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Most people believe that alcoholics are the ones who drink the most. New study reveals that this is just a preconceived idea. The ones who are the most heavy drinkers are not the alcoholic people, but regular people. According to a recent statistics 29% of the US population are excessive of regular alcohol drinkers, but a government report says that these are not alcoholics.
The US Center for Disease Control and Prevention shows that 90% of the people who drink excessively or engage in binge drinking are not the people who are identified as alcoholics. The report was published on November 20 and indicated that the ones who drink the most are binge drinkers.
Binge drinking involves four or more drinks on a single occasion for women, and five or more drinks for men. Also, women who drink more than seven drinks weekly and men who drink more than 14 drinks in a week are considered to be excessive drinkers.
Although heavy drinking is very bad for the human health, scientists say that it does not involve a physical dependency, as it is with alcoholic people. Alcoholism, on the other hand is a chronic condition that may or may not involve heavy drinking. Alcoholics crave drinking despite having health problems and being aware of these problems. But alcoholics cannot control themselves from drinking. Those who drink excessively but can live without drinking for a longer period of time are not considered alcoholics.
Dr Robert Brewer, one of the authors of the study on alcoholism says:
“A lot of people mistakenly assume that people who drink too much are alcoholics.”
He added that Americans have mixed feelings about drinking. He said that many people believe that drinking means having a good time. Brewer noted that those who drink excessively, believing that this is an aspect of enjoying themselves have to
“change the environment in which people make their drinking decisions.”
The study also reveals that although the heavy drinkers are not alcoholics, excessive alcohol consumption resulted in the deaths of approximately 88,000 Americans from 2006 to 2010.
