Skip to main content
SpringerLink
Log in

The social costs of alcohol consumption

  • Chapter
Mapping the Social Consequences of Alcohol Consumption

Abstract

The preceding chapters have shown that alcohol use and misuse can have adverse consequences in such widely differing areas as physical and mental health, traffic safety, violence, and labour productivity. Some entail significant economic costs to society. During the past three decades, considerable efforts have been made to estimate these costs [for an overview, 1–3]. Recent investigations suggest that they represent annually a substantial part of the Gross Domestic Product of industrialized countries.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this chapter

Log in via an institution
eBook
USD 16.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Available as EPUB and PDF
  • Read on any device
  • Instant download
  • Own it forever
Softcover Book
USD 109.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Compact, lightweight edition
  • Dispatched in 3 to 5 business days
  • Free shipping worldwide - see info
Hardcover Book
USD 109.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Durable hardcover edition
  • Dispatched in 3 to 5 business days
  • Free shipping worldwide - see info

Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout

Purchases are for personal use only

Institutional subscriptions

Preview

Unable to display preview. Download preview PDF.

Unable to display preview. Download preview PDF.

References

  1. ICAP. (1999) Estimating Costs Associated with Alcohol Abuse: Towards a Patterns Approach, International Center of Alcohol Policies, Washington, DC, ( ICAP Report).

    Google Scholar 

  2. Harwood, H., Fountain, D. and Livermore, G. (1998) The Economic Costs of Alcohol and Drug Abuse in the United States, 1992, US Department of Health and Human Services, National Institute on Drug Abuse, Rockville, MD, ( NIH Publication Number 98–4327 ).

    Google Scholar 

  3. Sindelar, J. (1998) Social costs of alcohol. Journal of Drug Issues 28 (3), 763–780.

    Google Scholar 

  4. Single, E., Robson, L., Rehm, J. and Xie, X. (1999) Morbidity and mortality attributable to alcohol, tobacco, and illicit drug use in Canada. American Journal of Public Health 89 (3), 385–390.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  5. Rehm. J., Ashley, M.J. and Dubois, G. (1996) Alcohol and health: individual and population perspectives. Addiction 92, S109–5115.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  6. Edwards, G., Anderson, P., Babor, T.F. et al. (1994) Alcohol Policy and the Public Good, Oxford University Press, Oxford.

    Google Scholar 

  7. United States Department of Health and Human Services (1997) Ninth Special Report to the US Congress on Alcohol and Health from the Secretary of Health and Human Services, US Department of Health and Human Services, Public Health Service, National Institutes of Health, National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism, Washington (NIH Publication No. 97–4017 ).

    Google Scholar 

  8. English, D.R., Holman, C.D.J., Milne, E., Winter, M.G., Hulse, G.K. and Codde, J.P. (1995) The Quantification of Drug Caused Morbidity and Mortality in Australia, Commonwealth Department of Human Services and Health, Canberra.

    Google Scholar 

  9. Stinson, F.S. and DeBakey, S.M. (1992) Alcohol-related mortality in the United States, 1979–1988. British Journal of Addiction 87, 777–783.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  10. Godfrey, C. (1997) Lost productivity and costs to society. Addiction 92(Suppl 1). S49—S 54.

    Google Scholar 

  11. Single, E., Collins, D., Easton, B., Harwood, H., Lapsley, H. and Maynard, A. (1996) International Guidelines for Estimating the Social Costs of Substance Abuse, Canadian Centre on Substance Abuse, Toronto.

    Google Scholar 

  12. Ames, G.M., Grube, J.W. and Moore, R.S. (1997) The relationship of drinking and hangovers to workplace problems: an empirical study. Journal of Studies on Alcohol 58 (1), 37–47.

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  13. Blum, T.C., Roman, P.M. and Martin, J.K. (1993) Alcohol consumption and work performance. Journal of Studies on Alcohol 54, 61–70.

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  14. Hollo, C.D., Leigh, J. and Nurminen, M. (1993) Role of alcohol in work-related fatal accidents in Australia 1982–1984. Occupational Medicine 43, 13–17.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  15. International Labour Office (ILO). (1998) Substance Abuse and the Workplace: Current State of Research and Future Needs, International Labour Office, Geneva.

    Google Scholar 

  16. Jones, S., Casswell, S. and Zhang, J.F. (1995) The economic costs of alcohol related absenteeism and reduced productivity among the working population of New Zealand. Addiction 90, 1455–1461.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  17. Mangione, T.W., Howland, J., Amick, B. et al. (1999) Employee drinking practices and work performance. Journal of Studies on Alcohol 60, 261–270.

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  18. Single, E. (1998) Substance Abuse and the Workplace in Canada, Canadian Centre on Substance Abuse, Ottawa, ( Report prepared for Health Canada on behalf of the Canadian Centre on Substance Abuse).

    Google Scholar 

  19. Heien, D. and Pittman, D.J. (1989) The economic costs of alcohol abuse: an assessment of current methods and estimates. Journal of Studies on Alcohol 50 (6), 567–579.

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  20. Mullahy, J. and Sindelar, J. (1992) Effects of alcohol on labor market success. Alcohol Health and Research World 16 (2), 134–139.

    Google Scholar 

  21. Mullahy, J. and Sindelar, J. (1996) Employment, unemployment and problem drinking. Journal of Health Economics 15, 409–434.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  22. Mullahy, J. and Sindelar, J. (1998) Drinking, problem drinking and productivity. Recent Developments in Alcoholism 14, 347–359.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  23. French, M.T. and Zarkin, G.A. (1995) Is moderate alcohol use related to wages? Evidence from four worksites. Journal of Health Economics 14, 319–344.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  24. Rice, D.Y., Kelman, S., Miller, L.S. and Dunmeyer, S. (1990) The Economic Costs of Alcohol and Drug Abuse and Mental Illness: 1985, Report submitted to the Alcohol, Drug Abuse, and Mental Health Administration, US Department of Health and Human Services. Institute for Health and Aging, University of California, San Francisco, CA (DHHS Publication No. (ADM) 90–1694 ).

    Google Scholar 

  25. Single, E., Robson, L.S., Xie, X. and Rehm, J.T. (1998) The economic costs of alcohol, tobacco and illicit drugs in Canada, 1992. Addiction 93 (7), 991–1006.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  26. Single, E., Robson, L., Xie, X. and Rehm, J. (1996) The Costs of Substance Abuse in Canada, Canadian Centre on Substance Abuse, Ottawa, Ontario.

    Google Scholar 

  27. Devlin, N.J., Scuffham, P.A. and Bunt, L.J. (1997) The social costs of alcohol abuse in New Zealand. Addiction 92 (11), 1491–1505.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  28. Collins, D. and Lapsley, H. (1996) The Social Costs of Drug Abuse in Australia in 1988 and 1992, Commonwealth Department of Human Services and Health, Canberra.

    Google Scholar 

  29. Collins, D. and Lapsley, H. (1991) Estimating the Economic Costs of Drug Abuse in Australia,Commonwealth of Australia, (No. 15), Canberra.

    Google Scholar 

  30. Robson, L. and Single, E. (1995) Literature Review of Studies on the Economic Costs of Substance Abuse, Canadian Centre on Substance Abuse, Ottawa.

    Google Scholar 

  31. Salomaa, (1995) The costs of the detrimental effects of alcohol abuse have grown faster than alcohol consumption in Finland. Addiction 90, 525–537.

    Google Scholar 

  32. Brecht, J.G., Poldrugo, F. and Schädlich, P.K. (1996) Alcoholism–The cost of illness in the Federal Republic of Germany. PharmacoEconomics 10 (5), 484–493.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  33. Collicelli, C. (1996) Income from alcohol and the costs of alcoholism: an Italian experience. Alcologia 8 (2), 135–143.

    Google Scholar 

  34. McDonnell, R. and Maynard, A. (1985) The costs of alcohol misuse. British Journal of Addiction 80, 27–35.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  35. United Nations. (1997) National Accounts Statistics: Main Aggregates and Detailed Tables, 1994-Part I, United Nations, Department for Economic and Social Information and Policy Analysis, Statistics Division, New York.

    Google Scholar 

  36. OECD. (1992) OECD Economic Surveys - France, Organisation for Economic Co-Operation and Development, Paris Cedex.

    Google Scholar 

  37. OECD. (1992) OECD Economic Surveys - Norway, Organisation for Economic Co-Operation and Development, Paris Cedex.

    Google Scholar 

  38. OECD. (1992) OECD Economic Surveys - Germany, Organisation for Economic Co-Operation and Development, Paris Cedex.

    Google Scholar 

Download references

Authors
  1. E. Gutjahr
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. G. Gmel
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. Institute for Social Planning and Social Management, University of Applied Sciences, Bern, Switzerland

    Harald Klingemann

  2. Swiss Institute for the Prevention of Alcohol and Other Drug Problems, Lausanne, Switzerland

    Gerhard Gmel

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

Copyright information

© 2001 Springer Science+Business Media Dordrecht

About this chapter

Cite this chapter

Gutjahr, E., Gmel, G. (2001). The social costs of alcohol consumption. In: Klingemann, H., Gmel, G. (eds) Mapping the Social Consequences of Alcohol Consumption. Springer, Dordrecht. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-015-9725-8_10

Download citation

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-015-9725-8_10

  • Publisher Name: Springer, Dordrecht

  • Print ISBN: 978-90-481-5626-9

  • Online ISBN: 978-94-015-9725-8

  • eBook Packages: Springer Book Archive

Publish with us

Policies and ethics

Search

Navigation