Alcohol cost $77 billion in impaired productivity at work in 2010, according to the CDC’s breakdown published in the American Journal of Preventive Health.
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Findings showed that excessive alcohol drinking cost the United States $249 billion in 2010, or $2.05 per drink; this is quite a significant increase from $223.5 billion, or $1.90 per drink, in 2006.
Per capita, alcohol-related problems cost states an average $807 per person, with Washington, D.C. having the highest per capita cost at $1,526. Most of the costs are attributable to binge drinking, and 40 per cent of the total is borne by the government.
Every now and then the CDC come out with lighthearted, relatable study to remind the public that they exist and should be listened to and the latest is playfully titled “Excessive alcohol use continues to be drain on American economy”.
The study defined binge drinking as consuming at least five drinks for men, four for women, over the course of two hours.
That includes spending on health care as well as the economic toll of lost productivity, auto crashes, crime, and deaths attributable to excessive alcohol consumption. New Mexico had the highest cost per drink at $2.77. It is responsible for about 88,000 deaths each year.
The results tend to be imprecise, since it is hard to put an exact price on a behavior whose consequences are so far-reaching. Still, they said they believe the report underestimates the cost of excessive drinking since information on alcohol use is often underreported or unavailable, and other costs, such as pain and suffering due to harms from excessive drinking, were not included.
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Brewer noted, however, that “effective prevention strategies can reduce excessive drinking and related costs…but they are under-used”.
