“Of adults who report that they binge drink 10 or more times a month, more than two-thirds do not meet the criteria for alcohol dependence, according to a 2014 report from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The study defined binge drinking as five or more drinks on the same occasion for men, and four or more drinks on the same occasion for women. Alcohol dependence was defined by the guidelines within the Diagnostic and Statistic Manual of Mental Disorders, and involved specific dependence criteria: tolerance, withdrawal, impaired control, unsuccessful attempts to stop drinking, continued use despite problems, neglect of responsibility, and time spent in alcohol-related activities.”
“Dr. William Kerr of the Alcohol Research Group at the Public Health Institute explains that frequent binge drinking occasions are “certainly a risk factor for dependence, and dependent drinkers will have frequent heavy occasions. However, dependence requires tolerance, drinking to ease withdrawal, and continued drinking despite recognizing problems.”
