t use of the substance in situations when use is physically hazardous" (American Psychiatric Association, 1987, p. 169).
History, Theory, and Variables Associated With Alcohol Dependence and Alcohol Abuse
Most "adults in the United States are light drinkers. About 35% abstain, 55% drink fewer that three alcoholic drinks a week, and only 11% consume an average of one ounce or more of alcohol a day" (American Psychiatric Association, 1987, p. 173). The prevalence of drinking is highest and abstention lowest for both females and males in the 21 34 age range (American Psychiatric Association, 1987, p. 173). Males are two to five times more likely than are females to be heavy drinkers, regardless of age group (American Psychiatric Association, 1987, p. 173). The prevalence of heavy drinking among adults decreases with age; "only 7% of males and 2% of females are considered heavy drinkers" among persons aged 65 years or older (American Psychiatric Association, 1987, p. 173). For all adults, "10% of drinkers consume 50% of the total alcohol consumed" (American Psychiatric Association, 1987, p. 173). Considering that 35 percent of adults in the United States abstain from alcohol consumption, thus, 6.5 percent of American adults consume 50 percent of all alcohol consumed, and most such individuals are males in the 21 34 age group.
Three main patterns of chronic alcohol abuse or dependency are recognized (American Psychiatric Association, 1987, p. 173). The first pattern involves the daily intake of large quantities of alcohol, while the second pattern involves regular heavy drinking that is limited to the weekends, and the third pattern is characterized by long periods of sobriety interspersed with "binges of heavy drinking lasting for weeks or months. It is a mistake to associate one of these particular patterns exclusively with 'alcoholism'" (American Psychiatric Association, 1987, p. 173).
Alcoholism is frequently categor...