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 THE
HERITAGE OF DRINKING AND
FELLOWSHIP THERE ARE THOSE WHO
DEAL WITH THE RAMIFICATIONS OF
ALCOHOL ABUSE AND WE'RE JOINED
NOW BY LUKE FEDIE WITH
EAU CLAIRE COUNTY.
THANKS FOR YOUR TIME TODAY.
>> THANKS FOR HAVING ME, ZAC.
>> WHAT ARE YOU SEEING IN
EAU CLAIRE WHEN IT COMES TO
ALCOHOL AND OTHER DRUG ABUSE?
>> 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.
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 ACCE ACCEPTABILITY OF THE UF
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 MIGHT
FEEL LIKE THEY NEED THAT ALCOHOL
IN ORDER TO FUNCTION.
SO THEY NEED IT TO GO TO WORK IN
THE MORNING, TO GO TO BED AT
NIGHT.
THAT'S WHEN IT BECOMES
DYSFUNCTIONAL AND WE WANT TO DO
A FURTHER LEVEL OF ASSESSMENT TO
LOOK AT WHAT'S GETTING IN THE
WAY OF THEM FUNCTIONING WITHOUT
THAT DRUG.
THIS COULD LEAD TO LARGER
ISSUES, LIKE LEGAL PROBLEMS,
POOR PHYSICAL HEALTH AND CAN
EXACERBATE THE SYMPTOMS OF
MENTAL ILLNESS.
>> 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?
>> 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.
OFTENTIMES IT CAN WORSEN
SOMEONE'S SYMPTOMS OF MENTAL
HEALTH.
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.
>> 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?
>> SO IT'S AN INTERESTING
QUESTION BECAUSE CERTAINLY
ISOLATION IS EASIER NOW THAN IT
HAD BEEN IN THE PAST.
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.
>> NOW, HOW HAS THE PANDEMIC
IMPACTED THE ABILITY OF PEOPLE
TO SEEK HELP IF THEY NEED IT OR
RECOGNIZE THEY NEED IT?
>> 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.
>> WHAT SHOULD FAMILY AND
FRIENDS BE LOOKING FOR AND HOW
CAN THEY HELP IF THEY RECOGNIZE
THE SIGNS?
>> 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.
>> NOW, DOES THE STATE AND DO
THE COUNTIES HAVE ENOUGH
RESOURCES TO HANDLE THIS
INCREASE IN NEED?
>> 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 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.
>> ALL RIGHT.
LUKE FEDIE FROM EAU CLAIRE