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Are you or have you ever been a college binge drinker? Welcome toalcoholism, a diagnosis your college self could qualify for underthe changes proposed to the next edition of psychiatry sdiagnostic manual, the DSM 5. As the New York Times noted on Saturday in an article that rapidly became one of the most emailed, DSM 5 will have justone diagnosis for addiction problems, though it will be characterized as either mild, moderateor severe. Currently, alcohol and other drug problems come in twoflavors. The first, substance abuse is a short-term,self-limiting problem: it encompasses most heavy drinking incollege. The second substance dependence, is what everyoneelse calls addiction or alcoholism and is typically chronic andmarked by relapses. Fortunately, the new diagnosis will get rid of the confusing term"dependence" (physically needing a drug to functionisn t actually addiction) and the stigmatizing term"abuse." Unfortunately, however, it will alsotremendously elevate the number of people consideredalcoholics. One Australian study suggested that using DSM 5definitions will increase the number of people diagnosed withalcoholism by a stunning 60%. Ian Urbina writes: The chances of getting a diagnosis are going to be much greater,and this will artificially inflate the statistics considerably, said Thomas F. Babor, a psychiatric epidemiologist at theUniversity of Connecticut who is an editor of the internationaljournal Addiction. Many of those who get addiction diagnoses under the newguidelines would have only a mild problem, he said, and scarceresources for drug treatment in schools, prisons and health caresettings would be misdirected. These sorts of diagnoses could be a real embarrassment, Dr.Babor added. Proponents of the new system argue that it will allow substanceproblems that might develop into serious addictions to be nipped inthe bud: We can treat them earlier, said Dr. Charles P. O Brien, aprofessor of psychiatry at the University of Pennsylvania and thehead of the group of researchers devising the manual s newaddiction standards. And we can stop them from getting to thepoint where they re going to need really expensive stuff likeliver transplants. Yet because it's impossible to determine which collegebingers will moderate after graduation and who will go on to havelifetime problems, the distinction between abuse and dependence isdifficult to pinpoint. The reality is that most college bingedrinkers and drug users don t develop lifelong problems. But mostaddiction treatment programs encourage them to see themselves ashaving a chronic, relapsing disease that requires a lifetime ofattendance at 12-step meetings to keep in check. Currently, about31% of college students meet criteria for " alcohol abuse ," while only 6% have the alcoholism-equivalent diagnosis ofdependence. Earlier editions of the DSM explicitly said there are alcohol andother drug problems that legitimately exist but do not reach thelevel of addiction; Alcoholics Anonymous itself differentiates between problem drinkers who can learnto moderate and alcoholics who can t. DSM 5 obliterates thedistinction. If the change is finalized, anyone whose drinking ordrug use creates any problems will essentially be an addict oralcoholic with a mild case of the disease and presumably,therefore, not someone who can learn control over his habits. While researchers have been encouraging the widespread adoption of brief interventions and other techniques that don t require abstinence or a label with great success this change could swing the field in theopposite direction. And that poses a huge problem, particularly for adolescents andyoung adults with mild problems who may be pushed to adopt anaddict identity and to see themselves as having no way to controltheir drinking or drug use if they ever relapse. Rather thanempowering those who do have control to use it, these programsessentially tell kids that if they ever have just one drink or puffon a joint, they re lost. ( MORE : Does Teen Rehab Cure Addiction Or Create It? ) While that strategy may help some people with addiction avoidrelapse, research shows that it makes relapses worse if they dooccur. And given that the overwhelming majority of teens whoare treated will not remain abstinent for life, this strategy iscounterproductive for most who will be exposed to it. In my years of covering addiction, I ve heard the story dozens oftimes: someone with a mild problem enters treatment, is convincedthey have a more severe case and meets others who help him or herget worse. One teenage girl told me about meeting someone whoturned her on to cocaine while in treatment for marijuana; anotheryoung man told me how treatment was the source of his perception that who I was,was an alcoholic and drug addict. Clearly, treatment for young people already labels too many of themas addicts and alcoholics; the last thing we need is the DSMlegitimizing this harmful practice. It should rename substanceabuse substance misuse, and label addiction,"addiction." From any perspective, it'sabsurd to potentially label the 40% of college students who getdrunk at least once a month as having "mild"alcoholism. ( MORE : DSM-5 Debate: Committee Backs Off Some Changes, Re-Opens Comments ) Maia Szalavitz is a health writer at TIME.com. Find her on Twitter at @maiasz . You can also continue the discussion on TIME Healthland s Facebook page and on Twitter at @TIMEHealthland . 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