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Thursday, August 15, 2013

CDC: Alcohol-related health issues cost US $223.5 billion a year.

CBS News (8/14, Jaslow, 5.42M) reports that a new report from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention published in the American Journal of Preventive Medicine found that alcohol-related health woes, including increased “odds of long-term ailments like liver disease, heart problems, fertility issues,” certain cancers, traffic fatalities and risky behavior, cost the US $223.5 billion a year. The report, which “estimated state-by-state economic costs of drinking including those from binge drinking and underage drinking,” found binge drinking “responsible for more than 70 percent of the excessive alcohol costs,” totaling $171 billion annually. In a statement, CDC alcohol program lead and report author Dr. Robert Brewer, said, “it is striking to see most of the costs of excessive drinking in states and D.C. are due to binge drinking, which is reported by about 18 percent of U.S. adults.”

        The Salt Lake (UT) Tribune (8/14, House, 396K) reports that state-by-state costs range “from $420 million in North Dakota to $32 billion in California.” HealthDay (8/14, Preidt, 2K) also reports on the story.

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