An all too common problem...

In the wake of Danny Care’s omission from the England Rugby Squad for the forthcoming Six-nations due to being caught drink driving, it has seemingly become apparent that he suffers from an alcohol problem.

This is not the first time that Danny Care has been punished for indiscipline when drunk. Only three weeks ago he was reprimanded for being drunk and disorderly by head coach Stuart Lancaster for an incident which he described as “completely unacceptable”.

Danny Care is suffering from a common problem

The effects of this case of alcoholism are relatively simple. The national side have been deprived of one of their better players, whilst Care until consulted will continue to suffer from alcoholism and will therefore continue to make the same mistakes he is making. However, in other cases alcoholism can have much more serious effects and on a national scale the economic effects can be huge.

In the UK, alcoholism leads to a serious reduction in the productivity of the workforce. It is estimated that the inability to work and the premature deaths that alcoholism causes costs the UK economy £6.4billion each year. Alcohol use can also reduce employment figures in the UK, this account for a further £1.9billion cost to the UK tax payers as there is a reduction in unemployment activity.

Alcoholism is a serious problem in the UK and needs to be addressed soon. Over 17million working days are lost each year to alcohol and the economic effects are huge, putting a humongous strain on the NHS.