Alcohol and other drug abuse is a significant health problem in Wisconsin. Each year alcohol and drug abuse play a role in over 800 deaths, 10,000 traffic crashes, 8,000 serious injuries and 90,000 arrests. Alcohol and drug abuse is the fourth leading cause of death in Wisconsin behind heart disease, cancer, and stroke and the fourth leading cause for hospitalization behind mental illness, heart disease and cancer.

During the four years between 1995 and 1999, the Wisconsin Substance Abuse Treatment Needs Assessment Project studied alcohol and drug use among Wisconsin residents. The UW Center for Health Policy and Program Evaluation (CHPPE) integrated detailed findings from the Needs Assessment studies in a report titled The Wisconsin Needs Assessment Project: An Integrative Analysis and Summary. This document is a summary of the CHPPE report.