Who is considered a heavy drinker?

The CDC or Centers for Disease Control and Prevention considers men who have 15 or more drinks per week and women who have 8 or more drinks per week heavy drinkers.
The CDC defines a drink as 12 ounces of beer, 5 ounces of wine or 1.5 ounces of liquor.
The definition is tighter for women because they are smaller and according to the CDC they metabolize less alcohol in their stomachs so more goes to the blood stream.
There are other definitions such as having 5 or more drinks at the same time.
The big difference is that if you get stopped by the police after having 2 drinks, you probably won't be charged for a DUI but 5 or more at one sitting will get you in jail.

Binge drinking for college kids is a big health problem with many hospitalizations and death.
Heavy drinking can lead to many types of medical problems especially liver problems.
Becoming an Alcoholic is always a risk for a heavy drinker.
Most people are in denial that they might be a heavy drinker.
The CDC is not recommending that people not drink at all but to be careful and not let alcohol become a problem for you.