Although there is usually a personal financial hit to get well, it is generally accepted that it costs society a lot more when substance abuse goes unchecked, with alcohol abuse alone costing upwards of 220 billion per year, according to the Centers for Disease Control.
They also raise troubling questions about the tactics Spitzer used when, with the virtually unchecked powers of attorney general, he wrecked careers and wrung billions of dollars out of financial services firms.