MOSCOW, November 22 (Sputnik) – A new study published earlier this week by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) revealed that nine out of 10 Americans who drink to excess, in fact, do not meet the criteria for alcohol dependence, the Science Times reported on Friday.
“A lot of people mistakenly assume that people who drink too much are alcoholics,” said Dr. Robert Brewer, leader of the CDC’s alcohol program, as quoted by the Science Times. “The surprising finding was that nine out of ten people who drink too much do not meet the diagnostic criteria for alcoholism.”
Alcoholism, according to the CDC researchers, is a chronic medical condition, which includes the inability to reduce or stop alcohol consumption, continuing the drinking even after it starts causing problems at work or with family, and excessive amounts of time spent drinking, Tech Times said.
The research distinguishes between those who suffer from alcoholism and those who drink excessively, referring to the latter group as binge drinkers, who have four to five or more drinks on any given occasion, the Science Times said.
“[Some excessive drinkers] are self-medicating, but a lot of it is a reflection of the fact that we live in a society where people get a lot of mixed messages about drinking. A lot of people have been led to believe that drinking, and often drinking a large amount, is part of having a good time,” Dr. Brewer, the author of the study, said, as quoted by the Science Times.
Binge drinkers, however, should not take comfort in these findings. Excessive drinking, although not classified as alcoholism per se, is nonetheless a dangerous activity. Excessive drinking is responsible for as many as 88,000 deaths in the United States annually, according to the Los Angeles Times.
Researchers discovered that binge drinking is highest among young men, especially those with an annual income of $75,000 or more, whereas alcoholism is most common in households with an annual income of $25,000 or less, AJC said.
