Drinking Your Dollars: The High Financial Cost of Alcoholism
An alcohol addiction can take a huge toll on your life. You may suffer from a lost career, broken relationships, and damaged health. One area that can be especially hard to rebuild is your finances. Sometimes if you’ve had to go to rehab at a centre similar to Sunshine Behavioural Health or one more local/specific to your rehab needs, that might have also be a possible financial cost. Treatment centres will also sometimes involve travel costs for anyone who wishes to visit, which is another potential financial and emotional cost of addiction. The often expensive cost of alcohol will also have been a large financial drain during an addiction period.
Unfortunately, if you do develop an addiction, it will be a large burden for you as an individual as well as any of your loved ones who end up also being effected. Sadly, alcoholism will cost you in many ways monetarily. Included here are a few of the high financial costs of addiction and when to seek treatment.
Cost of Alcohol
While every addiction carries a high cost, alcohol is one that can do extreme damage to your finances. One of the greatest problems with alcohol is that it is readily available and a socially acceptable habit. Many people do not hesitate to indulge in alcohol during a night out. Your personal cost of alcoholism can vary depending on your drink of choice.
Most people who become alcoholics are not going out drinking each night, but are indulging at home. If you are imbibing in a cheap twelve pack of beer each night, you are likely spending around $15 a day on your habit. For those who drink wine, or hard alcohol, your daily cost could be over $20.
If you are able to keep your drinking restrained to the evening, you may feel you have a handle on this condition. But what about on nights when you are not at home? Are you forced to rack up high bill tabs due to your addiction? Are you embarrassed at family dinners when you overindulge? Over time, this constant need for alcohol can destroy the control you have over your personal life.
Lost Work
A common problem for alcoholics can be loss of lifetime earning potential. As addiction progresses, you will find yourself with a higher tolerance, requiring greater amounts of alcohol each day to achieve the same buzz. As the amount of alcohol you consume increases, you may also find you need more time each day for drinking and recovery.
This can result in an inability to maintain focus at work and you could lose your job. Your loss of lifetime earning potential happens when you find yourself unable to secure or retain a job and your upward career momentum and earning potential stops. You could very well find yourself sinking in poverty because of your alcoholism if you do not opt for a timely Alcohol Addiction Help.
Long-Term Health
A third area where alcoholism is going to cost you is in relation to your long-term health. Medical costs are astronomical these days, and some insurance companies will not pay for services if they were self-inflicted (from drinking too much). You face a multitude of health conditions for the rest of your life due to your alcohol addiction.
If you hadn’t already lost your job due to your addiction, you may lose it because of your failing health. Alcoholism has been linked to cirrhosis of the liver, diabetes, high blood pressure, cancer and cardiovascular disease. Many of these conditions cannot simply be healed by quitting alcohol, you will be paying a lifelong financial cost.
