Due to the nature of their work, some companies also have policies against employing drivers with DUIs such as Uber and Lyft. You’ll also be paying higher insurance rates and must pay for DMV administrative hearings and fees to reinstate your license. Altogether, a first-time DUI offense could potentially cost you anywhere from $10,000 to $25,000 when all is said and done. Those suffering from alcoholism may begin overspending family budgets to pay for alcohol, start arguments with their spouse when sobriety is discussed, or even get into physical altercations with them.

We show that there is large variation in the studies with respect to which cost components are considered and that these differences should be accounted for. However, we also found methodological homogeneity, as nearly all studies followed a top-down approach, with indirect costs being calculated based on human capital assumptions. If all cost components were to be considered, the economic costs of alcohol consumption would amount to 1306 international dollars (Int$) per adult (95% confidence interval 873–1738), 1872 Int$ per drinker (95% CI 1279–2466), or equivalent to 2.6% (95% CI 2.0–3.1%) of the gross domestic product. For (b), we divided the costs by the respective study weights, separated for the two cost indicators, thus correcting for omissions of relevant cost components.

In total, 12 models were performed for (1) two different cost indicators as dependent variables; (2) two different alcohol indicators as independent variables; and (3) for total direct and indirect costs. For (a), we used the two cost indicators (Int$ per adult and % GDP) from all studies reporting both direct and indirect costs and calculated the unweighted Pearson correlation. We repeated the correlation analyses applying study weights in order to account for possible distortions in the correlation introduced by variations in including cost components. We calculated two indicators to compare the economic costs attributable to alcohol use across different countries and years. In other words, this measure described the tangible costs attributable to alcohol in 2019 Int$ per adult.

Creating Financial Burdens

Summaries of such studies were published more than a decade ago [8, 9] (for a systematic review restricted to the European Union, see Barrio et al. [12]), while several dozen additional studies have been published since [13]. The identified cost studies were mainly conducted in high-income settings, with high heterogeneity in the employed methodology. Accounting for some methodological variations, our findings demonstrate that alcohol use ambien continues to incur a high level of cost to many societies. The Global Information System on Alcohol and Health (GISAH) has been developed by WHO to dynamically present data on levels and patterns of alcohol consumption, alcohol-attributable health and social consequences and policy responses at all levels. There are gender differences in alcohol-related mortality and morbidity, as well as levels and patterns of alcohol consumption.

1. Second, we calculated a cost equivalent as a percentage of the GDP by dividing the estimated costs by the location-specific GDP of the same year for which costs were estimated.
2. Your significant other may also try and make up excuses for your drinking or improper conduct at social functions.
3. For example, if you drink 7 days a week and 5-6 beers a day at around $24 for a 12 pack of domestic beer, you’d be spending around $120 on beer alone in a week.
4. The researchers found that the cost of this dangerous behavior impacts many aspects of the drinker’s life and the lives of those around them.

The ranking of cities that spend the least also changed — the highest ranking three are Birmingham, AL ($1,073.07), Buffalo, NY ($1,114.57), and Richmond, VA ($1,127.00). 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. 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). Though in many states there are protections in place to prevent hiring discrimination based on DUIs and misdemeanors, the reality of it is that sometimes having a DUI or other alcohol-related offense on your record could reduce the chances of getting a job offer.

Correlation of the Two Cost Indicators

Hence, unaccounted methodological differences between studies may have masked the underlying association between costs and alcohol exposure. Lastly, we examined the link of the two cost indicators with the annual amount of pure alcohol intake (in litres) per capita and per drinker as two different indicators for population alcohol exposure as a proxy for the causal driver for incurred costs (for total, direct, and indirect costs). 4 (see ESM 1), alcohol exposure was not clearly linked to both cost indicators, suggesting other unobserved factors to be more relevant for incurred costs than alcohol exposure itself. For the two cost indicators (Int$ per adult; % GDP) and separately for the total costs, and the direct and indirect costs, weighted means were calculated to estimate average costs across all studies. The variation around point estimates is given by 95% confidence intervals (CIs) based on the standard error. Cluster effects were assessed through intraclass correlation coefficients (ICC) of random intercept regression models using the R packages lmer [18] and performance [19].

Thus, such circumstances could explain why the same methodological approaches are maintained, even if they are incomplete, while guideline recommendations are not considered. Another plausible explanation relates to the fact that the value of goods depends largely on the local context (e.g. on governmental regulations, as well as supply and demand dynamics). In fact, variations in indirect costs, the main driver of total costs, are primarily driven by average wages, which are known to vary greatly between countries, even in rather homogenous regions with a common market, such as Europe. Standardizing the costs to Int$ may have accounted for some, but not all, of the cross-country variations in the value of goods. On the contrary, applying inflation rates (as has been done in this study) is perhaps sufficient to remove major sources of within-country variation, resulting in high intraclass correlation.

Descriptive Data

The researchers found that the cost of this dangerous behavior impacts many aspects of the drinker’s life and the lives of those around them. Our findings show that the reported costs from alcohol consumption amount to an equivalent of 1.5–2.6% of the study location’s GDP, with the majority of costs due to productivity losses. These estimates update two previous CDC studies that found excessive drinking cost the U.S. $223.5 billion and cost states and D.C. The researchers believe that addiction treatment national institute on drug abuse nida the study still underestimates the cost of excessive drinking because information on alcohol is often underreported or unavailable, and the study did not include other costs, such as pain and suffering due to alcohol-related injuries and diseases. Given the adverse consequences of alcohol consumption, numerous studies have tried to summarize different impacts of alcohol on harm to society, and economic cost studies have proven to be an important way to achieve this goal [11].

Second, we calculated a cost equivalent as a percentage of the GDP by dividing the estimated costs by the location-specific GDP of the same year for which costs were estimated. Alcohol use has been identified as a major risk factor for burden of disease [1,2,3], leading to the introduction of reduction goals in major UN and other international frameworks, such as the Sustainable Development Goals [4, 5]. However, alcohol consumption differs from many other risk factors, as attributable health burden is not restricted to the drinker alone but also extends to others, including those who have abstained from alcohol during their lifetime (e.g. via drunk driving or maternal alcohol consumption [6]). Furthermore, harm attributable to alcohol is not restricted to health but comprises many other aspects of life and sustainable development, such as criminal behaviour [7] and loss of economic productivity (e.g. Rehm et al. and Thavorncharoensap et al. [8, 9]). A recent WHO report describes how alcohol consumption undermines commitments to achieve 13 of the 17 UN Sustainable Development Goals, by impacting on not only a range of health-related indicators but also on economic and social development, the environment, and equality [10]. Alcohol use has been identified as a major risk factor for burden of disease [1–3], leading to the introduction of reduction goals in major UN and other international frameworks, such as the Sustainable Development Goals [4, 5].

Health, safety and socioeconomic problems attributable to alcohol can be reduced when governments formulate and implement appropriate policies. In addition to how much is typically spent, we also wanted to see how much people could save by altering alcohol withdrawal syndrome their drinking habits. Annually, people in these cities could save anywhere from $268 to $507 just by decreasing their alcohol use by 25%. Heavy drinker or otherwise, you may have experienced a hangover at some point in your drinking history.

Using CDC data on the average life expectancy in each state, we then found the number of drinks consumed over a lifetime on average. Finally, we used Expatistan to find the average cost of alcoholic drinks in each city in order to determine the cost of drinking over various periods of time, including a full lifetime (age 21 and up). Our calculation included the cost of two drinks “out” each week, and all remaining drinks at home.

6 Association of Costs with Alcohol Consumption Variables

Alcohol consumption can have an impact not only on the incidence of diseases, injuries and other health conditions, but also on their outcomes and how these evolve over time. Implementing effective community-based interventions can reduce excessive drinking and its costs. When you look at how much drinking alcohol can affect your life, especially for those who are potentially abusing it or suffering from alcoholism, it may be time to ask yourself, “Is it worth it? ” Your health, the relationships you have, your finances, and your career goals may all be affected and at the end of the day, you have to decide what you want your future to look like. † Largest number of drinks consumed on an occasion in the past 30 days among adults who reported binge drinking.

First, we found cost estimates to be highly correlated within locations but less so within regions. Any study seeking to estimate the economic burden from alcohol use will be informed by previous work, with a focus on studies that were conducted in the same location using similar data sources. For example, if governments mandate researchers to update previous estimates (see, for example, the paper by the Scottish Government [35]), changes to the estimation method ought to be kept to a minimum in order to allow for comparison of costs over time.