According to researchers, there is a space between moderate drinking and alcoholism, and that space is filled with excessive drinkers. One in three adults drinks excessively, according to a study by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
"The reality of the situation is that most adults who drink, they're drinking maybe a couple drinks during week and then typically drinking [larger] amounts on weekends," Robert Brewer, an epidemiologist with the CDC and co-author of a new study published in Preventing Chronic Disease, told NPR.
If a female consumes eight or more alcoholic beverages per week, she is considered an excessive drinker. For men, the magic number is 15 drinks. (One drink, as defined by the researchers, is just 5 ounces of wine, 12 ounces of beer or 1.5 ounces of spirits.)
Brewer also told NPR that most excessive drinkers are binge drinkers (drinking four or more drinks in one event).
The more people drink, Brewer pointed out, the higher the health risks, including breast cancer, liver disease, liver cancer and heart disease. According to the CDC, excessive alcohol ingestion is accountable for 88,000 deaths annually and costs the U.S. more than $223.5 billion in 2006.
However, 90 percent of excessive drinkers are not alcoholics, according to the CDC.
"This study shows that, contrary to popular opinion, most people who drink too much are not alcohol dependent," said Brewer.
The risk of dependence rises with the continuation of binge drinking, according to the CDC. The study did note that dependence does affect excessive drinkers and binge drinkers alike, and binge drinkers are often parts of household with a yearly income of $75,000 or more.
Excessive drinkers who are not alcohol dependent will most likely not need addiction treatment, Brewer explained to NPR. "They may also respond to interventions such as increased alcohol taxes to drink less," NPR reported.
