The costs of the detrimental effects of alcohol abuse have grown faster than alcohol consumption in Finland.

Abstract

Between 1980 and 1990 alcohol consumption in Finland grew on average by 2.4% per year, and most of the detrimental effects of alcohol abuse grew faster. The real costs from nearly all alcohol-related detrimental effects grew during the 1980s on average by 1.7-2.4% annually, depending on the item. As a result of the volume and cost development the direct detrimental effects of alcohol abuse grew from FIM 1.0-1.3 billion in 1980 to FIM 2.8-3.7 billion in 1990: i.e. a real increase of 51-56% in the direct costs of detrimental effects. The indirect costs of detrimental effects (production losses, value of life lost through premature death), was FIM 9.9-18.1 billion in 1990. In 10 years the distribution of the costs of direct detrimental effects changed markedly, in particular regarding health and social costs: the share of health costs decreased 6 percentage points, while that of social costs increased 10 percentage points.