Message in a Bottle: Time to Put the Screws on Booze?

In a nation renowned for loving a drink, the wider impact of employees who drink too much now has been tallied. A new report estimates heavy drinkers cost others A$13.43 billion in out-of-pocket costs, lost wages and productivity. Many people, including those who compensate for accident-prone, underperforming co-workers, are hidden victims. The report only tells part of the story, claim the researchers who crunched the numbers for the first time. Will the staggering results help health minister Nicola Roxon pack more punch with her plan to set a minimum price for alcoholic drinks?