The cost of alcohol addiction

When we think about the “cost” of alcohol addiction, it can be easy to think only of the money wasted on constant drinking. But the truth is, the price of alcoholism runs far deeper than money. Beyond the empty wallets and mounting bills, alcohol addiction can devastate your health, decimate your relationships and ripple through entire communities.

Understanding the true cost isn’t just about numbers but about grasping the far-reaching impact that alcohol addiction has on individuals, their families and the world around them.

The direct personal costs of alcohol addiction

The direct costs of alcohol addiction can quickly spiral out of control, hitting both individuals and their families hard. Some of the biggest costs include:

The price of alcohol

For someone struggling with alcohol addiction, the daily or weekly expense of buying alcohol can add up to shocking amounts over time. In the UK, the average drinker spends around £62,899 on alcohol over the course of a lifetime. When you consider that is just the average, you can see how much an alcohol addiction can cost. For example, if you are spending £20 a day feeding an alcohol addiction (easily done with the high cost of alcohol in the UK), that is more than £7,000 a year!

Other personal costs

But the financial strain of alcohol often doesn’t stop with the individual. Families can find themselves covering the cost of unpaid bills, alcohol addiction treatment and legal troubles (see below). In some cases, loved ones may feel forced to dip into savings or take out loans to help manage the fallout of alcoholism.

Legal penalties

Alcohol-related offences like drunk driving or public intoxication can lead to hefty legal fees, fines and the costly loss of your driving licence. In the UK, fines for drunk driving are calculated based on the driver’s salary, ensuring fairness across different income levels.

The maximum fine applies to cases of death by drunk driving caught by police, which can be unlimited. However, even if you are just caught driving a vehicle while over the limit, the fine can still be as high as £2,500.

On top of fines, serious drunk driving offences can also result in imprisonment. Penalties range from a 14-year prison sentence for causing death while drunk driving to a three-month prison term for being in charge of a vehicle while above the limit.

Accidents

Chronic drinking due to alcohol addiction can also increase the chances of expensive accidents. For example, alcohol is a contributing factor in a huge proportion of traffic accidents (including 18% of road deaths) and home fires (including 40% of home fire fatalities). Even in instances where there was no death or injury, these accidents can cause extensive repair bills and push up your insurance premiums.

Financial cost of employment issues

Missed work due to hangovers, health problems or poor performance can also result in reduced income or even job loss altogether. For those struggling with alcohol addiction, this can affect future prospects and lead to issues like debt and homelessness.

Research has found that 24% of British people drink more than the recommended limit, which is a huge proportion of the working population. This explains why alcohol costs the UK economy £1 billion per year in unemployment and £4 billion per year in lost productivity.

Alcohol addiction and the NHS

The societal cost of alcohol addiction weighs heavily on the NHS. The NHS spends an estimated £3.5 billion annually treating alcohol-related conditions, with a total of £5.1 billion being spent by the healthcare sector overall.

Alcohol-related hospital admissions reached 948,312 in 2021/22 in England alone, accounting for approximately 7% of all NHS admissions. On top of that, over 10% of ambulance call-outs in the UK are alcohol-related, diverting critical resources from other emergencies.

Excessive drinking is also linked to a range of chronic illnesses, many of which require long-term and expensive medical treatments. These include:

• Liver disease: Alcohol is the leading cause of liver disease, with approximately 60% of liver disease cases linked to alcohol misuse. Treating advanced liver conditions like cirrhosis often requires hospitalisation, ongoing care or even a liver transplant, which comes at a huge (and avoidable) cost to the NHS.

• Cancer: Drinking alcohol increases the risk of various cancers, including breast, liver, stomach and throat cancer. Cancer treatments, such as chemotherapy or surgery, come with high financial costs and increase waiting lists for other patients with cancer.

• Cardiovascular problems: Alcohol can cause high blood pressure, stroke and heart disease. Again, each hospital admission for alcohol-related cardiovascular issues costs the NHS a substantial amount of money which could be spent elsewhere.

Alcohol addiction is often intertwined with mental health conditions such as depression, anxiety and PTSD. Treating these issues requires therapy, medication or psychiatric care, which can also put significant financial strain on both individuals and the healthcare system. For example, private therapy costs an average of £40 to £100 per session, with months or years of therapy often needed. Alcohol abuse is also a major factor in over 20% of UK suicides in the UK, adding to the tragic personal and societal cost of mental health issues.

Costs of alcohol to the police and legal system

As well as costs to healthcare, alcohol-related crimes, including violence and vandalism, generate significant costs for law enforcement and the courts. For example, 40% of violent crimes in England and Wales are linked to alcohol, including half of all cases of domestic violence.

Policing alcohol-fuelled incidents, processing offenders and handling cases in court all contribute to billions in taxpayer expenses annually. In fact, the total crime and disorder costs of alcohol in the UK are a staggering £14.6bn. The sheer number of alcohol-related offenders and the costs to the legal system go some way to explaining Britain’s current issues with prison overcrowding and underfunding.

The cost of recovery

If you are struggling with alcoholism, we know that the cost of alcohol addiction treatment can seem like a huge expense. However, it is a vital investment in reclaiming both your health and future prospects, and as you can see from this page, it can save both you and society as a whole a huge amount of money in the long run.

UKAT wants to make alcohol addiction treatment affordable for as many people as possible. We offer inpatient rehab programmes of varying lengths, can tailor pricing plans to suit your needs and partner with various private health insurance companies. We also offer free weekly group therapy for every single client for their first year after rehab and invite them to join our Alumni Network at no cost for life.

We have seen many people overcome alcohol addiction, make vast improvements in their health and excel in every other part of their lives. From renewed career prospects to financial security, the best way to avoid the costs of alcohol addiction is to reach out for help.

Final thoughts

As you can see, alcohol addiction takes a toll that reaches far beyond the individual. Its impact is felt across every facet of life and society, fracturing families, straining healthcare systems and costing everyday taxpayers enormous amounts of money that could be better spent elsewhere.

The good news is that recovery is possible, and with the right alcohol addiction treatment, these costs are very much avoidable. If you or someone you care about is struggling with alcohol addiction, don’t wait. Take action today and reach out to UKAT for support. Together, we can help reduce the burden of alcohol addiction and create a brighter future for you and your family.