According to the Centers for Disease Control, in 2006, excessive alcohol consumption cost the U.S. $223.5 billion and about half of that overall lost production was shouldered by the federal government.
Though drugs are usually more noted, alcohol consumption is listed as the third leading preventable cause of death.
Researchers said that 79,000 Americans die annually from alcohol related causes, with nearly two-thirds of these deaths attributable to accidents and the remaining dur to excessive drinking and the health problems associated with it.
The CDC defines "excessive drinking" as bypassing U.S. guidelines for moderate drinking: having one or fewer drinks per day for women, and two or fewer for men.
Excessive drinking is categorized as underage drinking, heavy or binge drinking, and consuming alcohol while pregnant.
The CDC says binge drinking did the greatest financial damage due to lost productivity and lost lives. Ten billion dollars a year is the figure now
associated with alcoholism and abuse treatment, with almost half, 43 percent of total health care costs resulting from heavy drinking. Currently, 44 percent of college students report being drunk at least once in the last month.
The study was published in the American Journal of Preventive Medicine.
Read more: Healthland Time article
