Researchers Call for New Classification of Alcohol Misuse
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July 11, 2008
“Alcohol abuse” and “alcohol dependence” should be joined by “hazardous drinking” in diagnostic criteria, some researchers say.
A new study finds that 5.8 percent of the population meets the criteria for hazardous drinking—defined as drinking too much and being at risk but not alcohol dependent. The researchers considered men who consumed 24 or more drinks weekly or women who consumed 16 or more drinks weekly to be hazardous drinkers.
Hazardous drinking is not currently included as a recognized disorder in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders. “This is an issue that needs to be debated,” said Mauri Aalto, corresponding author of the study.
“A hazardous drinker may see many other people around him or her drinking as much as him or herself,” said Aalto. “This, together with not yet experiencing any alcohol-related harm, may lead the individual to wrongly think that there is no need to reduce drinking. However, hazardous drinkers do not include alcohol dependents, who usually drink a lot more. Alcohol-dependent drinkers already have significant alcohol-related harms, and it is more difficult for them to change their drinking habits.”
The study was published online in the journal Alcoholism: Clinical & Experimental Research and will appear in the September 2008 issue of the publication.
For more information, read the press release or visit the journal’s Web site.