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Costs Of Excessive Drinking An Increasing Drain On U.S. Economy

(CBS SF) -- The costs of excessive alcohol consumption, mostly from binge-drinking, is an increasing drain on the U.S. economy, according to a new study.

The study by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), published in the American Journal of Preventive Medicine, showed that excessive drinking cost the U.S. $249 billion dollars in 2010. The cost was attributed to reduced workplace productivity, crime, and the cost of treating health problems associated with excessive drinking, the study said.

The 2010 figure is about a 10 percent increase in costs from excessive drinking in 2006, or a 2.7 percent annual increase from 2006. The increase is significant, the authors say, as it came during a period of severe economic recession and significantly outpaced the annual inflation rate during the same period.

The study said binge-drinking - defined by the study as four or more drinks per occasion for women; five or more drinks per occasion for men – accounted for three-quarters of the total costs.

California led all states by far in total cost of excessive alcohol consumption in 2010 at $35 billion, followed by Texas at $18 billion, New York at $16 billion, and Florida at $15 billion.

ALSO READ: Silicon Valley Leads California In Binge Drinking

The authors of the study said strategies such as increasing alcohol excise taxes, limiting liquor store density, and commercial host liability have proven to reduce excess drinking and related costs.

"Effective prevention strategies can reduce excessive drinking and related costs in states and communities, but they are under used," said Robert Brewer, M.D., head of the CDC's Alcohol Program and one of the study's author

The study concluded a substantial portion of the costs of excessive drinking - about 40 percent - are paid by taxpayers, including non-drinkers, and that without increased adoption of prevention strategies the economic cost of excessive drinking is likely to increase.


Carlos E. Castañeda is Senior Editor, News & Social Media for CBS San Francisco and a San Francisco native. You can follow him on Twitter or send him an email.

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