Oftentimes, there is quite a bit of social stigma toward those who don’t have a job and those who are now homeless…
Society’s first assumption is that they are lazy and are an addict of some sort – drugs, alcohol, etc.
So, it is always in the back of our minds that drugs and alcohol cost money and that addiction can be costly, but what exactly does addiction cost?
The Big Picture
Overall, in the United States, addiction carries a social cost of roughly $185 billion each year. Now consider how much each person is spending. If the alcohol or drugs cost $10 or $20 each time…
Let’s give people the benefit of the doubt…
So, $15 – we will meet in the middle – and let’s say they buy their substance of choice once each day, seven days per week. That comes out to $105 each week, and that is being conservative. Oftentimes, drugs cost much more than that and addicts are purchasing much more than once each day.
To put that into perspective, $105 is what most people pay for an entire month of cable, what some people spend on an entire week of groceries, or about two weeks of food and diapers for a newborn.
There is so much more you could do with $105+…
But, that isn’t all.
Sadly, drugs and alcohol don’t just cost you monetarily though…
Addiction can cost you your family – spouse, kids, parents, aunts and uncles.
As addiction creeps in, you might find yourself acting in ways you never thought you would. Hurting people in ways you never even imagined.
The Ultimate Price.
And ultimately, the most expensive part of addiction is your life. Whether it be from an overdose or from the physical and mental ailments you develop as a result of the addiction, ultimately the addiction can end your life.
So many addicts think that will never be them, but somehow, they find themselves on the edge of overdose several times before it finally just happens.
Or, the addiction might just become so overwhelming that an addict feels the need to take their own life.
Regardless of which of these matters the most to you – money, family, or your life – the point is that addiction is not free. The costs go well beyond just the initial money needed to purchase the substance of choice.
Addiction is a disease that will infect all aspects of your life.