George Washington University’s Alcohol Cost Calculator estimates the incidence of problem drinkers per thousand employees by industry:
| Industry | “Problem Drinkers” per thousand workers |
|---|---|
| Agriculture | 106 per thousand workers |
| Business Services | 106 per thousand workers |
| Construction and Mining | 134 per thousand workers |
| Finance and Real Estate | 92 per thousand workers |
| Government | 69 per thousand workers |
| Leisure and Hospitality | 109 per thousand workers |
| Manufacturing | 90 per thousand workers |
| Professional | 54 per thousand workers |
| Retail | 114 per thousand workers |
| Transportation and Utilities | 96 per thousand workers |
| Wholesale | 115 per thousand workers |
| Overall in US workforce | 91 per thousand workers |
The estimated economic cost of alcohol problems in the U.S. exceeds $600 per year for every man, woman and child in the form of increased use of worker’s compensation and disability benefits, accidents and damage, increased worker turnover and replacement costs, diverted supervisory, managerial and coworker time, friction among workers, damage to a company’s reputation, increased liability, theft and fraud.
- Who do you know — including the man in the mirror — who might be a problem drinker? Find out more at AlcoholScreening.org.
- Where would you look for treatment resources if a colleague needed medical help to begin sobriety? To find the nearest substance abuse treatment facility, visit the Substance Abuse & Mental Health Services Administration.
- What can you do besides steering problem drinkers to substance abuse treatment? For other ideas visit the What You Can Do section of the Alcohol Cost Calculator for Business.
Consider this curious dichotomy from the apostle Paul to the Christians in the city of Ephesus:
Do not get drunk on wine, which leads to debauchery. Instead, be filled with the Spirit.
— Ephesians 5:18 [New International Version]
- If getting drunk leads to debauchery, what do you think being filled with the Spirit leads to? What could it mean to your company if 50 or a hundred problem drinkers were under the influence of the Spirit instead? What could that mean for those employees and their families?
