Nine out of 10 adults who drink too much alcohol are not alcoholics, according to a new government study.
The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention study found that nearly one in three American adults is an excessive drinker, and most of them binge drink. In contrast, only about one in 30 adults are classified as alcohol dependent.
The study was published Thursday in the CDC journal Preventing Chronic Disease.
“This study shows that, contrary to popular opinion, most people who drink too much are not alcohol dependent or alcoholics,” said Robert Brewer, M.D, one of the report’s authors.
The research also emphasized the importance of taking a comprehensive approach to reducing excessive drinking and offering high-quality substance abuse treatment for those who are alcohol dependent.
Excessive alcohol use is responsible for 88,000 deaths in the U.S. each year (including about 3,700 deaths from alcohol dependence), and cost the country $223.5 billion in 2006, according to the CDC.
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