Throughout San Francisco and the rest of the country, millions of people suffer from problem drinking every year. To be more specific, the New York Times recently revealed that problem drinking affects nearly 33 million adults, most of whom have never sought professional help from alcohol treatment centers. In case you were wondering, problem drinking is an issue, and it’s becoming more prevalent.

Problem drinking is considered the third-most dangerous level of alcohol consumption, ranking below dependency but higher than social and heavy drinking. Patient.info defines it as the type of drinking when, “you continue to drink heavily even though you have caused harm, or are causing harm or problems to yourself, family, or society.”

One interesting thing to note is that problem drinkers aren’t typically dependent on alcohol. Rather, they frequently turn to alcoholic substances as a means to eliminate existing stress or alleviate physical pain. But still, problem drinking is not the best way for anyone in San Francisco or elsewhere to fix real-world problems.

In fact, problem drinkers suffer from more severe hangovers, exhibit poor performance in school and/or work and are more likely to become alcohol-dependent. Sadly, many of these drinkers don’t realize the damage they are doing, because they believe what they are doing is not harmful. If you or someone you know is suffering from an alcohol addiction or problem drinking, feel free to visit one of our alcohol treatment centers for help today.