This finding was confirmed by Grossman (1993) when he applied the Becker-Murphy model of addiction to heavy alcohol consumption as reflected by the cirrhosis mortality rate. Using data for all States for the period from 1961 through 1984, Grossman concluded that long-term heavy consumption is responsive to price. For example, he estimated that a 10-percent increase in the price of alcohol would reduce cirrhosis mortality by 8.3 to 12.8 percent after the levels of heavy drinking have fully adjusted to the price change in future years. (This adjustment would extend over many years because due to the addictive nature of heavy drinking, a price increase in 1 year would reduce drinking not only in that year but also in all future years.)
