Economic Costs of Alcohol and Drug Abuse in the United States, 1992
(in Millions of Dollars)
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Economic Costs Total Alcohol Drugs
($) ($) ($)
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Health Care Expenditures
Alcohol and drug abuse services 9,973 5,573 4,400
Medical consequences 18,778 13,247 5,531
Total, Health Care Expenditures 28,751 18,820 9,931
Productivity Effects (Lost Earnings)
Premature death 45,902 31,327 14,575
Impaired productivity 82,201 67,696 14,205
Institutionalized populations 2,990 1,513 1,477
Incarceration 23,356 5,449 17,907
Crime careers 19,198 -- 19,198
Victims of crime 3,071 1,012 2,059
Total, Productivity Effects 176,418 106,997 69,421
Other Effects on Society
Crime 24,282 6,312 17,970
Social welfare administration 1,020 683 337
Motor vehicle crashes 13,619 13,619 --
Fire destruction 1,590 1,590 --
Total, Other Effects on Society 40,511 22,204 18,307
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Grand Total 245,680 148,021 97,659
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Note: Components may not sum to totals because of rounding.
Source: THE ECONOMIC COSTS OF ALCOHOL AND DRUG ABUSE IN THE UNITED STATES,
1992. H. Harwood, D. Fountain, and G. Livermore. Analysis by the
Lewin Group. Rockville, MD: DHHS, NIH, NIDA, OSPC, NIAAA, OPA.
NIH Publication No. 98-4327, Printed September 1998.
Information furnished by National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism
