Minimal Legally Drinking Age (MLDA) regulations establish the legal limit at which a person may purchase hard liquor. In the United States, the minimum legal drinking age is 21. Prior to the Federal Minimum Legal Age Act of 1984, however, the legal age for purchasing alcohol differed by state. The number of motor vehicle crashes decreased by 16 percent in states that raised the legal drinking age to 21. Drinking among people aged 18 to 20 years fell from 59 percent in 1985 to 40 percent in 1991 after all states approved a 21-year-old MLDA. When states implemented the age 21 MLDA, drinking among adults aged 21 to 25 decreased dramatically, falling from 70% in 1985 to 56% in 1991.

EXCESSIVE USE 

 In 2010, the expense of heavy alcohol use in the United States was $249 billion, or nearly $2.05 per drink. The majority of these costs (77%) were incurred as a result of excessive drinking. Addiction is defined as consuming four or more alcoholic drinks in one sitting for women and five or more in one sitting for men. Furthermore, the federal, state; and municipal governments spent two out of every five dollars, proving that all are paying a price for excessive alcohol use.

COST BREAKOUT

The expense of this harmful activity, according to the researchers, affects many elements of the drinker’s life as well as the lives of others around them. However, losses in workplace productivity (72 percent of total cost), medical care costs for curing the disease caused by massive drinking (11 percent of total cost), police departments and other crime control expenses (10 percent), and losses from car accidents caused by excessive alcohol use accounted for the majority of the costs (5 percent ). In 2006, two prior CDC investigations indicated that drunkenness cost the United States $223.5 billion and states and D.C. a median of $2.9 billion.

ECONOMIC CONSEQUENCES

Alcohol addiction has economic consequences as well as health consequences, impacting families, communities, and people of all ages. Children’s development is being harmed by alcohol misuse, which will have an impact on the country’s ability to respond to future economic challenges. Because of adolescent alcohol intake and vulnerability to commercial enticements, the university may be the most challenging group to educate about alcohol abuse. Medical costs are twice as high for families with an alcoholic member, and alcohol is responsible for up to half of all emergency department visits. Fetal alcohol syndrome is one of the leading causes of birth abnormalities, yet it is totally avoidable.

ALCOHOL ABUSE OUTCOME

In 1983, it was reported that alcohol misuse and alcoholism cost the United States $117 billion, while nonalcoholic drug addiction cost $60 billion. Alcohol consumption is predicted to cost $136 billion per year by 1990, with the majority of the money coming from decreased work and jobs. Between 6 and 7 million workers in the United States are alcoholics, resulting in an uncertain loss of productivity, profitability, and economy. Alcohol addiction contributes to higher healthcare expenditures faced by older people who receive government assistance. Blacks, Hispanics, and Native Americans are among the most affected groups. Rather than treating the causes of heavy drinking, society continues to treat the health and psychosocial repercussions.

ECONOMIC IMPACT

Alcohol is constantly present in our lives, from informal social gatherings to joyful celebrations. While the gastronomic and cultural significance of these beverages is frequently stressed, the economic significance is frequently overlooked. In our society, alcohol plays a critical function. The beverage business supports over 4 million jobs and generates almost $70 billion in annual revenue income in the United States alone. And that’s just exploring the possibilities of the financial advantages that the liquor sector delivers to late-night eateries and pizza joints.