Alcohol costs US Society 185 Billion & Excess weight rivals smoking in its impact on American health

[The Straight Story]

Alcohol — The total impact of alcohol abuse on health care costs is difficult to estimate. In addition to personal health injury, liver damage, gastritis and brain injury, alcohol is responsible for many casualties related to car crashes and violence. Fetal-alcohol syndrome, the persistent injury to children by mothers who drink to excess, must be included. Ten-year-old data from the National Institute of Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism estimated annual costs of alcohol abuse treatment at $5.5 billion, medical treatment at $19 billion, and total costs to U.S. society of alcohol abuse at $185 billion.

To cover such costs, staggering and impractical health taxes would have to be assessed to alcohol purchases. Should a lesser tax dedicated to treating victims of alcohol use be added to beer, wine, and whiskey?

Obesity — Excess weight rivals smoking in its impact on American health. When we gain weight, we significantly increase our risk of developing adult-onset diabetes, heart and circulatory disease, dementia and cancer. Ten-year-old data from the Centers for Disease Control estimates a yearly cost of $78 billion to treat obesity and its related conditions. Unlike tobacco and alcohol, there is no easy method for adding a health tax to products such as fast foods that are more likely to cause obesity.

As an alternative, should overweight persons pay higher deductibles or co-payments in a national health insurance system? Would this serve as an incentive for weight reduction? Would these higher charges be discriminatory?

http://timesfreepress.com/news/2008/jul/17/cleaveland-health-care-risks-must-be-managed/

Freedom costs us a lot, beware those who want to put a dollar amount on it to scare others into restricting those freedoms. Simple, rational regulations can go a long way, continually expanding them however defeats the whole idea of being free.

We need to be setting limits on our government the way they do on us :)

[DJ13]

1. Here comes the next wave of facism

No Twinkies in public places.

[taterguy]

2. I could use a beer right now

:popcorn:

[Squatch]

3. When I drink beer, the guy sitting next to me isn't subject to any harmful

second-hand effects of me exercising my choice to drink.

(There...that ought to get this started off on the right foot)

[The Straight Story]

5. Sure he is

It just hits his wallet and impacts his ability to get better health care when he needs it, which leads to more medical issues for him and he dies....

see how that works ;)

[FKA MNChimpH8R]

7. If the so called externalities of everything are considered

there is no basis for ANY kind of freedom, because every aspect of freedom involves these alleged externalities. This argument is the ultimate foundation of totalitarianism. And it's not a lot different in structure from many of the forced pregnancy advocates' screeds against a woman's right to choose, i.e., your selfish determination to terminate a pregnancy costs society production and economic gain. Think these things through a little more clearly,

[The Straight Story]

9. I agree with you

Sad though that so many (even here on DU) do not.

[AlCzervik]

12. Come on SS, if you could smoke wherever would you even be posting this?

at least be up front about it.

[The Straight Story]

13. I am against a lot of smoking laws, yes, but

what I said way back when CA outlawed it in bars is coming true - and so many always thought it was just a bunch of BS and would end with smokes.

I felt the same way back in the day when in Ohio they decided that people had to wear a seat belt that it would not ever be a primary offense - they got their foot in the door and now it is.

I don't smoke in bars anymore because it is rare that I go to one (except one here that has a smoking room). So these bans don't generally do much to me (I don't go out to each much either).

I don't smoke pot, but I think it should be legal.

I can be opposed to more than one thing at a time :)

[taterguy]

11. Don't tell me you're one of those freaks who rides a bicycle to bars

Or are you just selective about which toxins you tolerate imposing on others?

[Squatch]

16. I drink at home.

Having 2 kids, I don't get out to bars very often. :thumbsup:

[sandyj999]

4. Well with the rising prices on everything, the war, bad gas prices and a variety of other depressing

things, what else can we do for enjoyment rather than eat and drink things we shouldn't??? This criticism is getting really tiresome. I am so glad that I am the age I am................

[FKA MNChimpH8R]

6. You will take my vodka/beer bottle away from me

when you pry it from my cold, dead fingers.

I drink at home, I have no family or dependents. I am a threat to no one when I am intoxicated. Without booze to distract me, I'd have killed myself three years into the Chimpocracy out of unavoidable despair.

I am a libertarian socialist. I believe in a reasonable redistribution of wealth in the FDR/European Social Democrat fashion. I am an utter libertarian when it comes to questions of what I may ingest be it culinary, chemical or herbal, so long as I interfere with the rights of no others. I am not sure what your point is. If it is that government has no business interfering in private choices, I am with you. The unfortunate price of freedom is that in includes the freedom to be stupid and self destructive. Government has no business "protecting" me from the choices I make in my private life, over which I have control. It has one hell of a large role in keeping me, and anyone else, from being victimized by the haves and the forces of corruption and greed, over which I have absolutely no control.

:rant:

[The Straight Story]

8. I am with you on that, point is

People are starting to draw lines between how you live and their money (ie, impact of your choices on health care costs and such).

It started with smoking (and not just in public, but at home and raising taxes on smokes) and even earlier with seat belts. What you do, even if it harms only you, is now seen as something that impacts others and should be controlled or punished in some way.

Freedom for me means a line drawn in the sand we do not cross, even if doing so makes sense to others.

As we tie more and more of our lives together by federal means (or even state) more and more of this will happen.

We need independence but also we need to come together sensibly on some issues (from defense to health care) and pool our resources to better serve our common interests - all without using that to destroy the very reason we are together (freedom to live our own lives our own ways).

[wuushew]

10. In the interests of full disclosure you should admit your motive

I.E. your love of flaming tobacco sticks and how the nanny state is supposedly destroying your world.

[The Straight Story]

17. first off, see post 8, secondly

What difference does MY motivation make in posting this, does it make it any less real???

[Mythsaje]

14. I long ago determined that roughly 50% of DUers have no problem

with restricting the freedom of others as long as it isn't THEIR ox that's being gored.

So, from my pov, half of us are part of the problem, not part of the solution.

[Ichingcarpenter]

15. TGIF!! After 5 we will have appetizers, booze and smoking is permitted!

But its BYOB night...... Party on! Wayne!

[NightWatcher]

18. marilize legajuana

sure, we'll eat too many cheetos, but shit man, I wanna spark up a jay