Monday, July 16, 2018

Excessive Drinking is Draining the U.S. Economy

"The cost of excessive alcohol use in the U.S. rose to almost a quarter trillion dollars in 2010. Implementing effective community-based interventions can reduce excessive drinking and its costs.
Excessive alcohol use is known to kill about 88,000 people in the United States each year, but a CDC study suggests it is also a drain on the American economy, mostly due to losses in workplace productivity.

Overview of study findings

Total costs
The cost of excessive alcohol use in the United States reached $249 billionin 2010, or about $2.05 per drink. Most (77%) of these costs were due to binge drinking. Binge drinking is defined as drinking four or more alcoholic beverages per occasion for women or five or more drinks per occasion for men. Further, 2 of every 5 dollars were paid by federal, state, and local governments, demonstrating that we are all paying for excessive alcohol use.
Graphic: 1 drink = $2.05 in economic costs and $807 per person 
Graphic: Binge drinking - 77% of costs - Binge drinking is defined as 4 or more aloholc beverages per occasion for women or 5 or more drinks per occasion for men. 1 in 6 people binge drink.
State costs
Excessive alcohol use cost states and the District of Columbia (D.C.) a median of $3.5 billion in 2010, ranging from $488 million in North Dakota to $35 billion in California. D.C. had the highest cost per person ($1,526, compared to the $807 national average), and New Mexico had the highest cost per drink ($2.77, compared to the $2.05 national average)..."
Excessive drinking

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