A comparative study of the drug costs and total treatment costs of alcoholic and non-alcoholic patients

The discovery of alcohol in ancient times was closely followed by the development of alcoholism. In early history, alcoholism was recognized as a disease with certain characteristics which were found in all alcoholics. In modern times, recognition of alcoholism as a major disease entity by known health organizations did not occur until after 1950. Attempts to better understand this disease entity have led to frequent redefinitions of alcoholism. Most definitions have stressed both the physical and mental aspects of the disease. The purpose of this investigation was to compare drug costs and costs of treatment for alcoholic and non-alcoholic patients. The number of admissions and total patient days were studied for both alcoholic and non-alcoholic patients in order to document these treatment costs. [...]