How Much Am I Spending On Alcohol? Do I Even Want To Know…

Many of us check our bank balances the morning after a night out. Primarily to see how much we spent the night before, and where exactly we spent it. It can leave a bitter taste in the mouth, quite literally, as we spend our day nursing a hangover.

But it’s not just the alcohol itself that can be costly, it can be all the other stuff that comes with it.

So how much are you spending on alcohol exactly? We try and help you break it down…

The cost of booze

Let’s start with the cost of alcohol. It isn’t cheap these days, with the average price of a pint in the UK now £4.57. That’s even higher in many towns and cities, with it probably best to make it a round £5 for your typical pint of beer, while a glass of wine may be £6.

Sticking with beer, a pint of beer is around two units. Adults in the UK are advised to drink just 14 units maximum per week. Therefore seven pints.

That would equate to £35 a week on alcoholm equating to £1,820 across an entire year. Even that’s quite a lot of money.

But how many of us actually drink that much per week? The rise of alcoholism is rife in the UK, and it’s likely that figure will be far and away beyond that for many, many people.

Can you try and calculate it?

Taxis and takeaways

Of course, there are the other bits you have to pay for as a result of alcohol too. The kebabs on the way home and the taxis as a result of not being able to drive. This can double, triple the amount your really paying to have a drink.

If you’re spending £10 per week on a taxi home, that’s an additional £520 to add to your bill, while you could be looking at the same or higher on your takeaway too. That’s over £1,000 in spending again, and it starts to become quite a significant amount on a UK average wage.

Is it problematic?

Which is fine if you can afford it. However, ask yourself is your drinking problematic, not just for your finances, but for your health too. Looking at how much you spend on alcohol can be a real awakener and many people do realise they have a problem.

Rehab is often the best solution, but then can you afford that? That is often the big question, and one that puts people off. However, it is a myth. You can find places with an affordable drug rehab cost out there to battle addiction, and when you look at how much you could be saving as a result of not drinking, it doesn’t look that expensive at all.