The Drinking Cost Calculator shows you the true financial and health cost of your alcohol habit. Enter how many pints you drink per week, the price you pay, and your currency — and the calculator instantly shows your monthly and yearly spend, the life expectancy impact based on peer-reviewed research, and what that money could grow to if invested instead.
The calculator is designed with a clear purpose: to show the full cost of drinking, not to suggest cheaper ways to drink. The comparison is between your current pub habit and stopping entirely. The "If You Quit" row shows £0 — because the only financially and medically sound alternative the calculator endorses is not drinking at all.
For drinkers above the scientifically established safe limit of 5 pints per week, the calculator also shows the life cost — days and years of life expectancy lost based on the landmark Wood et al. study published in The Lancet (2018). Below the safe limit, the calculator shows a neutral note rather than a life cost figure, because the research does not support attributing significant mortality risk at low consumption levels.
The life cost calculation is based on the study by Wood, A.M. et al. (2018), "Risk thresholds for alcohol consumption: combined analysis of individual-participant data for 599,912 current drinkers in 83 prospective studies," The Lancet, 391(10129): 1513–1523. This is one of the largest studies ever conducted on alcohol and mortality, covering nearly 600,000 participants across 19 countries. The study found that drinking above 100g of pure alcohol per week (approximately 5 pints of standard-strength beer, or 5 glasses of wine) was associated with progressively shorter life expectancy.
The study estimated that drinking 10 drinks per week above the safe limit was associated with approximately 1–2 years of reduced life expectancy, and drinking 18+ drinks per week with 4–5 years of reduced life expectancy. The calculator uses approximately 22.5 minutes lost per drink above the 5-per-week safe limit, derived from these population-level estimates. Individual outcomes vary significantly based on genetics, overall health, and other lifestyle factors.
The investment projection uses the S&P 500 historical average annual return of approximately 10%, compounded monthly (Shiller, R.J., Yale University). Past performance does not guarantee future results.
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