Drug and Alcohol Detox Guide For De Pere, Wisconsin
The city of De Pere is located on the southern edge of the Green Bay Metropolitan Statistical Area in Brown County, Wisconsin. Divided down the middle by the Fox River, De Pere is a city full of historical sites and natural beauty, including the North Broadway Street Historical District and Voyageur Park. The population of De Pere has grown substantially over the past few decades and currently rests at 25,361.
Like many cities throughout Wisconsin, De Pere struggled with the economic fallout during and after the COVID-19 pandemic, but it has managed to maintain a strong commercial presence in the region. The median household income is relatively high at $78,733 (compared to $72,458 in Wisconsin), and the poverty rate of 7.6% also beats Wisconsin’s average of 10.7%. [1]
The storied history, economic strength, and natural beauty of De Pere belie the current substance abuse crisis taking place in the city and the rest of Brown County. The area is known for heavy alcohol abuse, though prescription opioids also play a growing role in the county’s addiction problem. As death tolls continue to climb in the area, the residents of De Pere are desperate for quality treatment options.
Fortunately, with clinics like Midwest Detox nearby, De Pere residents can begin their recovery journey with the assistance of trained professionals. This way, they have a much better chance of getting sober and staying sober for good.
If you or a loved one live in De Pere, Wisconsin, and are struggling with drug or alcohol addiction, you should consider seeking out professional help as soon as possible. It could mean the difference between life and death. That said, we understand that starting the recovery process is not always easy.
Continue reading to learn more about the current substance abuse crisis in De Pere, and the resources available to help residents fight addiction.
The Ongoing Substance Abuse Crisis in De Pere
De Pere’s substance abuse data is collected at the county level, which means that it is lumped together with data from other cities in the county, including Green Bay. While this makes it more challenging to understand exactly how many people are suffering from addiction in De Pere, it’s still important to examine county-level data. In doing so, we can see the bigger picture of substance abuse in northeastern Wisconsin.
According to the Wisconsin Department of Health Services, emergency room visits, inpatient hospitalizations, and overdose deaths related to alcohol abuse have been on the rise since 2014. [2] [3] You can see a full breakdown of these statistics in the table below:
| Alcohol Statistics in Brown County | |||
| Year | Emergency Room Visits | Inpatient Hospitalizations | Deaths |
| 2014 | 1,516 | 1,119 | 50 |
| 2015 | 1,808 | 1,189 | 43 |
| 2016 | 2,009 | 1,127 | 45 |
| 2017 | 1,631 | 1,400 | 51 |
| 2018 | 1,430 | 1,319 | 46 |
| 2019 | 1,524 | 1,409 | 56 |
| 2020 | 1,551 | 1,512 | 67 |
| 2021 | 1,615 | 1,541 | 57 |
| 2022 | N/A | N/A | 63 |
The data shows that alcohol emergency room visits saw a sharp increase between 2014 and 2016. After declining to a low of 1,430 in 2018, the figures began to rise again. Alternatively, alcohol inpatient hospitalizations have risen steadily since 2014. Between 2014 and 2021, annual alcohol emergency room visits and inpatient hospitalizations increased by 6.5% and 37.7%, respectively. While increases in either figure are generally a sign of a worsening addiction problem, it’s often better to see inpatient hospitalizations rising at a faster rate than emergency room visits, as this usually indicates that more people are seeking out non-emergency treatment. Nonetheless, alcohol-attributable deaths in Brown County rose by 26% over the same period.
Opioids are not as widely abused in Brown County as alcohol, but they continue to become more prevalent with each passing year. Prescription opioids are particularly problematic, contributing to dozens of deaths in 2022 alone. [4] [5] You can see the annual figures for opioid abuse in Brown County in the table below:
| Opioid Statistics in Brown County | |||
| Year | Emergency Room Visits | Inpatient Hospitalizations | Deaths |
| 2014 | 31 | 35 | 12 |
| 2015 | 44 | 23 | 12 |
| 2016 | 66 | 44 | 20 |
| 2017 | 71 | 39 | 29 |
| 2018 | 55 | 35 | 18 |
| 2019 | 50 | 35 | 30 |
| 2020 | 107 | 39 | 35 |
| 2021 | 197 | 49 | 40 |
| 2022 | 122 | 39 | 58 |
Between 2014 and 2022, annual opioid emergency room visits increased by 293.5%, while opioid inpatient hospitalizations increased by 10.2%. As previously mentioned, higher inpatient hospitalizations are a promising sign, but the drastic increase in emergency room visits often points to a higher number of people abusing opioids to the point of overdose and requiring immediate emergency care. In any case, the number of opioid deaths is the most telling figure; annual opioid deaths increased in Brown County by an astounding 383.3% between 2014 and 2022.
Alcohol and prescription opioids are the most abused substances in Brown County by far, but there are other drugs that take lives nearly every year. On average, the county records 2.7 heroin deaths per 100,000 people, 1.8 cocaine deaths per 100,000 people, and 4.6 meth deaths per 100,000 people. [6]
Most of the data outlined above originated in the city of Green Bay. De Pere is the second largest city in the county, but it only accounts for 9.4% of the county population. Despite its small size compared to Green Bay, it’s estimated that De Pere contributes roughly 14% of all substance abuse cases in the county.
How De Pere Compares to the Rest of Wisconsin
De Pere and Brown County are among the worst municipalities in the state for alcohol abuse. This is an incredibly serious issue, especially when you consider that Wisconsin is the worst state in the nation for alcohol abuse, with roughly 1 in 4 adults binge drinking regularly. [7] Looking at the statistics, Brown County ranks as the 3rd worst county in Wisconsin for alcohol emergency room visits and the 4th worst state for alcohol inpatient hospitalizations. However, Brown County generally does a good job of preventing deaths due to alcohol overdose, as it only records 43.7 alcohol deaths per 100,000 people, compared to an average of 55 in all of Wisconsin.
Brown County also sees a very high number of opioid emergency room visits compared to the rest of the state: 75.2 per 100,000 people, well above the state average of 54.5. However, it has fewer opioid inpatient hospitalizations than most other counties in Wisconsin, averaging 18.7 per 100,000 people, compared to 19.5 in Wisconsin. And while Brown County effectively works to prevent opioid deaths, the rate of annual deaths is rising very quickly. Nonetheless, Brown County averages just 15.3 opioid deaths per 100,000 people, compared to 24.6 in Wisconsin.
But these statistics largely reflect the state of substance abuse in Green Bay, since it accounts for nearly half of the entire county population. To get a more accurate picture of the direct impact of substance abuse at the city level, let’s look at some of the most recent findings related to overdoses and deaths in De Pere, Wisconsin:
- Annual Overdoses: 255
- Alcohol-Related Deaths: 11
- Opioid-Related Deaths: 7
- Non-Opioid Drug-Related Deaths: 1
Prevention, Treatment, and Recovery Efforts in De Pere
The city of De Pere Police Department offers an outreach program for homelessness, loitering, and substance abuse, but it doesn’t actually offer resources for addiction treatment or recovery. Instead, it relies on county, state, and regional resources for assistance. Fortunately, Brown County has extensive substance abuse screening, assessment, and case management services through the Alcohol and Other Drug Abuse (AODA) program.
As a complement to these city and county programs, Wisconsin runs the State Council on Alcohol and Other Drug Abuse (SCAODA), which manages dozens of programs and initiatives across the state. De Pere residents seek out help from detox clinics like Midwest Detox, as well as quality inpatient rehab clinics like Wellbrook Recovery.
Drug and Alcohol Detox in De Pere, Wisconsin
De Pere is a truly great place to live for individuals and families. It has an ever-growing population, a strong economy, and plenty of attractions for nature lovers and history buffs. Sadly, these do not discount the ongoing substance abuse crisis happening in De Pere and the rest of Brown County. While there are various programs to help assess addiction and provide some help, many De Pere residents are in need of direct inpatient care.
Fortunately, there is help close by. Midwest Detox is a private detox clinic in Brookfield, Wisconsin. At Midwest Detox, we offer therapeutic services to ensure that you feel as comfortable as possible while you detox. Our experienced staff is also ready to teach you the skills you need to continue your recovery in rehab and beyond.
When it comes to addiction, there is no time like the present. So, if you or someone you love is in need of drug or alcohol detox, reach out to Midwest Detox today and begin your journey to recovery.