Thirty eight million people in the United States drink too much, according to the Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Most, however, aren't alcoholics. Those two findings might initially seem difficult to reconcile, however, the same likely could be said about other vices, such as eating and, perhaps to a lesser extent, drugs. Many people, for example, might eat too much but aren't necessarily obese.

Thus, '"drinking too much" is normal. Doctors, according to the CDC's recent report, need to speak with their patients and de-normalize this behavior, an approach just one in six doctors are currently taking. Those who do reduce their patient's consumption by as much as 25 percent, as per the CDC.

Asking one's patients about their drinking habits can be difficult in some ways because they're usually impossible to detect physically (and the questioning might seem random or out of place), but not so much for that very same reason. Inquiring of their eating habits, for instance, could be potentially awkward if the patient is obviously obese. At the same time, at least that fact gives the doctor a starting point for his approach.

Still, the CDC recommends that all doctors broach the topic, ask patients about their personal habits, and, if necessary, refer "at risk" individuals (those "dependent" and whom would likely qualify as addicts) to special counseling.

The long term dangers of over consuming alcohol include heart disease, cancer, sexual problems, nerve damage, and more, according to Drug Free World.

Two other solutions could be (1) encouraging patients to more actively seek out their doctor's advice and perhaps building a "drinking schedule" of appropriate levels, which could even allow for, every once in a while, nights of excess and (2) Re-naming the term "binge drinking," currently defined as 5 drinks in 2-3 hours for men, 4 in the same period for women, according to the CDC. Because consuming this amount of drinks (and even more) is evidently so ordinary, most people don't take the term "binge drinking" seriously. If the health industry truly wants people to understand the harm of excessive drinking, either call it what it is (excessive drinking) or by another name.