The purpose of this study was to establish the discriminant validity of alcohol use disorder (AUD) diagnoses within a population of well-functioning male heavy drinkers. A group of 57 subjects with a consumption of at least 28 alcoholic units (AU)/week was recruited from wine-tasting clubs. Within this group, a comparison was made between those individuals who met the criteria of AUD and those who did not. We compared the subjective and objective health status and drinking habits of both groups. No significant differences were found between the individuals with AUD and those without AUD, or between individuals with alcohol dependence and those without AUD, except for their drinking pattern. These findings raise doubt of the discriminant validity of AUD diagnoses in well-educated heavy wine drinkers.
Copyright 2003 S. Karger AG, Basel