How does this knowledge help, exactly?
The study looked at costs that included _ among other things _ lost work productivity, property damage from car crashes, expenditures for liver cirrhosis and other alcohol-associated medical problems, and money spent on incarceration of drunk drivers and criminals using alcohol.
The CDC estimated excessive drinking cost society nearly $224 billion in 2006, the most recent year for which all necessary statistics were available. That worked out to about $1.90 per drink, 80 cents of which was spent by federal, state or local governments, the researchers estimated. The rest came from drinkers, their families, private health insurers, employers, crime victims and others.
Most of that was related to binge drinking, in which four or five alcoholic beverages are consumed on one occasion.
"Binge drinking results in binge spending," said CDC Director Dr. Thomas Frieden.
CDC officials noted that while some health benefits have been associated with, say, a glass of wine each day, there are no health benefits linked to excessive drinking. They also said the new study likely represents an underestimate of the total cost.
In the end, it all comes down to an estimate, and one that could have been made clearer. On our yearly trip to Tunica, MS I enjoy four or five drinks through the course of an evening, and I am pretty sure I have not gone on a bender. I disagree with their definition of binge drinking and I have to wonder how they accounted for the responsible drinkers as well. I see no plus or minus, just vague hints at the figures and how they were determined.
Don't get me wrong, I am not trying to diminish the issue we have with binge drinking or the cost to the victims and the innocent. I just happen to disagree with this entire article, and would love to hear what you guys think. Am I wrong? Does this feel like a trumped up "we had nothing to do so let's study this" release to you as well?
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