£52 Billion & OYNB – The True Cost of Alcohol
- OYNB
- Nov 17
- 2 min read
What Is the True Cost of Drinking?
Anyone who has ever had more than a few drinks knows the pain of a heavy hangover the next day.
Headache. Nausea. Fog.
Or maybe the sting of making a fool of yourself in front of friends, colleagues, or a potential date.
Then comes the exhaustion — not wanting to get out of bed…
And of course, the bill from all that booze: the rounds at the pub, the wine at dinner.
That’s one night.
One messy bender.
But what about the true cost of drinking — over a lifetime?
Have you ever wondered how much money we spend on alcohol – across our entire lifetime?
According to Onepoll:
“The average person in Britain spends almost £50,000 on alcohol during their lifetime.”
Macmillan Cancer Support adds:
Average Brit spends £787/year
Men: £934/year
Women: £678/year
Given the 2015 average salary (£27,600), that means:
👉 Two full years of income
👉 Gone on booze
Just imagine what you could save by taking a “liver vacation.”
But I didn’t stop there…
The national cost: shocking doesn’t even begin to cover it
Towards the end of 2016, Public Health England estimated:
Alcohol-related crime, lost work productivity and ill health cost the UK £27–£52 billion per year.
That’s 1.3%–2.7% of the entire GDP.
Up to £52,000,000,000 every year.
On alcohol harm alone.
Let’s dig into how they calculated that number.
What counts as “alcohol-related cost”?
Public Health England divides it into three categories:
1. Direct costs
NHS and social care
Emergency services
Criminal justice system
Welfare and unemployment support
2. Indirect costs
Reduced work performance
Absenteeism
Job loss
Lower lifetime earnings
Premature death
3. Intangible costs
Pain and suffering
Trauma for families
Children living in alcohol-chaotic homes
Money wasted on alcohol instead of necessities
It all adds up — massively.
Governments attempt to reduce this with policies:
age limits, DUI laws, pricing restrictions, taxation, licensing hours, outlet density and so on.
All of which cost money as well.
And then… the unexpected discovery
Kevin Moore’s famous 2014 study at the Royal Free Hospital (featured in New Scientist) tested what happens when average drinkers go alcohol-free for just one month.
The results?
The results were “staggering”!
Participants achieved:
40% reduction in liver fat
3kg weight loss
Lower cholesterol
Reduced glucose levels
Better sleep & concentration
Moore said:
“If a drug produced these results, it would be a multi-billion-pound blockbuster.”
He added:
“There’s no medication that lowers blood pressure and cholesterol at the same time like this.”
Just one month.
If 1% of the UK went dry for one month:
Using very rough economics:
£52bn / 12 ≈ £4.3bn per month
1% = £43m
10% = £433m
The NHS deficit? £1.85bn.
Imagine if just a fraction of the population took a break…
Maybe taking a month off booze isn’t a small idea after all
The cost of drinking — to your wallet, your health, your relationships, your productivity, and the entire country — is astronomical.
Yet the benefits of just a monthly reset are equally enormous.
Maybe it’s time to see what your own “staggering results” might look like.
