Alcohol - The Biggest Burden To The Economy - By Far.

[10ClarionSt]

The case of Ant McPartlin shows how much the effects of alcohol can be. Hospital fees, insurance costs, court costs, personal trauma etc. If he had been seen smoking his head off, the whole country would have been outraged. The cost of alcohol to the NHS is ten times the cost of treating smoking related illnesses. But if you know someone who "likes a drink", it's sort of funny isn't it? Well is it?!

[-Talbot-]

No

[atalanta]

It may be a burden, but alcohol brings in an awful lot of tax.

[anthro-nerd]

I rarely drink, but I do enjoy a glass of red or a g&t from time to time.

There is certainly a culture around drink and I don't like that.

[bhg481]

I would have thought that illegal drugs are a far bigger problem if you're talking economics. Alcohol does generate some money from tax, whereas illegal drugs don't and cause crime to pay for them.

[mallyh]

with all the drink related illness etc I can't understand why they don't put hideous pictures on drinks labels as they do with cigs.

[ummmm]

I think they are planning that, Mally.

[Spungle]

Isn't the whole country outraged?! Comparisons are odious- you could equally argue that fat people cost the economy a lot of money. Smokers generally kill themselves, rather than other people, true, but it's apples and oranges, in my opinion.

[bhg481]

The labels will be blurred to heavy drinkers.

[bhg481]

Spungle // Smokers generally kill themselves //

Perhaps they do but I think more maim themselves for life and I wonder if the adverts to discourage smoking would be better concentrating on that, rather than the death aspect. People have a "You've got to die of something" attitude; pointing out that they could be in for years of misery might be more effective.

[steg]

///Alcohol does generate some money from tax, whereas illegal drugs don't and cause crime to pay for them.///

Aye, crime can be committed by drug user ( most commonly by addicts) to pay for their fix,
Where as alcohol is used as an excuse for crimes on a much larger scale

[Spungle]

BHG- I agree, the side-effects from smoking can make life a living death. But lung cancer is often only the start. The lungs can usually repair damage at first, but the continued assault on lung tissue (ie a regular smoker) becomes much harder to manage. That's when damaged cells can mutate and grow out of control. The chemicals you inhale also enter your bloodstream and are carried throughout your body, increasing the risk of other types of cancer. Personally, I'd rather die of natural causes.

[Khandro]

Alcohol, is simply a liquid, C2H6O, quite benign, and cannot in any way be described as a burden.

[youngmafbog]

No, it is not the biggest burden to the economy by far but that is not to say there is not a problem.

But what are you proposing, prohibition? We all know how that ended.

[DarceyK123]

Ant smokes as well, just adding that to the pot.

[emmie]

not remotely funny, having seen endless men and some women friends perish because of the demon drink i can safely say i wouldn't go that route.

[hc4361]

The vast majority of people who drink alcohol don't drink every day or even every week.
The vast majority of smokers have to smoke every day, take 'smoke breaks' during the working hours and carry on smoking with bronchitis and other lung problems.

Most drinkers are not alcoholics, most smokers are addicted.