Wisconsin Rehab
America’s Dairyland is known for its strong food culture and is home to some of the country’s best German fairs and beer-brewing traditions. However, Wisconsin struggles with some of the highest rates of excess alcohol consumption in the nation, with opioid-related overdoses also posing a serious threat.
This state offers a comprehensive range of inpatient and outpatient addiction treatment services. The availability of detoxification programs, treatment for co-occurring mental health conditions, and other medically assisted approaches to addiction therapy aims to address the challenges faced by Wisconsin residents.
Wisconsin prioritizes early intervention through public health initiatives such as “Dose of Reality”, a campaign to raise awareness of the impact of opioid addiction and provide funding support to community programs. The state’s Prescription Drug Monitoring Program also seeks to limit the harm done by the inappropriate prescribing of medication with an addictive potential.
Drug Use Statistics in Wisconsin
Wisconsin has a population of 5,960,975 people. The most recent data from the 2023-2024 National Survey on Drug Use and Health (NSDUH) found that approximately 775,000 people over the age of 12 had used illegal substances in the past month, around 13.00% of the population. 703,000 reported marijuana use in the past month and 1,103,000 in the past year.
The report also found that 69,000 Wisconsin residents had used cocaine in the past year, 32,000 had used meth, and 122,000 had misused prescription pain medication. 10,000 people over the age of 18 reported using heroin in the last year. Those reporting opioid misuse, including heroin, painkillers, and fentanyl, in Wisconsin totaled 121,000 people.
Alcohol Use in Wisconsin
Alcohol misuse was also reported in Wisconsin, with 2,790,000 people over the age of 12 saying they had used alcohol in the last month and 1,247,000 reporting binge drinking. The perceived risk of people over 12 years of age indulging in problematic alcohol use (5 or more drinks twice a week) in a month was 2,070,000 people.
Addiction Treatment Statistics in Wisconsin
The NSDUH report also recorded the total number of substance use disorders in Wisconsin and those who currently require treatment. The report found that approximately 958,000 were recorded as having a substance use disorder (SUD) and 604,000 had an alcohol use disorder. 92,000 people were recorded as having an OUD, including those with painkiller, heroin, and other opioid-based drug use disorders.
The NSDUH report also measures the gap between the people who need SUD treatment and those who actually receive it. It found that 968,000 people in Wisconsin were classified as needing treatment in the past year, 164,000 received treatment for an SUD, and 790,000 did not receive the treatment they were classified as needing.
- Consumer Guide: Finding and Choosing Substance Use Treatment Programs | Wisconsin Department of Health Services. (2014, October 7). Www.Dhs.Wisconsin.Gov. https://www.dhs.wisconsin.gov/guide/aoda.htm
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- 2023-2024 NSDUH: Model-Based Estimated Totals for States (in Thousands). (2026, February 4). Samhsagov. https://www.samhsa.gov/data/report/2023-2024-nsduh-estimated-totals-state
- Index of /programs-surveys/popest/datasets/2020-2024/state/totals. (2020). Census.Gov. https://www2.census.gov/programs-surveys/popest/datasets/2020-2024/state/totals/
- CDC NCHS, Provisional Drug Overdose Death Counts (2026). Cdc.Gov. https://data.cdc.gov/d/xkb8-kh2a