What does your addiction cost?

Most of us have some sort of addiction.  Perhaps not the hard core addictions such as drinking, smoking, drug use, or gambling but little addictions such spending too much time on the Internet.

Here in Michigan new taxes have pushed the cost of a pack of cigarettes to $5.50 a pack.  If a person smokes three packs a day that comes to $16.50 a day or $115.50 a week.  Even at one pack a day the cost is $38.50 a week.  I would consider smoking an expensive addiction. 

I knew that smoking was #1 on the list but still I was interested in what the top addictions were and the costs of each.  Searching the web I found these facts. 

Smoking - $157 Billion a year

The tab for smoking includes $75 billion in direct medical expenses, with the rest in lost productivity from ill patients missing work. 

Alcohol - $116 Billion a year

 Binge drinking hits the unemployed harder on a per capita basis--10.4%, versus 8.4% of employed people. 

Drugs - $110 Billion a year

Like alcohol, illicit drug use is more prevalent among the unemployed.

Overeating - $107 Billion a year

Overeating increases the risk of many health problems, including heart attacks--obesity causes 14% of attacks suffered by males and 20% of those suffered by females, the National Institute for Health says, and less than a third of adults get regular exercise. 

Gambling - $40 Billiion a year

Addicted gamblers are often compelled to chase after bad bets with more money in the hope of winning back their losses.