problem drinker
problem drinker
A person who drinks alcohol despite knowing that overuse causes physical, psychological and social problems, while the criteria for alcohol dependence are not met.Problem drinker criteria
• 5+ alcoholic drinks on any one occasion at least once/month—“heavy drinking” ;
• One or more alcohol-related social consequences—e.g., drink-driving, public drunkenness arrests, alcohol-related criminal arrests, traffic or other accidents when drinking, confrontations about alcohol-related health problems by a medical practitioner, alcohol-related family or on-the-job problems;
• One or more symptoms of alcohol dependence—e.g., having an alcoholic drink upon awakening, shaking hands, memory loss of events that occurred while drinking.