Every day, Wisconsin farmers and farm families face financial challenges, physical demands of the job, and changes outside of their control that impact their lives. These challenges can lead to chronic stress that can affect a farmer’s mental and physical well-being, relationships, and decision-making and create unhealthy coping mechanisms, such as alcohol and substance abuse.
In Wisconsin, the state of legendary breweries and a growing microbrewery industry, it is common to use alcohol to relax and forget about daily stressors. Challenges caused by the COVID-19 pandemic have increased the use of alcohol and substance abuse. According to an article published in the Journal of the American Medical Association, as many as one in ten adults reported starting or increasing the use of alcohol and/or drugs to help them cope with the stress of the pandemic. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) also reported a 30% increase in drug overdose deaths from 2019 to 2020.
Residents of rural Wisconsin communities, including farmers, face unique challenges to finding and accessing health care services, but help for alcohol and substance use is available. The Wisconsin Farm Center can connect farmers struggling with alcohol and substance abuse to mental health services at no cost. If you need immediate help that is available anytime, any day call the Wisconsin Farmer Wellness Line at 1-888-901-2558.  To make an appointment with a tele-counselor or to receive counseling vouchers to cover the cost of in person counseling call The Wisconsin Farm Center at 1-800-942-2474.
Other available resources include:  
Alcohol and Substance Abuse
·       Family Health Center Alcohol & Drug Recovery Centers: toll-free 844-288-8324
·       211 Wisconsin
o   Phone:  dial 211
o   Text ZIP code to 898211
o   Website:  https://211wisconsin.communityos.org/
o   Online chat available
·       County Crisis Lines
·       County Human Services departments
·       Online Intergroup of Alcoholics Anonymous:  https://aa-intergroup.org/oiaa/resources
·       Narcotics Anonymous:   https://www.na.org/meetingsearch/  
Tobacco
o   Wisconsin Tobacco Quit Line
o   Phone:  800-QUIT-NOW (800-784-8669)
o   Website:  https://ctri.wisc.edu/
o   Website:  https://smokefree.gov/