ABSTRACT
It is difficult to comprehend the human and economic cost of alcoholism and drug abuse. Gerstein (1981) has reported that estimates of the excessive mortality directly attributable to alcohol via diseases such as cirrhosis ranged from 18,000 to 35,000 deaths in the United States alone in 1975; in addition an estimated 43,000 to 60,000 deaths from homicide, suicide, and accidents were indirectly attributed to alcohol by knowledgeable sources.
