Click here to read more about a  U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention study which  found that 90% of heavy drinkers fell short of the criteria for alcoholism. Women who have eight or more drinks per week and men who have 15 or more are considered heavy drinkers.  Signs of alcoholism include an inability to stop or reduce drinking, continuing to drink even after it causes problems with family or work, and excessive time spent drinking each day.  Judges need to realize that heavy drinkers are not necessarily alcoholics. Only a third of those who admitted binge drinking 10 or more times in the previous month were alcoholics, the study found. The CDC defines binge drinking as consuming four drinks for women and five drinks for men in a single occasion.   This study should be sobering news for those "alcohol addiction specialists" who consider almost every regular drinker an alcoholic.  I can imagine a great cross-examination of someone like Vicki Longwell based on this ... Read More >