Economic Costs of Underage Drinking
The costs to the United States of underage drinking is substantial. The National Academy of Sciences (NAS), Institute of Medicine released a landmark report to Congress in September 2003, "Reducing Underage Drinking: A Collective Responsibility", found that underage alcohol use costs the nation an estimated $53 billion annually, including:
| Violent Crime: | $29,368,000,000 |
|---|---|
| Traffic Crashes: | $19,452,000,000 |
| Burns: | $189,000,000 |
| Drowning: | $426,000,000 |
| Suicide Attempts | $1,512,000,000 |
| Fetal Alcohol Syndrome: | $493,000,000 |
| Alcohol Poisonings: | $340,000,000 |
| Treatment: | $1,008,000,000 |
| TOTAL: | $52,788,000,000 |