Comparison of utilization of medical services by alcoholics and non-alcoholics

To determine whether medical costs for alcoholics are higher than those for non-alcoholics, inpatient and outpatient costs for medical services of 191 alcoholics with 191 non-alcoholic matched controls were compared over four years. Results confirm that alcoholics are higher-cost users of medical services than non-alcoholics. (Am J Public Health 1982; 72:600-602.)