohol Policy Project has created social media posts that all Wisconsin prevention partners can use. If you would like to personalize a post for your organization, please reach out to Maureen Busalacchi.

Download suggested text for the social media posts.

The posts can be used to observe the National Alcohol Awareness Month weekly themes: 

Week 1

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  • Impaired driving post: April is Alcohol Awareness Month. In 2023, one Wisconsinite either died or was injured from alcohol-impaired driving every three hours. #WisAPP #ProofIsInTheNumbers #AlcoholAwarenessMonth
    • NOT FOR POST: Supporting data from Wisconsin Traffic Operations and Safety (TOPS) Laboratory DT4000 database (retrieved on 3/12/2024) https://transportal.cee.wisc.edu/

  • OWI post: There were nearly 23,000 OWI convictions in Wisconsin in 2022 (latest year for which data is available). That’s more than the number of seats available in Fiserv Forum, home of the Milwaukee Bucks. If you’re planning to drink, make sure you plan for a sober ride home. #WisAPP #ProofIsInTheNumbers #AlcoholAwarenessMonth
    • NOT FOR POST: https://wisconsindot.gov/Pages/safety/education/drunk-drv/default.aspx#:~:text=There%20were%20almost%2023%2C000%20convictions,every%20two%20hours%20in%20Wisconsin
    • NOT FOR POST: Fiserv Forum capacity data: https://www.fiservforum.com/assets/doc/Fiserv-Forum_FactSheet_8.5×11-7075c776c1.pdf

  • Physical harm post: April is Alcohol Awareness Month. From 2014-2018 there were 42 homicides where the victim was identified as having an #alcohol dependence or alcohol problem. #WisAPP #ProofIsInTheNumbers #AlcoholAwarenessMonth
    • NOT FOR POST: https://www.dhs.wisconsin.gov/wish/index.htm, Wisconsin Violent Deaths Reporting System Module, accessed 3/15/2023.

Week 2

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  • Alcohol Age Compliance Checks: April is Alcohol Awareness Month. In 2019, nearly 60% of Wisconsin youth reported ever consuming alcohol and 30% reported use in the past month. Together, we can change those statistics by encouraging communities to use alcohol age compliance checks (AACCs). AACCs are law enforcement operations where an underage young adult, age 18-20, works with a law enforcement agency by attempting to purchase alcohol using their own ID or without any ID. Sales to underage people are a significant contributor to the consumption of alcohol under the legal age. Learn more: https://www.mcw.edu/departments/comprehensive-injury-center/wi-alcohol-policy-project/compliance-and-enforcement/alcohol-age-compliance-checks-aacc. #WisAPP #ProofIsInTheNumbers #AlcoholAwarenessMonth
    • NOT FOR POST: https://www.dhs.wisconsin.gov/alcohol/youth-use.htm

  • One-in-five: April is Alcohol Awareness Month. #DYK – One in 5 deaths among U.S. adults ages 20-49 is from excessive alcohol use. Each year, the lives lost are shortened by an average of 26 years. Evidence-based alcohol policies can prevent premature deaths. #WisAPP #ProofIsInTheNumbers #AlcoholAwarenessMonth
    • NOT FOR POST: Esser MB, Leung G, Sherk A, et al. Estimated Deaths Attributable to Excessive Alcohol Use Among US Adults Aged 20 to 64 Years, 2015 to 2019. JAMA Netw Open. 2022;5(11):e2239485. doi:10.1001/jamanetworkopen.2022.39485

  • Taxpayers post: April is Alcohol Awareness Month. The total cost of Alcohol-related ER visits rose 272% from 2006-2014, costing taxpayers billions. Health experts recommend more alcohol policy safeguards to prevent dangerous drinking and its consequences. #WisAPP #ProofIsInTheNumbers #AlcoholAwarenessMonth
    • NOT FOR POST: Supporting data from White, A.M.; Slater, M.E.; Ng, G.; Hingson, R.; and Breslow, R. Trends in alcohol-related emergency department visits in the United States: Results from the Nationwide Emergency Department Sample, 2006 to 2014. Alcoholism: Clinical and Experimental Research 42(2):352–359, 2018. PMID: 29293274

Week 3

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  • Opioid post: April is Alcohol Awareness Month. Did you know that more than half of people who misuse prescription opioids also binge drink? In Wisconsin, 1 in 7 opioid overdose deaths involved #alcohol in 2021. #WisAPP #ProofIsInTheNumbers #AlcoholAwarenessMonth
    • NOT FOR POST: Supporting data from Wisconsin Department of Health Services “Alcohol Attributable Deaths by County Dashboard” https://dhs.wisconsin.gov/alcohol/deaths-county.htm and Wisconsin Interactive Statistics on Health (WISH) data query system, https://www.dhs.wisconsin.gov/wish/index.htm.

  • Lethal mix post: April is Alcohol Awareness Month. Mixing alcohol and opioids can be lethal. People who binge drink are 2x as likely to misuse prescription opioids. Health experts recommend strong alcohol safeguards to prevent excessive alcohol consumption and encourage physicians to screen patients for alcohol use. #WisAPP #ProofIsInTheNumbers #AlcoholAwarenessMonth
    • NOT FOR POST: Supporting data from Esser, M. B., et al. (2019) Binge Drinking and Prescription Opioid Misuse in the U.S., 2012-2014, American Journal of Preventative Medicine, 57(2), 197-208.

Week 4

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  • Cancer and alcohol post: April is Alcohol Awareness Month. Did you know that just 1 or 2 drinks a day increases a woman’s risk of breast cancer, and nearly 15% of all female breast cancer deaths are linked to alcohol. Reducing #alcohol use may reduce the risk of cancer. #WisAPP #ProofIsInTheNumbers #AlcoholAwarenessMonth
    • NOT FOR POST: Supporting data from § Cao Y, Willett WC, Rimm EB, Stampfer MJ, Giovannucci EL. Light to moderate intake of alcohol, drinking patterns, and risk of cancer: results from two prospective US cohort studies. BMJ. 2015 Aug 18;351:h4238. doi: 10.1136/bmj.h4238. PMID: 26286216; PMCID: PMC4540790.
    • Nelson DE, Jarman DW, Rehm J, Greenfield TK, Rey G, Kerr WC, Miller P, Shield KD, Ye Y, Naimi TS. Alcohol-attributable cancer deaths and years of potential life lost in the United States. Am J Public Health. 2013 Apr;103(4):641-8. doi: 10.2105/ AJPH.2012.301199. Epub 2013 Feb 14. PMID: 23409916; PMCID: PMC3673233.
    • Andrew B. Seidenberg, Kara P. Wiseman, Raimee H. Eck, Kelly D. Blake, Heather N. Platter, William M.P. Klein, Awareness of Alcohol as a Carcinogen and Support for Alcohol Control Policies, American Journal of Preventive Medicine, Volume 62, Issue 2, 2022, Pages 174-182, ISSN 0749-3797, https://doi.org/10.1016/ j.amepre.2021.07.005. (https://www.sciencedirect.com/ science/article/pii/S074937972100430X)
    • Maha Alattas, Craig S. Ross, Elizabeth R. Henehan, Timothy S. Naimi, Alcohol policies and alcohol-attributable cancer mortality in U.S. States, Chemico-Biological Interactions, Volume 315, 2020,108885,ISSN 00092797, https://doi.org/10.1016/ j.cbi.2019.108885. (https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/ pii/S0009279719313 158)
  • Alcohol is linked to 7 types of cancer: April is Alcohol Awareness Month. Drinking alcohol is linked to 7 types of cancer. Alcohol consumption led to nearly 19,000 cancer deaths annually in the U.S. between 2013-2016. In Wisconsin, liver cancer was the most common type seen in alcohol-attributable deaths related to cancer from 2020-2021. Reducing #alcoholuse may reduce your risk of cancer. #WisAPP #ProofIsInTheNumbers #AlcoholAwarenessMonth
    • NOT FOR POST: Supporting data from
      • Goding Sauer A, Fedewa SA, Bandi P, Minihan AK, Stoklosa M, Drope J, Gapstur SM, Jemal A, Islami F. Proportion of cancer cases and deaths attributable to alcohol consumption by US state, 2013-2016. Cancer Epidemiol. 2021 Apr;71(Pt A):101893. doi: 10.1016/j.canep.2021.101893. Epub 2021 Jan 19. PMID: 33477084
      • Nelson DE, Jarman DW, Rehm J, Greenfield TK, Rey G, Kerr WC, Miller P, Shield KD, Ye Y, Naimi TS. Alcohol-attributable cancer deaths and years of potential life lost in the United States. Am J Public Health. 2013 Apr;103(4):641-8. doi: 10.2105/AJPH.2012.301199. Epub 2013 Feb 14. PMID: 23409916; PMCID: PMC3673233.
      • Andrew B. Seidenberg, Kara P. Wiseman, Raimee H. Eck, Kelly D. Blake, Heather N. Platter, William M.P. Klein, Awareness of Alcohol as a Carcinogen and Support for Alcohol Control Policies, American Journal of Preventive Medicine, Volume 62, Issue 2, 2022, Pages 174-182, ISSN 0749-3797, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.amepre.2021.07.005
      • Maha Alattas, Craig S. Ross, Elizabeth R. Henehan, Timothy S. Naimi, Alcohol policies and alcohol-attributable cancer mortality in U.S. States, Chemico-Biological Interactions, Volume 315, 2020,108885,ISSN 00092797, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cbi.2019.108885. (https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0009279719313 158) § https://nccd.cdc.gov/DPH_ARDI/default/Report.aspx?T=AAM&P=7EFB8AD2-4EBF-44CF-9385-CAD42169D0E5&R=0ED8C1B4-538B-4030-86EE-AB9B2DD1BFBA&M=303DE7BB-DC65-42AF-828C-991786D4A605&F=&D=)

  • American Family Stadium post: April is Alcohol Awareness Month. More people die from alcohol-related causes than #opioids. 3,207 people died from #alcohol in 2021, and 1,427 people died from opioid overdoses in 2021. #Wisapp #ProofIsInTheNumbers #AAM
    • NOT FOR POST: Supporting data from https://dhs.wisconsin.gov/alcohol/deaths-county.htm ; https://dhs.wisconsin.gov/opioids/dashboards.htm ; Preventing Excessive Alcohol Use | CDC.

  • Camp Randall post: April is Alcohol Awareness Month. Excessive #alcohol use is a significant threat to the health, safety, and prosperity of Wisconsin’s residents. Every county in Wisconsin has high rates of excessive alcohol use. #Wisapp #ProofIsInTheNumbers #AAM
    • NOT FOR POST: Supporting data from https://dhs.wisconsin.gov/scaoda/index.htm and https://www.americashealthrankings.org/explore/annual/measure/ExcessDrink/state/WI

These materials have been adapted from the Prevention Technology Transfer Center Network Alcohol Awareness Toolkit: #ProofIsInTheNumbers.