Band 6+: The diagram below shows information about the amount of money spent on alcohol and drugs. Summarise the information by selecting and reporting the main features, and make comparison where relevant.

The bar chart compares and contrasts data on the changes in expenditure in drug and alcohol over an 18 year period from 1975 to 1992.

In general more people spent money on alcohol than on drugs over this whole period.

More specifically, despite obvious fluctuations in sales, the overall increase in sales of alcohol was from 146 in 1975 to 186 in 1980 a rise of 40 billion dollars , nearly double the amount spent on drugs at the same time. Moreover, the biggest difference was in 1975 – a difference of 111 billion dollars between drugs and alcohol. When it comes to the change during this period, alcohol rised by 2 billion dollars between 1975 and 1992 – from 146 to 148 $ ,while drugs increased from 35 to 98$ . Additionally the peak of drug spending 1980 was significantly approximate 102 billion dollars.

Both alcohol and drug spending fell slightly compared to their peaks at the end of this time period.