DEFINITIONS RELATED TO ALCOHOL AND ALCOHOLISM

IN DECEMBER 1971 THE AUSTRALIAN ROAD RESEARCH BOARD CONVENED A MEETING WHOSE PURPOSE WAS TO PROMOTE COMPARABILITY OF WORK ON THE RELATIONSHIP OF ALCOHOL TO BAD DRIVING AND ACCIDENTS THROUGH STANDARDIZATION OF TERMINOLOGY AND DEFINITIONS. AN AGREED STATEMENT WAS ISSUED,AS FOLLOWS: (1) THE WORDS "ALCOHOLIC" AND "ALCOHOLISM" SHOULD BE RESTRICTED TO INDIVIDUALS WHO HAVE ACTUAL PHYSICAL DISEASE OR GROSS PSYCHOLOGICAL DAMAGE AS A RESULT OF LONG EXPOSURE TO EXCESSIVE ALCOHOL INTAKE. (2) LABELS LIKE "SOCIAL DRINKERS," "PROBLEM DRINKER," "PREALCOHOLIC," ETC. WERE TO BE DEPRECATED. (3) DRINKERS WHO ARE NOT ALCHOLICS AS DEFINED ABOVE COULD BE DIVIDED OPERATIONALLY BY INTAKE INTO TWO CLASSES: RESPONSIBLE DRINKERS AND EXCESSIVE DRINKERS. (4) A RESPONSIBLE DRINKER IS A PERSON WHO (A) HAS AN AVERAGE DAILY INTAKE OF LESS THAN 100 G OF ALCOHOL; (B) RARELY EXCEEDS A BLOOD ALCOHOL CONTENT OF 0.06 G PR 100 ML; AND (C) RARELY CONSUMES MORE THAN 120 G OF ALCOHOL (TWELVE 7-OZ GLASES OF BEER OR EQUIVALENT) ON A SINGLE OCCASION. (5) AN EXCESSIVE DRINKER IS A PERSON WHO HAS AN ALCOHOL INTAKE GREATER THAN THAT SPECIFIED IN (4) ABOVE. (6) THOUGH IT IS NOT NECESSARY FOR THE DEFINITION, EXCESSIVE DRINKING, IF CONTINUED, HAS A SUBSTANTIAL PROBABLY OF LEADING TO ALCOHOLISM AS DEFINED ABOVE. (7) AVAILABLE EVIDENCE INDICATES THAT THE MAJORITY OF MALE DRIVERS AT PRESENT APPREHENDED FOR DRINKING DRIVING (I.E., WITH BLOOD ALCOHOL CONTENTS ABOVE THE PRESCRIBED LIMITS) ARE EXCESSIVE DRINKERS AS DEFINED.

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Filing Info

  • Accession Number: 00224216
  • Record Type: Publication
  • Files: TRIS, ATRI
  • Created Date: May 15 1973 12:00AM