Indeed, several lines of evidence suggest that the alcohol abuse category is largely comprised of hazardous use (e.g., Babor & Caetano, 2008; Keyes & Hasin 2008; Littlefield & Sher, 2010). For example, over 60% of individuals meet lifetime criteria for alcohol abuse (regardless of dependence) solely through hazardous use in both NLAES (61.90%) and NESARC (64.31%). Further, over 90% of individuals that meet lifetime criteria for alcohol abuse (via meeting one, or more than one, abuse criteria) endorse hazardous use in both samples. Notably, the pattern of overlap among abuse criteria is relatively similar between NLAES and NESARC, indicating that increases in abuse are not due to changes in overlap among criteria in these two samples (data not shown). Regardless, the “abuse” diagnosis is largely a diagnosis of “hazardous use” in both surveys.
