How Prevalent Is “Shopping under the Influence”?

Anyone who's had one too many drinks can call a taxi for a ride home, but what about when you're shopping under the influence? That's not a rhetorical question. In 2018, Americans spent more than $39 billion USD on spontaneous purchases while intoxicated, according to Finder.com, a personal finance website. Based on a survey of 2,000 adults, the site estimated that about a quarter of the population has made purchases after imbibing -- or approximately 53.4 million people. The average amount spent was $736 USD per year. The site pointed out that while overall numbers dropped from a year earlier, when 46 percent of those surveyed admitted to drinking and shopping, the amount they spent climbed from $30.43 billion USD to $39.4 billion USD. As far as what was being purchased, food topped the list, followed by clothes, shoes, and cigarettes.

Alcohol and America:

• Only eight percent of the approximately 15 millions Americans with alcohol use disorder receive treatment every year.
• Alcohol is considered to be the third-leading preventable cause of death in the United States, after tobacco and poor diet/lack of physical activity.
• Binge drinking accounts for 75 percent of the $249 billion USD economic cost of alcohol abuse.