We all make some bad decisions when we’ve had a few too many. And more and more frequently, it’s costing us money.
A study by the personal finance website Finder.com says Americans spent $39.4 billion on spontaneous drunken purchases in the past year. That’s a significant step up from the $30.4 billion the previous year.
According to the site, 26% of the people surveyed admitted to making a purchase while they’re tipsy (or worse). If you extrapolate that to the nation’s population, it works out to 53.4 million intoxicated shoppers spending an average drunken amount of $736.
Men are spending more than women, averaging $870 per year. And millennials are averaging $1,047 per year (as opposed to $466 for baby boomers and $469 for Generation X).
The average spend per person has gone up substantially in the three years Finder.com has been tracking drunk spending. In 2017, the average spend per person was just $206, while last year it climbed to $448.
There is, of course, no direct tie between drunk shopping and alcoholism, but excessive drinking is already taking a big financial toll on America. The number of adults who binge drink at least once a week could be as high as 30 million, according to a study published in JAMA Psychiatry. Doctors are being urged to screen patients for unhealthy alcohol consumption regularly.