Negative consequences of alcohol use are amplified for those who drink heavily; whether daily, monthly, or even just a few times a year. Excessive alcohol consumption is the third leading cause of preventable death in the U.S.—more than 75,000 fatalities.¹ Research has shown that more than 80 percent of binge and heavy alcohol users are employed full- or part-time.² Alcohol-related productivity losses are estimated to cost more than $134 billion annually.³ 

Two recent studies offer reviews of the behaviors and costs associated with excessive drinking. Both studies find that because problem drinkers outnumber alcoholics their drinking behaviors are more costly.

An article published in the February 2007 issue of Alcoholism: Clinical and Experimental Research identifies the prevalence of alcohol dependence among excessive drinkers in New Mexico. Study findings parallel other national trends showing that non-alcohol-dependent excessive drinkers are the largest group of problem drinkers. More than 16 percent of survey respondents were classified as excessive drinkers. Of these, almost 11 percent were alcohol-dependent while over 87 percent were identified as binge drinkers without dependency issues. As excessive drinking often precedes alcohol-dependence, study authors conclude that prevention dollars used to address excessive drinking may have a positive impact on individuals and communities.⁴

Another study examining excessive drinking estimated the costs attributable to alcohol-related absenteeism in the Australian workforce. Published in the December 2006 issue of the Medical Journal of Australia, study findings indicate that side effects of alcohol use (like hangovers) affect binge drinkers and heavy drinkers more than any other group.  People who drink 4-6 standard drinks per day for no more than 3 days per week and those who drink heavily on a monthly or occasional basis contributed 55% to costs of alcohol-related absenteeism. Similar to findings regarding the U.S. population, researchers found that Australian employees took more than 2.5 million alcohol-related days off at a total cost of $437 million.⁵

This research points to the potential for employers to minimize lost productivity and decrease healthcare costs by educating employees about disruptive drinking patterns and behaviors. The following list highlights what can be done to cut down costs driven up by problem drinking:

• Offer screening and brief intervention. While this approach is often perceived as a way to identify alcohol-dependent employees, it is primarily intended to help excessive drinkers identify problem behaviors and curtail them before they become serious and life-altering.⁶
  

• Update drug and alcohol workplace policies through redefining “under the influence.” A survey by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation found that many senior managers assume that work performance is only hampered by employees that are obviously alcohol-impaired or those who have high blood alcohol concentrations while on the job. However, work-performance and employee morale may be negatively impacted by even small amounts of alcohol consumption.⁷
  

• Educate all employees about the health effects of excessive alcohol consumption. Problem drinking causes many health problems that increase healthcare costs including injuries, alcohol poisoning, stroke, heart-attacks, depression, and liver diseases.
  

• Support employees that work or live with problem drinkers. While hangovers are a significant contributor to alcohol-related absenteeism, coworker and familial alcohol problems can hurt employees without drinking problems. These employees may suffer significantly from “presenteeism” (ineffectively working while sick, injured, stressed or burnt-out). Support can include programs that facilitate use of employee assistance programs, human resource representatives, and/or workplace wellness programs about alcoholism and its effects.⁸

Footnotes:
¹ Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Alcohol-attributable deaths and years of potential life lost—united states, 2001. MMWR. 2004;53:866-870. http://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/preview/mmwrhtml/mm5337a2.htm
² Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration. Results from the 2005 national survey on drug use and health: National findings. 2006. http://oas.samhsa.gov/nsduh/2k5nsduh/2k5results.pdf
³ Center for Substance Abuse Treatment. What you should know about alcohol problems. Substance Abuse in Brief. 2003; 2(1). http://kap.samhsa.gov/products/brochures/pdfs/SAB-04-2003.PDF
⁴ Woerle S, Roeber J, Landen MG. Prevalence of alcohol dependence among excessive drinkers in new mexico. Alcoholism: Clinical and Experimental Research. 2007; 31(2):293-298.
⁵ Pidd KJ, Berry JG, Roche AM, Harrison JE. Estimating the cost of alcohol-related absenteeism in the australian workforce: the importance of consumption patterns. Medical Journal of Australia. 2006; 185 (11/12): 637-641. http://www.mja.com.au/public/issues/185_11_041206/pid10456_fm.pdf
⁶ Ensuring Solutions to Alcohol Problems. Alcohol screening: a quick first step to reduce problem drinking. 2007 (rev.). http://www.ensuringsolutions.org/resources/resources_show.htm?doc_id=328506&cat_id=964
⁷ Robert Wood Johnson Foundation. To improve health and healthcare vol ii: alcohol and work, results from a corporate drinking study. 1999. http://www.rwjf.org/files/publications/books/1999/chapter_04.html
⁸ Hazelden. Making Recovery America’s Business, 2005. http://www.hazelden.org/web/public/mrab_2005survey.page