“Scientists announced that they have located the gene for alcoholism. Scientists say they found it at a party, talking too loudly.” Conan O’Brien [American late night Talk Show Host. b. 1963].

Although much can be said about alcoholism and its impact on society, one thing is clear- We are breeding a nation of alcoholics. Drinking has become part of our national past time. I myself have been guilty of the excessive use of alcohol- a condition not learnt until university days when, some may say, I took a “crash” course in drinking.

However, we in Trinidad and Tobago do have a serious problem. According to Hari D. Maharajh and Akleema Ali in “Crime in Trinidad and Tobago: the effect of alcohol use and employment,” a reduction in beer available for home consumption – a major public health concern- would significantly reduce the occurrence of minor offenses. In fact, the consumption of beer accounted for 64% of minor crimes in this country. However, this aspect of the impact of alcoholism will be looked at in another article.

The purpose of this article is to summarize the statistical literature concerning the effects of alcohol consumption on earnings and employment. One of the most important findings of this research is that alcoholism has both direct and indirect effects on earnings. That is, there is evidence that alcoholics’ earnings are depressed both because alcoholism causes reduced labour productivity and because it discourages investments in “human capital” (e.g., education). Problem drinking is also found to increase unemployment.

Original article by: Dr. Anderson Morris

Posted September 10, 2009

From:

http://addictionrecoverybasics.com/