Drug and alcohol abuse, we hear about it everyday. Whether it be on TV, radio, newspaper or on the internet, we are bombarded with stories about shootings, robberies, drug trafficking and gang activity going on in our neighborhoods. But what is the true Impact on Society, do we count it by the money we spend to combat it, by the lives lost and the communities destroyed by it.

In this article we will discuss some of the true impacts on society that drug and alcohol abuse have. To start, over 40% of violent crime in the United States has its roots in drugs or alcohol. Whether it be from gang activity, trying to claim territory, or gang wars over turf, from addicts committing crimes to be able to continue their habit. Add into that the number of families destroyed by this horrible disease, and the continued decline of major urban areas, due to the ever increasing numbers of gangs and drug runners. The costs to this country, from the DEA on down, is in the Billions, plus the costs of lost labor, and to the health care system, you are in the range of a Trillion dollars, or more that most countries GDP. If this wasn’t enough, there is also the costs associated with rehab, and trying to start programs for inner city youths, to help them off this path.

Of course there is no way to completely calculate the true cost of it all, but one only has to look at major cities such as Washington DC, Baltimore, Detroit, Chicago and Los Angeles to name a few to see the destructive impact on society that drug and alcohol abuse has from individual homes to the country at large. There is help out there, a large sum of money is spent every year to get you the help you need, just take the time to find one of the thousands of trained councilors to help you to add to society, than to be a negative influence.