Heavy drinkers are rarely alcoholics

Almost one-third of Americans are "excessive drinkers" but only 10 percent of that number can be considered alcoholics.
A survey of 138,100 "excessively drinking" adults showed 9 out of 10 are not addicts but could change their behavior with a certain degree of prompting.
A new study from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said people who may be considered "binge drinkers" and "heavy drinkers" do not necessarily have alcohol use disorder, or what is more colloquially known as alcoholism.
"The knowledge that only 10 percent of heavy drinkers are alcoholic may be reassuring, but that doesn't mean the other 90 percent don't have problems with drinking," said Patrick J. Skerrett, Executive Editor of Harvard Health.
While one drink a day is usually safe, several can lead to health problems.
"Many people tend to equate excessive drinking with alcohol dependence," said Dr. Robert Brewer, who leads the alcohol program at the CDC. "We need to think about other strategies to address these people who are drinking too much but who are not addicted to alcohol."