Human Costs

Alcohol And/Or Drugs contribute to:

  • 90% of all assaults
  • 90% of all college campus rapes
  • 86% of deaths related to fire
  • 85% of all homicides
  • 80% of all prison incarcerations
  • 75% of all divorces
  • 70% of fatal falls
  • 67% of attempted suicides
  • 65% of all child abuse cases
  • 61% of all felony assaults
  • 60% of sex crimes against children
  • 52% of all highway fatalities
  • 50% of traffic fatalities
  • 50% of spousal abuse
  • 50% of juvenile delinquency
  • 45% of all drownings
  • 40% of fatal work-related injuries
  • 40% of traffic deaths
  • 35% of all rapes
  • 33% of suicides
  • 55% of all domestic violence

A closer look at alcohol:

  • Experts estimate 10-20 million Americans are alcoholics.
  • About every 20 minutes, a driver is killed because of alcohol.
  • 71 people are killed every day by drunk drivers.
  • Over 200,000 die annually in alcohol-related deaths (murders, drownings, suicides, fires, falls, other accidental deaths)
  • 4 of every 5 drivers will be in an alcohol-related accident.
  • Alcohol is the number one cause of infant death and mental retardation.
  • 1 million babies are born each year to mothers on alcohol and/or drugs.
  • 42% of compulsive gamblers also have alcohol and/or drug problems.
  • 25% of all hospital admissions are because of alcohol.
  • In 1992, 5500 pedestrians died. 1/3 of them were drunk.
  • 7 of 10 Americans drink socially, but 1 of 10 of those will become alcoholics.

What American drinkers prefer:

  • 47% - Beer
  • 29% - Wine
  • 18% - Liquor
  • 1% - Wine Coolers

Percentage of Alcohol Content in So-Called "3.2 Beer" by Volume:

  • Budweiser - 5.0%
  • Miller High Life - 4.7%
  • Miller Natural Light - 4.7%
  • Miller Genuine Draft - 4.7%
  • Busch - 4.7%
  • Old Milwaukee - 4.5%
  • Coors Light - 4.4%
  • Milwaukee's Best - 4.3%
  • Bud Light - 4.2%
  • Miller Lite - 4.2%

In Oklahoma:

  • 2000 Drug Arrests totaled 22,114. Alcohol arrests totaled 51, 308.
  • 16% of all crimes in 2000 were committed by juveniles.
  • Of all arrests in '2000, (murder, burglary, etc.), 31% were alcohol-related.
  • 75% of the crime in Stillwater, Oklahoma is beer-related.

Alcohol/Drugs And Teens & Young Adults:

  • The average alcoholic begins drinking at age 12. Early experimentation can begin at 8.
  • Alcohol-related accidents are the number one killer of persons 15-24 years old.
  • 9 of 10 automobile crashes involving teens is due to alcohol.
  • Alcohol is the number one substance abused by 8th, 10th, and 12th graders.
  • 13% of eighth graders are binge drinkers; 10th graders, 23%; 12th graders, 30%.
  • 64% of young people ages 18-25 drink.
  • Even though the legal drinking age is 21, 66% of drinking teens report they can buy their own alcoholic beverages.
  • 33% of teens know drug sellers; 25% were offered drugs within the past 30 days.
  • 40% of young people in adult correctional facilities drank before committing crimes.
  • 70% of teen suicides involved use of alcohol or drugs.
  • More college students will die due to alcohol than will get advanced degrees.
  • Over 50% of college students arrested admit drinking before committing crimes.
  • 50% of college students who were crime victims admit using alcohol and/or drugs.

Cash Costs

Direct Expenditures:

  • Direct expenses related to substance abuse in Oklahoma were estimated at $1.8 billion in 1996.

Indirect Costs:

  • Alcohol/Drug abuse leads to persons becoming disabled and non-productive. Oklahoma's economy loses $5 billion annually because of lost productivity due to substance abuse.

Total Cost:

  • Health Care, Public Safety, Social Services, Loss to Business, Property Loss, and Decreased Productivity costs the State of Oklahoma a total of $6.8 billion annually.

Per Household:

  • On the average, Oklahomans pay more than $1,000 per household in federal, state, and local taxes to pay for substance abusers.

SOURCES: Governor's Task Force on Substance Abuse, National Council on Alcoholism and Drug Dependence (NCADD), National Household Survey on Drug Abuse, Alcohol Research Information Service (ARIS), National Highway Administration, KWTV, O.S.B.I., Daily Oklahoman, KFOR, U.S. Dept. of Health & Human Services, FBI, U.S. Surgeon General, U.S. Dept. of Justice, University of Michigan Institute for Social Research

Did You Know:

71 people are killed every day by drunk drivers.

70% of teen suicides involved use of alcohol or drugs.