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Binge Drinking Costs The U.S. Economy A Staggering $224 Billion
October 19, 2011 · 0 Comments
It’s well understood that if you spend a night binge drinking, your next workday is basically shot. As long as you only do it once in a while, it won’t hurt much, right?
But according to the Centers for Disease Control, every occasion is costing the U.S. dearly. In its latest report, the CDC estimates our country lost $224 billion to excessive drinking in 2006, mostly from binge drinkers (women who consume four or more drinks at a time, and men who take in five or more drinks), reports Reuters. To break it down, that’s $746 per person in the U.S.
Researchers attribute 72% of the cost to lost worker productivity, and the rest to health care and criminal justice expenses.
The study, “Economic Costs of Excessive Alcohol Consumption in the U.S., 2006,” will be published in next month’s edition of the American Journal of Preventive Medicine.
Read the full Reuters article here >
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By Emma Brown
Tags: health