“…There has been a similar misinterpretation of Cahalan's data on the incidence of alcohol problems in the general population. He had stated that about nine million people in the United States have had some problem associated with the misuse of alcohol, but he clearly disclaimed the notion that these nine million individuals are "alcoholics" (e.g., Cahalan & Cisin, 1976). Nevertheless, this number has appeared as the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism's official statistic on the prevalence of the disease of alcoholism (U.S. Department of Health, Education, and Welfare, 1974)-which, in turn, has become the official reference for others, such as the NCA.…”