It is costing the US approximately $223.5 billion a year to deal with the effects of excessive alcohol consumption. This includes the costs of cleaning up car wrecks from alcohol-related driving accidents, paying for criminal justice costs, specialty treatments for alcohol abuse and dependence, as well as impaired productivity in the workplace. About 2.3% of health costs were a result of drinking during pregnancy. You can find more facts about the hidden costs that alcoholism is putting on the economy from this infographic here, along with the accompanying article.
