Excessive alcohol consumption, mainly binge drinking, cost each state a median of $2.9 billion in 2006, according to a new study released Aug. 13 by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Eight of the 10 states with the highest per capita costs were in the West, with Alaska leading at $1,096. New Mexico was second at $960, and Wyoming was third, with a cost of $909 per person, reported Dr. Jeffrey J. Sacks of Sue Binder Consulting and his associates (Am. J. Prev. Med. 2013 [doi: 10.1016/j.amepre.2013.06.004]).
The state on the bottom rung of the excessive alcohol consumption cost ladder was Utah, with a per capita cost of $578 in 2006. Next up were West Virginia ($621), Iowa ($622), Nebraska ($632), and Hawaii ($639), the investigators said.
Binge drinking – five or more drinks consumed on one occasion for men and four for women – was responsible for a median of 76.6% of the excessive alcohol use–related costs, with underage drinking responsible for 11.2%, they noted.
"Excessive alcohol use has devastating impacts on individuals, families, communities, and the economy," CDC Director Tom Frieden said in a statement. "In addition to injury, illness, disease, and death, it costs our society billions of dollars through reduced work productivity, increased criminal justice expenses, and higher health care costs."
This analysis used data from an earlier CDC study, which put the national economic cost of excessive alcohol use at $223.5 billion (Am. J. Prev. Med. 2011;41:516-24). The current study was supported by the CDC. No financial disclosures were reported by the authors.
