Derek Thompson reported on a study by the Center for Disease Control and Prevention that looked at the economic cost of excessive drinking:

• Overall excessive drinking costs the American economy over $220 billion.
• That means that on average, for every drink an individual has, they are causing $1.90 in economic damage.
• The majority of this cost comes from people with hangovers at work.
• An increase in healthcare costs and crime rates also contribute to the cost of alcohol.
• The cost of drinking is unevenly distributed. 15% of binge-drinkers are responsible for 75% of the costs of excessive alcohol consumption.

Read more about the proportion of the costs borne by federal, state, and local governments, other contributors to the costs of excessive drinking, and how the economic damage from alcohol compares to the economic damage of natural disasters over here.

Source: The Atlantic

Via: Reason