Apparently binge drinking doesn’t just harm your body, it also harms the U.S. economy. A lot.
Excessive drinking cost the economy $249 billion in 2010 in the form of lost productivity, crime and the cost of treating health problems, according to a new study from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. That comes out to $2.05 per drink.
More than three-fourths of the costs, or 77 percent, was due to binge drinking, which the agency defines as consuming five or more drinks for men or four drinks for women on one occasion.
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Health officials said they were dismayed by the increase from $223.5 billion in 2006, especially since the U.S. was in a recession starting in 2008.
“Effective prevention strategies can reduce excessive drinking and related costs in states and communities, but they are under used,” said Robert Brewer, one of the study’s authors.
The agency added that too much alcohol consumption is responsible for an average 88,000 deaths a year. Binge drinking can lead to violence, injuries, cancer and liver diseases, according to the CDC.
Excessive alcohol use cost each state about $3.5 billion in 2010. The exact cost varies from state to state. For instance, it cost North Dakota $488 million and $35 billion in California.
The District of Columbia had the highest cost per person, which was $1,526 compared to the national average of $807, the agency said.
The cost estimates were based on changes in the occurrence of alcohol-related problems and the cost of paying for them since 2006, the last year the costs were evaluated, according to the CDC.
The study’s authors recommended several strategies to curb excessive drinking and the costs. Those include increasing alcohol excise taxes and increasing a commercial host’s liability, the study said.
