Jacob Sullum on the Federal Government’s Arbitrary Definition of Excessive Drinking

Last week
the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
(CDC) noted with alarm that most
Americans say they have never discussed alcohol
consumption with a health professional. Physicians’ reluctance to
broach the subject is especially troubling, the CDC said,
because “at least 38 million adults in the U.S. drink too much.”
Most news outlets reported the latter claim as a fact, failing to
notice the value judgments embedded in it, says Senior Editor Jacob
Sullum. Contrary to what the CDC wants you to believe, Sullum
writes, the question of what it means to drink too much is a matter
of moral and medical dispute.

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