“New study suggests economic and social costs of alcohol abuse higher than previously thought”
“According to the data, the widespread excessive use of alcohol in our country is the third-largest contributor to death and disability after Sexually Transmitted Diseases (STDs) and interpersonal violence. It is, for instance, estimated that alcohol plays a role in 80% of deaths among young men.
Reality is likely worse, says lead researcher and associate professor of sociology at the University of Johannesburg, Kezia Batisai. “These two issues themselves tend to be influenced by the excessive consumption of alcohol,” she writes in her report, which she compiled earlier this year for the SACBC’s Strengthening Communities Through Reducing Alcohol-Related Harms Project.
Batisai adds that many previous surveys on the costs of alcohol only look at the direct economic impact, not at the social costs. The last one dates to 2003 and estimated the economic impact of alcohol at R8.7 billion, exclusive of the social costs borne by drinkers and those affected by people’s drinking.
These include costs associated with gender-based violence, sexual crime, the implications of unsafe sex, mental health issues, and increasing levels of poverty, which are both a cause and a consequence of excessive alcohol use.
“Alcohol is the most widespread drug of abuse in South Africa and the most harmful drug at a population level… Empirical evidence from the Western Cape Province suggests that the costs of alcohol-related harms – along with the other social harms outweigh the contributions,” the report states, for which Batisai interviewed dozens of tavern owners and patrons in Klerksdorp and Port Elizabeth, as well as students at both the Nelson Mandela University (NMU) and the University of KwaZulu Natal (UKZN) in Durban.”
Assessment:
A new study from South Africa shows that the economic and social costs of alcohol harm are even higher than previously thought – adding weight to calls for urgent, ambitious, and evidence-based alcohol policy action. With alcohol fueling violence, injuries, and lost productivity, and placing immense strain on public services, the findings highlight the urgent need for population-level measures
